App Store rejection guide

Apple wants account deletion in your app (Guideline 5.1.1(v)): how to add it

Last reviewed 3 November 2026

If people can create an account in your app, they must be able to start deleting it there too. This rejection is common and usually quick to fix, as long as the flow does what Apple actually asks for.

Short answer

Add a clear delete option inside the app, usually in account settings, that removes the account and its personal data. Deactivating isn’t enough, and most apps can’t send people to email, chat or a phone call to finish. Apple does allow confirmation steps and manual processing, as long as you tell people what’s happening.

What Apple is saying

“you must also offer account deletion within the app”
Apple, App Review Guideline 5.1.1

This sits in part (v) of Guideline 5.1.1. Apple’s account deletion guidance adds the detail:

“only offering to temporarily deactivate or disable an account is insufficient”
Apple, Offering account deletion in your app

Deleting means removing the account from your records, along with any associated data you aren’t legally required to keep.

The usual causes

No delete option in the app, often because accounts were added after the first version.
“Email us to delete your account” or a support form. Outside highly regulated industries, Apple says not to require email, phone, chat or other support flows.
Deactivate only: the app offers to disable the account, with no way to delete it.
A link to your website’s home page, leaving people to find the deletion page themselves.
A hidden option, several screens deep or under an unexpected name.
Guest accounts forgotten. Automatically created accounts need a delete option as well.
Sign-up on the web only. If the app links out to a browser to create accounts, it still has to offer deletion inside the app.

How to fix it

Add “Delete account” to account settings, where people expect to find it.
Build the deletion on your server. Remove the account and its personal data, and check your backups, analytics and third-party services so nothing is left behind by accident.
Add a confirmation step if you need one. Apple allows re-entering a password or a code sent to the email or phone already on the account, as long as you don’t make deletion unnecessarily hard.
If it has to finish on the web, link straight to the page where people complete it.
Explain what happens to subscriptions. Deleting an account doesn’t cancel an Apple subscription, so tell people how billing and cancellation work in your app.
Tell people about timing and anything you must keep. A manual process is acceptable if it takes a reasonable time, you say how long, and you confirm when it’s done. If the law requires you to retain something, say what.
If you offer Sign in with Apple, revoke the person’s tokens using Apple’s REST API when the account is deleted.
Show the reviewer. Add a demo account, say where the option is in the review notes, and attach a short recording. Then reply to App Review and resubmit.

Regulated apps, such as those covered by 5.1.1(ix), may use extra customer service steps to confirm and carry out a deletion. Check your legal obligations with your own legal adviser, since retention rules vary by country.

Questions founders ask

Does account deletion have to be instant?

No. Apple accepts a manual process that takes a reasonable time, provided you tell people how long it will take and confirm when it’s finished.

Can we ask people to confirm before deleting?

Yes. Apple allows steps that confirm the request and the person’s identity, such as a code sent to their existing email or phone. Don’t add steps that only make it harder.

Do guest accounts count?

Yes. If the app creates an account automatically, people still need an option to delete it and its data.

More rejection guides

Based on Apple’s App Review Guidelines as last updated by Apple on 16 October 2026. Apple changes them from time to time, so check the current text on Apple’s developer site.