If you no longer want to use an application on your smartphone, from 2024 it will be easier to delete all your data. Google imposes new rules on app developers.

App developers want you to create an account, and for many applications it’s a requirement. However, deleting the account and all related data is often made significantly more difficult. This will change within Android. Google announces new rules for app developers in a blog.

Soon every application will be obliged to offer the possibility to have all user data destroyed upon account deletion. App developers need to offer this in different ways. Both within the application and through a website that users can go to after they have already removed the app.

Google says it wants to give users more control over what happens to their data, something app users usually have to guess about. The links to the websites also appear in the app description in the Play Store. As a user, you should also be able to choose whether you want all of your data to be deleted or only specific data such as photos or credit card data.

App developers are given little room to adhere to these rules. If they still need to keep data for legal reasons, this must be clearly communicated to the user. Also, just offering the ability to freeze accounts is not enough.

Rules apply from 2024

Google recognizes that app developers will need time to adapt their apps to the new rules and is therefore providing time until early 2024. From then on you will see more information about what happens to your data in the App Store. Developers have until December 7th to ask Google questions about the new policy and receive grace periods until May 2024.

With this policy, Google follows the rules of the Apple App Store, where they have been in effect since June 2022. It’s not uncommon for Google to borrow from competitor Apple to tighten privacy rules in Android.