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Google Play improves data safety by requiring apps to let users delete data
- Google Play is implementing a change to its data safety rules.
- All apps on the platform will be required to allow users to delete their account data.
- The new policy is being rolled out slowly to give developers enough time to make the necessary changes.
Google is adding a new requirement to the Play Store that will affect all apps on its platform. That new requirement is aimed at helping users control and protect their data privacy.
In the near future, all apps on the Google Play Store that allow account creation will be required to allow users to delete those accounts. The tech giant announced the new rule change in a blog post.
For apps that enable app account creation, developers will soon need to provide an option to initiate account and data deletion from within the app and online. This web requirement, which you will link in your Data safety form, is especially important so that a user can request account and data deletion without having to reinstall an app.
As the company mentions, the Data safety section in the Play Store already lets developers provide data deletion options. However, this move is meant to give users “an easier and more consistent way to request them.”
If you request for your information to be deleted, the developer will now have to delete the data associated with that account. This means that tactics like temporary account deactivation or disabling won’t satisfy the new rule. For developers who have to hold on to data for legitimate reasons, like fraud prevention or regulatory compliance, will have to “clearly disclose those data retention practices.”
It appears that the rule change won’t go into effect immediately, however. To give developers enough time to comply with the order, Google is rolling out the policy slowly.
As a first step, we’re asking developers to submit answers to new Data deletion questions in your app’s Data Safety form by December 7. Early next year, Google Play users will begin to see reflected changes in your app’s store listing, including the refreshed data deletion badge in the Data safety section and the new Data deletion area.
The company also notes that developers who need more time can file for an extension in Play Console until May 31, 2024.