khadinakbarlabs/expo-mobile-app-builder/account-deletion-flow-android

Account Deletion Flow (Play Required)

Mandatory since Dec 2023. Both in-app + on website.

Implementation context

The snippets describe the consuming mobile app and its own authenticated backend. The bearer value is that app user’s session token obtained through its established authentication flow; it is not a token read from the plugin installer’s environment. Deletion requests and AI consent settings are independent app features. Do not execute these snippets as plugin startup or account-management actions.

In-app

Settings → Account → Delete Account → confirmation → delete.

// Settings screen
<Pressable onPress={confirmDelete}>
  <Text>Delete account</Text>
</Pressable>
// Confirmation
<Alert>
  Title: "Delete account?"
  Body: "This permanently deletes your account and all data. Cannot be undone."
  Buttons: [Cancel, Delete]
</Alert>
// On Delete:
async function deleteAccount() {
  await fetch('/api/delete-account', {
    method: 'DELETE',
    headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${token}` },
  });
  await SecureStore.deleteItemAsync('auth_token');
  router.replace('/sign-in');
}

Backend delete endpoint

// /api/delete-account
app.delete('/api/delete-account', async (c) => {
  const userId = c.get('jwtPayload').sub;
  // 1. Soft delete: mark deleted_at, hide from queries
  await db.update(users).set({ deletedAt: new Date() }).where(eq(users.id, userId));
  // 2. Schedule hard delete (30 day grace)
  await scheduleJob('hardDeleteUser', { userId, runAt: addDays(new Date(), 30) });
  // 3. Cancel any active subscriptions
  await revenueCat.subscriber.delete(userId);
  // 4. Log for audit
  await auditLog.create({ event: 'account_deletion_requested', userId });
  return c.json({ ok: true });
});

Website (also required)

Public URL where users can request deletion WITHOUT installing app.

/account-deletion:

<form action="/api/delete-request" method="POST">
  <label>Email used to sign in:</label>
  <input type="email" name="email" required />
  <button>Request deletion</button>
</form>

Backend verifies via email link, then deletes.

Play Console declaration

Setup → Data deletion → "Provide URL" → enter your /account-deletion URL.

What MUST be deleted

• User account
• All user-generated content
• Linked records (purchases, settings, etc.)
• Backups (within retention window)

What you can keep

• Aggregate stats (anonymized)
• Legal hold data (if required by law)
• Audit logs (for fraud / safety)

Grace period

30 days is industry standard. User can cancel within grace by signing back in.

Common gotchas

• Forgetting to delete in third-party services (RevenueCat, Sentry user, PostHog person)
• "Account deletion" link goes to email instead of in-app → rejection
• 24-hr delete vs 30-day grace → either works, document clearly
• Hard delete from backup retention (Postgres point-in-time recovery has 30-day default)

Pair with

• generate-privacy-policy-android (link from policy)
• data-safety-form (declare deletion mechanism)