Ahead of the deadline of June 30, 2022, Apple has reminded developers that soon, every app on its App Store will require an account deletion process that should be ‘easy to find in your app,’ while not cutting any corners.
Clarifying this in a recent news post, Apple stated that developers won’t be able to get away with only offering options to temporarily disable or deactivate an account, as instead, it’s a steadfast rule that ‘people should be able to delete the account along with their personal data.’
Previously, developers only had until January 31 2022 to make the necessary changes that facilitated account deletion. However, this deadline was pushed back until the end of June in order to give developers more time for implantation and setting up any ‘additional customer service flows to confirm and facilitate the account deletion process.’
In an accompanying support post, Apple went on to explain that by providing users the option to delete their account and any data associated with it, gives users more control over the personal data that they’ve shared. This is something that has become an increasingly prevalent concern thanks to legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Analysis: Bucking the industry trend
As Apple noted in its support post explaining this account deletion requirement, users having control over their personal data has become of increasing concern over the past few years, especially since at the same time, many apps and developers have been doing their best to make the process of account deletion or unsubscribing as difficult as possible.
While it may not seem like the biggest change on the surface, simplifying this often confusing process would be a godsend to anyone who has tried unsubscribing or deleting accounts on some of the biggest apps such as Amazon or Facebook.
Disappointingly, apps like these, and many others, often make it difficult to find account deletion options behind countless different settings menus and windows, that are designed to either tempt you into staying or frustrate you into giving up.
As a result, Apple mandating an account deletion option that “should be easy to find in your app” is great progress for those users who tire of wading through those countless frustrating menus and pop-ups anytime they want to leave a service they’re finished with.