Apple Postpones Deletion Of In-App Accounts; Extends Until June 30

Apple has postponed the deadline for developers to provide an in-app account termination method has been extended until June 30. The adjustment, which was first announced in October of last year, was supposed to take effect on January 31.

Exception For In-App Purchases Extended

Apple has extended the parameters that allow programmers to offer purchase options other than in-app purchases for apps that provide real-time person-to-person services between two users, in addition to the extension for in-app account cancellation criteria. The rules will remain in effect until June 30.

Apple said last year that developers that publish apps on the App Store must provide users the option to deactivate their accounts. The change was first announced at WWDC 2021 as part of Apple's new developer guidelines. It was also designed with apps in mind that allow users to create new accounts.

The change will take effect on January 31 for app submissions, according to Apple. However, the business has now extended the deadline by five months to give developers more time to implement the account termination requirement in their apps.

Developers will need to "initiate deletion" of user accounts from their apps, according to Apple's original release. The word "initiate" was thought to allow developers to provide users with options other than permitting outright deletion at first glance.

Requirement To Delete In-App Accounts Postpones

Apple, on the other hand, has openly stated that app developers must include a means for users to permanently delete their accounts."Merely allowing an account to be temporarily disabled or deactivated is insufficient." People should be allowed to erase their accounts and personal information, according to the latest announcement's requirements.

Apps in "highly regulated industries" should also provide additional support flows to help users confirm and complete the account deactivation procedure. Developers must also adhere to all applicable legal obligations when it comes to storing and preserving user account data.

Apple has done something similar with the App Tracking Transparency feature in the past, so this isn't the first time the corporation has decided to postpone its new guidelines. The feature was supposed to go into effect in September 2020, but it was only implemented in April of last year.

Apple has extended the amendment of its App rules that reduce in-app purchase requirements in specified instances, in addition to the account termination enforcement extension. These are primarily for apps that provide users with one-on-one services, such as tutoring students, medical consultations, real estate tours, and fitness training, among other things.

"We postponed App Store Review Guideline 3.1.1, which mandates apps that offer paid online group services to do so via in-app purchase," according to the business. "We've extended the most recent deadline to June 30, 2022, due to COVID's recent revival and sustained impact on in-person services."