App Store guideline 5.1.1(v) account deletion rejection: what to add

If your app lets people create an account, Apple requires a way to start deleting that account inside the app, usually in account settings. Deactivating or disabling the account isn't enough, and outside regulated industries you can't make people call, email or chat with support to do it. Add an in-app delete option that removes the account and its associated data, tell people what happens to subscriptions, then resubmit.

As of November 4, 2026, this comes from Apple's guideline reference page 5.1.1(v) Offering account deletion in your app and section 5.1.1 of the App Review Guidelines.

What does 5.1.1(v) require?

Guideline 5.1.1 covers data collection and storage, and part (v) is about account sign-in. It says that if your app supports account creation, you must also offer account deletion within the app. The same part also says that if your app doesn't include significant account-based features, people should be able to use it without a login.

Apple's reference page spells out what deletion means: removing the account from the developer's records, along with any data associated with it that the developer isn't legally required to keep.

What passes and what doesn't

What the app offers	Passes?	What Apple's page says
A delete account option in the app's account settings	Yes	Make it easy to find. Typically it's in account settings.
Only "deactivate" or "disable" account	No	Only offering to temporarily deactivate or disable an account is insufficient. You can offer it as an extra option.
A button that opens your website to finish deletion	Yes, if it links straight to the deletion page	Include a link directly to the page where people can complete the process.
"Email us to delete your account"	No, unless you're in a highly regulated industry	Apps outside regulated industries shouldn't require a phone call, email, chat or other support flow.
A confirmation step, or a code sent to the email or phone on the account	Yes	Confirming intent and verifying identity is fine. Making deletion unnecessarily difficult won't pass review.
Deletion that's manual and takes a while	Yes	Tell people how long it will take and confirm when it's done.
Deletion only for users in certain countries	No	Everyone should be able to delete their account, wherever they are.
Guest accounts created automatically	Must be deletable too	People should be able to delete them and their data.

Apple's page also says people expect content they posted, such as photos, videos, text posts and reviews, to go with the account. If local laws require you to keep some data, tell people what you'll keep and what you won't.

What about Sign in with Apple?

If your app supports Sign in with Apple, Apple's page says to use the Sign in with Apple REST API to revoke the user's tokens when they delete the account, and to use server-to-server notification endpoints to process changes to those accounts. It adds that developers based in the Republic of Korea must provide a server-to-server notification endpoint when registering a new Services ID.

If people sign in through a web browser instead, the page says in-app deletion is still required. It also says sending people out to the default browser to sign in or register is a poor experience and not appropriate under guideline 4.

What about subscriptions?

Deleting an account doesn't cancel an App Store subscription. Apple's page asks you to tell people with an auto-renewable subscription that billing will continue through Apple and to ask them to cancel before continuing. To help them do it, you can use showManageSubscriptions on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 or later, or link to Apple's subscriptions page (apps.apple.com/account/subscriptions).

You may also offer to schedule deletion for when the subscription expires, as long as there's also an option to delete the account right away.

Is "email support" ever allowed?

Only for apps in highly regulated industries, the kind described in guideline 5.1.1(ix). Apple's page says those apps may use extra customer service flows to confirm and carry out the deletion. For everyone else, the delete option has to work without contacting support.

What I'd do

Put "Delete account" in account settings, where Apple says it typically goes. Have it explain what will be deleted, what you have to keep and why, how long it takes, and that an App Store subscription keeps billing until it's canceled, with a button to manage subscriptions. Revoke Sign in with Apple tokens on the server when it runs. Then test it end to end with a spare test account, not the demo account you give App Review, and in your review notes say where the option is. If you want a second look at how your app explains what happens to people's data, I'll check it for free.