Privacy policies and terms of service are more than just legal requirements. They're critical components that keep your apps live and available to users.
App stores regularly verify these links, and inaccessible pages can result in immediate app removal without warning.
ℹ️ INFO: This comprehensive guide will help you understand requirements across platforms, prevent common accessibility issues, and quickly resolve problems when they occur.
Why This Matters
App stores like Google Play and Apple App Store periodically check that your privacy policy and terms of service links are functional and accessible.
These checks are automated and can happen at any time, often without notice.
⚠️ WARNING: If your privacy policy or terms of service links become inaccessible, your app may be removed from app stores immediately, affecting your visibility, revenue, and user trust.
Your App Store Compliance Responsibilities
As an app owner, you are responsible for:
Maintaining Accessibility: Ensuring your privacy policy and terms of service links remain functional at all times
Regular Monitoring: Checking your links periodically to verify they're working properly
Prompt Updates: Immediately addressing any issues with broken links
Domain Change Planning: Taking proactive steps when changing domains or restructuring your website
Content Compliance: Ensuring your privacy policy content meets app store requirements for comprehensiveness and transparency
When users download your app, they're trusting you with their data.
Maintaining accessible legal documents demonstrates your commitment to transparency and compliance with data protection regulations.
Platform-Specific Requirements
Google Play
Google takes privacy policy accessibility extremely seriously and regularly verifies that your links are working.
If your privacy policy link stops working, Google will:
Reject app updates during the review process
Send warning emails about non-compliance
Potentially remove your app from the Google Play Store entirely
📝 NOTE: Google requires privacy policies to be available on an active URL (no PDFs), non-editable, applicable to your app, and specifically covering user privacy.
Apple App Store
Apple similarly requires accessible privacy policies and terms of service.
Their review process checks these links before approving updates, but they may also perform periodic checks on published apps.
Checking the Current Privacy Policy URL
For Google Play Apps
To check your current privacy policy URL for Android apps:
Log in to the Google Developer Console
Under Monitor and Improve, select App Content
Navigate to the Actioned tab
Look for the Privacy Policy item
For Apple App Store Apps
To check your current privacy policy URL for iOS apps:
Log in to App Store Connect
Select your app
Under Trust & Safety, select App Privacy
Your privacy policy URL will be listed on the page
Updating Your Privacy Policy URL
If you need to update your privacy policy URL:
For Google Play: Submit an app update request to Uscreen with your new privacy policy URL. We'll update it in your app and resubmit to Google Play for approval.
For Apple App Store: Similarly, request an app update with the new URL.
Domain Changes
The most common reason privacy policy links stop working is a change to your domain or the URL structure of your website.
🔗 Learn more about Using a Custom Domain
When you change your domain, you have two options to maintain compliance:
Request an App Update: Submit a formal update request to all app stores with your new privacy policy and terms of service URLs. This requires app store review and approval.
Implement URL Redirects: Set up redirects from your old policy URLs to the new ones. This ensures the original links in your apps remain functional while pointing users to your updated policies.
📝 NOTE: While URL redirects are the fastest solution as they don't require app store approval, you should still request the update of the URLs in your next app update.
Monitoring & Maintenance
Regular Checks
Proactively check your privacy policy and terms of service links monthly to ensure they remain accessible. Don't wait for app stores to notify you of problems.
Uscreen Notifications
Uscreen will notify you through a banner in the admin area if we detect issues with your privacy policy accessibility.
💡 TIP: Regularly check your developer account dashboards and the email addresses associated with them. App stores send important compliance notifications to these emails, and missing them could result in your app being removed. Consider setting up email forwarding or adding these addresses to your priority inbox to ensure you never miss critical notifications.
FAQs
What happens if my privacy policy becomes inaccessible?
What happens if my privacy policy becomes inaccessible?
If your privacy policy becomes inaccessible, app stores may reject updates or remove your app entirely. Google Play will typically send a warning email first, but action can be taken without notice.
Can I use the same privacy policy for my website and mobile apps?
Can I use the same privacy policy for my website and mobile apps?
Yes, but you may need to include app-specific terms to meet app store requirements. Ensure your privacy policy addresses how your app collects, uses, and shares user data.
How long does it take to update my privacy policy URL in the app stores?
How long does it take to update my privacy policy URL in the app stores?
After submitting an update request to Uscreen, it typically takes 1-2 business days for us to implement the changes and submit them to app stores. App store review times vary, but generally take 1-7 days.