Identify whether account creation is in scope
Review the whole user journey, including an app that sends users to a website to create the account. A guest mode does not eliminate the requirement when account creation is also offered.
Google's guidance describes exceptions and special treatment for particular app types and non-mobile surfaces. Evaluate those explicitly rather than declaring every local profile an online account.
Design the complete deletion flow
Make the request easy to find in account settings and provide the web resource submitted through Data Safety. The website should identify the app or developer and let a user initiate deletion without reinstalling the app.
Explain authentication, expected processing, subscription implications and any legitimate retention. Do not promise that subscription billing stops merely because the app's database row is deleted.
| Data location | Deletion task |
|---|---|
| Authentication provider | Remove or disable identity as the process requires |
| Application database | Delete associated user records appropriately |
| Object storage | Remove user-owned files and derived copies |
| Service providers | Send required deletion requests |
| Retained records | Document purpose, access and retention period |
Avoid deleting the authentication identity first if doing so prevents the backend from finding associated data. Use an auditable server-side job and handle partial failures.
Test from both entry points
Test the in-app request and the web route as a signed-out user with the documented verification process. Check duplicate requests, network interruption and a user whose subscription or shared content complicates deletion.
Maintain a minimal operational record of fulfillment without retaining the very personal content the user asked to remove.
Keep the policy and form aligned
APKLint's policy checklist can help review the disclosure and link. It does not execute backend deletion or determine statutory retention duties.
Read Google Play's account-deletion requirements and User Data policy. Explain legitimate retained data accurately and obtain qualified legal review where retention obligations apply; a generic “all data is immediately deleted” statement is not a safe substitute for an implemented process.
Sources and further reading
Reference review: 22 September 2026. Examples illustrate the workflow; check your installed versions, release artifact and account-specific Console requirements before applying them. This guide is not a claim that APKLint executed your project or verified your private account.
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