Publishing a policy for Google Play

What the User Data policy says

Google Play's User Data policy states that all apps must post a privacy policy link in the designated field within Play Console and a privacy policy link or text within the app itself. The policy must comprehensively disclose how the app accesses, collects, uses, and shares user data, and apps that do not access any personal and sensitive user data must still submit a privacy policy. The policy should identify the developer, give a privacy point of contact, and describe data retention and deletion.

Data safety must match the policy

All developers with an app published on Google Play must complete the Data safety form, even when the app collects no data, and a privacy policy is required to complete it. The form asks which data types are collected and shared, for what purposes, whether data is encrypted in transit, and whether users can request deletion. Your policy and the form should describe the same data and providers; reviewers and users compare them.

Account deletion

Apps that allow users to create an account must let users request account deletion from within the app and through a web link that works without reinstalling the app, which you enter in Play Console. The User Data policy says that when you delete an app account based on a user's request, you must also delete the user data associated with that account, with limited exceptions for data you must retain for legitimate reasons such as security, fraud prevention, or legal compliance. Describe the deletion route and any retained records in the policy.

SDKs count as your app

Data collected by third-party SDKs in your app, such as analytics, crash reporting, advertising, attribution, and authentication libraries, counts as collection by your app for Data safety and policy purposes. Check each SDK's documentation and settings; Firebase and other providers publish Data safety guidance per product. Update the policy and form whenever you add or remove an SDK.

Permissions and prominent disclosure

Sensitive permissions such as location, contacts, SMS, camera, and microphone should be listed with their purpose. Where your app collects personal and sensitive data in ways users might not expect, Google Play requires an in-app prominent disclosure and consent before collection, in addition to the privacy policy. Background location has its own declaration process.

Use a stable, public link

The Play Console link must open a public page that works without sign-in, on a phone, without expiring file shares, and without depending on scripts to reveal the text. Avoid PDF-only links and pages that redirect to a home page. A hosted policy with a permanent URL makes it easy to keep the same link across releases while the content is updated.

Release checklist

Before each release, confirm that the app, the policy, and the Data safety form agree on data types, SDKs, sharing, purposes, encryption in transit, and deletion. Open the listing link signed out on a mobile device, check the effective date and contact details, and keep previous policy versions for your records.

Families and children

Apps that target children or include children in their audience must meet the Families policy requirements in addition to the User Data policy, which restrict certain SDKs, identifiers, and advertising, and they must follow laws such as COPPA. If your app is not intended for children, say so in the policy and set the target audience in Play Console consistently. The amended COPPA Rule has applied since 23 June 2025, with a general compliance date of 22 April 2026, and requires separate parental consent before disclosing children's information to third parties in most cases.

Generating a Play-ready policy

Choose the application platform in the questionnaire and answer the permission, provider, payment, account, and deletion questions. The generated policy names only the providers you select, includes account-deletion wording when accounts are enabled, and can be hosted at a stable link to paste into Play Console. The mobile app sample shows the resulting structure for a fictional app.

Common questions