Instagram this week implemented support for a new option that allows an Instagram account to be deleted directly within the Instagram app. Instagram is now in compliance with an updated App Store Guideline that requires all apps that offer account creation to also offer account deletion.
Apple told developers that apps offering account creation must also support account deletion starting on June 30, 2022, so Instagram waited for the deadline to add the feature.
According to Apple's guidelines, apps must make it easy for users to find the account deletion option, and it is insufficient for an app to offer to temporarily disable or deactivate an account. An account must be able to be deleted, along with all personal data.
As noted by TechCrunch, prior to now Instagram users had to log into a web browser on a desktop computer or a mobile device to delete their accounts. There was also an in-app option for deactivating account, but as mentioned up above, Apple is requiring full account deletion options.
Instagram accounts can be deleted in the Instagram app by opening up the settings, selecting account, and choosing the delete account option. Instagram lets users choose between deleting or deactivating their account, with the delete option removing all content permanently.
There is a 30-day period in which you can change your mind about deleting your account because Apple's guidelines allow for a delay before an account is permanently removed. Those who log back into Instagram after requesting deletion will be able to stop the deletion.
In a statement to TechCrunch, Instagram said that it wanted to "give people more ways to control their experience and time spent on Instagram," without mentioning that it is an Apple requirement.
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest.
Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely.
Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:54 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses.
Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product.
Smart Home Hub
Apple home hub (concept)
Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
Tuesday January 20, 2026 4:36 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple's App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV service are experiencing an outage at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page.
Apple says that some users may be experiencing issues with the App Store and iTunes Store. Apple also says some users may be seeing intermittent issues with Apple TV. The Apple TV Channels feature is down too, and users may be unable to access some...
Wednesday January 21, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27.
The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...
Sure, the frontend side of things may be deleted, but the backend (including all your data) is never fully purged, especially by the companies like Facebook. And there's nothing you or anyone can do about it. Unless their servers are seized by FBI and intentionally destroyed, your data will live on forever. You'll have to pry those servers from Zuck's cold, dead hands.
and it is insufficient for an app to offer to temporarily disable or deactivate an account. An account must be able to be deleted, along with all personal data.
You gotta know that ain’t gonna happen on the backend.
and it is insufficient for an app to offer to temporarily disable or deactivate an account. An account must be able to be deleted, along with all personal data.
You gotta know that ain’t gonna happen on the backend.
Yeah I assume
"deactivated" means "not deleted, but suspended and visible to you," and
"deleted" means "not deleted, but suspended and hidden from you."
Sure, the frontend side of things may be deleted, but the backend (including all your data) is never fully purged, especially by the companies like Facebook. And there's nothing you or anyone can do about it. Unless their servers are seized by FBI and intentionally destroyed, your data will live on forever. You'll have to pry those servers from Zuck's cold, dead hands.
That would be illegal under GDPR but for some reason they only seem to go after small players, so who knows
Sure, the frontend side of things may be deleted, but the backend (including all your data) is never fully purged, especially by the companies like Facebook. And there's nothing you or anyone can do about it. Unless their servers are seized by FBI and intentionally destroyed, your data will live on forever. You'll have to pry those servers from Zuck's cold, dead hands.
You gotta know that ain’t gonna happen on the backend.
Yeah I assume
"deactivated" means "not deleted, but suspended and visible to you," and
"deleted" means "not deleted, but suspended and hidden from you."
I don't mean to insult any of you, but that suspicion seems more like paranoid speculation than a knowing presumption.
Assuming companies properly delete account data and purge the information rather than hoarding it, Apple has made an excellent policy here that I hope will become industry standard or a legislated regulation.
