How to write an account deletion page
Google Play wants a page on the open web. It is short, and there are four things it has to say.
What this is
Google Play wants a page on the open web. It is short, and there are four things it has to say.
Step by step
- Name the app and the account the request is about.
- Give the route: a link, a button, or the exact steps inside the app.
- Say what is deleted and how quickly.
- Say what is kept anyway, why, and for how long, as a number.
- Give an address for anyone who cannot use the route.
One thing people miss
Keep it at a stable URL. It is entered in the Play Console and re-checked on updates.
Keeping it true after launch
A legal page stops being true the moment the product moves past it, usually by adding a payment provider, an analytics SDK or a sign-in. No store re-checks your pages against your build, so the drift is yours to notice.
- Re-read it whenever you add a dependency that sees user data.
- Re-check what loads on the page after any change: the cookie notice and the policy have to agree.
- Keep the URL stable. Changing where a policy lives breaks every listing that points at it.
Common questions
How long does this take?
Minutes, once the page it points at exists. The writing is the slow part, not the form.
Can I change it later?
Yes, and you should whenever the app changes. What you want to avoid is changing the URL, because everything that points at it breaks.