Google is implementing a data disposal policy for the Play Store
The Play Store’s guidelines will now also include a requirement for data erasure. Regardless of whether you have a password, the requirement should make it simpler to remove an account.
A new Play Store requirement introduced by Google will call for apps to include a “readily discoverable option” to delete your account, both within the app and online. The firm claims that the modification is intended to provide users “more visibility and control over their in-app data” in a blog post published on Wednesday.
Google is making sure that customers won’t have to re-download an app because they removed it before asking for their account to be deleted by enforcing the restriction, which will apply to apps that allow you to create an account. The corporation will add a field that directs users to the website for account termination to the Google Play Store.
The policy has a few limitations that developers should be aware of. Developers must remove users’ data along with their accounts unless they have “legitimate grounds” to maintain it, according to the regulation, which states expressly that allowing a user to deactivate or freeze their account temporarily won’t be sufficient to meet it. (It also includes any security or legal restrictions; nevertheless, developers must be transparent about storing user data.) It won’t take effect right away because this is a significant update that might require some developers to put in some effort. According to the business, the “initial phase” will call for developers to expand on their data destruction procedures by December 7th using Google’s current data safety form. Although developers can request an extension until May 31st, 2024, users can see how an app manages account and data deletion “early next year.”
Not the first business to adopt these criteria is Google. Apple announced a similar policy in October 2021, and became effective in June 2022. Similar conditions and requirements apply to the App Store rule, although it does not specify that customers must also be able to terminate their accounts online.
