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.
Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works.
We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
According to Apple's release notes, ...
Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.
To set up the...
Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by Joe Rossignol
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more.
Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
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.
