Fix an App Store account deletion rejection
A button labeled ‘delete’ is not compliant if it only signs out, deactivates the profile, or sends users into an unsupported email conversation. Map the whole identity and data lifecycle before resubmitting.
If the app supports account creation, let users initiate deletion inside the app. The flow must delete the account and associated personal data, not merely deactivate access. A web completion flow needs a direct link; manual processing may be acceptable when the app clearly explains the timeline. Sign in with Apple accounts also require token revocation handling.
Define deletion as an irreversible account outcome
Apple's account-deletion guidance distinguishes deletion from temporary deactivation. The user needs a way to remove the account record and associated personal data, subject to legal retention obligations. Logging out, hiding a profile, or disabling notifications does not meet that outcome.
Inventory the identity record, profile, user-generated content, uploaded files, subscriptions, support history, analytics identifiers, and downstream processors. Assign delete, anonymize, or legally retain to each data class and make the user-facing explanation match the implementation.
Put initiation where an authenticated user can find it
The app does not need to perform every backend step synchronously, but it must let the user start the process inside the app. If completion happens on the web, link directly to the page that finishes deletion rather than to a homepage or generic support site.
A flow that tells ordinary users to call or email support is generally insufficient. Apple notes that highly regulated industries may use additional customer-service steps to confirm and facilitate deletion, so document the regulation and keep the process workable.
Handle identities that product teams often forget
- Guest or automatically created accounts still need a deletion path if an account record exists.
- A user with an active auto-renewable subscription needs clear cancellation information; deleting your account does not itself cancel Apple's billing relationship.
- Pending purchases, balances, shared workspaces, or creator content need an explicit product rule before data removal.
- Sign in with Apple requires revoking the user's tokens when the account is deleted.
- A manual deletion queue must communicate the expected duration and notify the user when the request completes.
Test both the screen and the downstream deletion job
- Create a fresh review-style account and populate every supported data type.
- Initiate deletion from the production candidate without using an internal admin tool.
- Verify confirmation, reauthentication, cooling-off rules, and the stated processing timeline.
- Confirm the account can no longer authenticate and the deletion job reaches every mapped data store and processor.
- For Sign in with Apple, verify token revocation and define what happens if the same person later signs up again.
Give App Review a direct proof path
If the previous build only deactivated an account, say what changed. A precise correction is more useful than asserting that a hidden button existed all along.
Account deletion is available at: [tab] → [settings] → [delete account]. The user can initiate deletion entirely in the app. Outcome: [account and associated data deleted / documented retained data]. Processing time: [immediate or clearly stated period]. Sign in with Apple: [token revocation behavior]. Test account: credentials are in App Review Information; no support contact is required.
Primary references checked for this guide
Policy statements above are grounded in the linked Apple documentation. Operational recommendations are AppReviewReady's interpretation and should be tested against your app and the current guideline text.
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