Google has announced that all Android apps listed on the Play Store must provide users with a mechanism to remove their account and personal data from within the app and on the official website. In addition, Google requires developers to ask users whether they want to delete their data when they request to remove their accounts. The purpose of this policy is to educate users on controlling their data and increase trust in the Play Store and its apps.
Developers must also allow users to delete some data, such as uploaded content, without removing their accounts entirely. To prevent users from uninstalling and reinstalling apps just to remove their account and data, Google will require developers to provide this data protection mechanism on their websites as well.
Developers must respond by December 7, 2023, with the progress of their data removal plan, and by early 2024, the Play Store will make the appropriate changes. Developers can request an extension until May 31, 2024. The policy is similar to Apple’s requirement that developers provide users with the ability to delete their account within the app, which was delayed until this year.
