App Store Privacy Labels and Google Play Data Safety: How to Fill Them
Practice3 minInnovialabs editorial team
In short
In both forms you declare what data the app and all its SDKs collect, why, and whether it is shared with third parties. Answers must match the app's real behavior and privacy policy, or the store may reject updates or remove the app.
The short answer
- App Privacy (privacy labels, "nutrition labels") in App Store Connect powers a section on your App Store page showing what data is collected and whether it is linked to the user's identity.
- Data Safety in Google Play Console is the equivalent on your Google Play page: what data is collected, what is shared, whether it is encrypted and whether it can be deleted.
The developer fills in both forms and is responsible for their accuracy. Stores compare the answers with the app's behavior, and users and journalists compare them with real network traffic.
What must be declared
Both forms ask about data types and the purposes they are used for.
| Data type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Contact info | Name, email, phone, address |
| Identifiers | User ID, device advertising ID |
| Location | Precise or approximate |
| Financial | Payment info, purchase history |
| User content | Photos, messages, files |
| Usage | Taps, screen views, search |
| Diagnostics | Crashes, performance |
Purposes include app functionality, analytics, personalization, advertising, fraud prevention and others.
Key terminology differences:
- Apple asks whether data is linked to the user and whether it is used for tracking — combining it with other companies' data for advertising. If you track, you need an App Tracking Transparency prompt.
- Google separates collection from sharing with third parties. Transfers to a service provider acting on your behalf usually do not count as sharing — check the definitions in the Play help center.
How SDKs affect your answers
The form describes the whole app, including third-party code. Analytics, crash reporting, ads, social sign-in and payment SDKs all collect data, even if your own code sends nothing.
Steps to follow:
- List every SDK in your dependencies.
- For each, find the App Store and Google Play data disclosure section in its docs — major vendors publish one.
- Account for configuration: disabling advertising ID or IP collection changes the answers.
- Inspect real traffic through a proxy when the documentation is vague.
The iOS privacy manifest
A privacy manifest (PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy) is a file in the app and in SDKs that describes collected data, tracking domains and the reasons for using certain system APIs (required reason APIs, such as UserDefaults or file timestamps).
- Commonly used third-party SDKs on Apple's list must ship their own manifest and signature.
- Xcode can generate a privacy report from all manifests in an archive — a handy starting point for your labels.
- Missing reasons for required reason APIs lead to warnings or rejected uploads in App Store Connect.
Account deletion
If users can create an account in your app, both platforms require a way to delete it:
- Apple — deletion must be initiated inside the app, not only by emailing support.
- Google Play — you need an in-app deletion path and a web link where users can request deletion without installing the app. The link goes into the Data Safety form.
Deletion means deleting data, not just deactivating the account. If some data must be retained by law, say so.
Consequences of inaccurate disclosures
- Updates rejected until the form is corrected.
- A deadline to fix the declaration.
- Removal of the app, and for repeated violations, action against the developer account.
- Lost user trust if outsiders find the mismatch.
Review both forms whenever you add an SDK or a feature that touches data.