Google launched a new policy for the Google Play Store last year that targets apps that permit the establishment of app accounts. If an app permits the creation of an account, the developer must permit the account to be removed both within the app and online in order for the app to continue to be available on the Play Store. Users can now finally see these changes as Google stated that the Play Store will display these data deletion procedures in listings “early next year.”
Assemble Debug, an Android Authority contributor, noticed that the Google Play Store has started to display the “Account deletion available” label in the App listings’ Data Safety section.
Google has been pressuring developers to provide information about deleting an app account in their store listings since December 2023. Up until May 31, 2024, developers may seek an extension. After that date, non-compliant apps may be subject to “additional enforcement actions” in the future, such having their listings removed from the Google Play Store. Since the data destruction badges are currently operational and the enforcement date is rapidly approaching, app developers shouldn’t anticipate receiving any further extensions.
Developers are required under Google’s data deletion policy to offer users the ability to delete their data and accounts from within their apps and online. In this manner, a user can request the deletion of their data or account without having to reload the program after they have removed it. App developers are required to declare their data retention policies if they are required to keep specific types of data for justifiable purposes, such as regulatory compliance.
Have you noticed the newly added highlights for data erasure in the Google Play Store? How do you view them in terms of app users? Tell us in the comments section below!