Apple to soon make it mandatory for the App Store developers to disclose user data

During the launch of iOS 14 earlier this year at the WWDC, Apple had announced that it is going to make it mandatory for the iOS developers to provide Apple the details and information regarding the user data that the apps and app updates collect. Therefore, iOS developers have to provide details regarding the data type it collects. 

The App Store listings will make the users know about the privacy rules of the app before they download any app on the Apple Store. The users will know this through the Information labeling that Apple will do after it gets details about the type of data from the iOS Developers. These changes have not yet come into effect. Even during the release of iOS 14, these changes were not seen coming to the effect. 

The information labeling on the Apple Store Listings will come into effect officially by this year’s end, according to Apple. 

The developer site of Apple has been updated to show that the developers should submit data tracking information of their users for the new and upcoming apps and app updates to the Apple Store. This will start on December 8th. After these labels are gone live, the product page of each app in the store will consist of details regarding “some of the data types the app may collect and whether that data is linked to them or used to track them”.

Apple has not yet mentioned when these labels will go live on the Apple Store. But, it has been mentioned that the App Store will help the users in knowing about the apps privacy policies and practices by later this year. So we would have to wait to know the exact date. 

The app privacy questions should be answered by the developers in-app store connect. Multiple options will be given to the developers from which they have to select appropriate answers. The iOS developers have been asked by Apple to provide details and information regarding all the data that they and their third-party partners collect from the users. 

Apple has also duly warned the iOS developers that they are the ones who will be responsible for keeping the responses accurate and up-to-date. Apple further stated that there are a few types of data that are considered optional for the developers to disclose. All the above information has been mentioned on the Apple developer’s official site.