Key takeaways
- On the App Store, scroll a listing to App Privacy. On Google Play, look for Data safety.
- Look for three things: what's collected, whether it's shared or used to track you, and whether you can delete it.
- Labels are written by the app's developer. They're a starting point, not an audit.
- On Google Play, apps that let you create an account must offer a way to delete that account and its data, both in the app and on the web.
Every app asks for something. Sometimes it's your location. Sometimes it's your contacts, your photos or a little piece of your attention every day. Most of us tap Install without a second thought, then wonder months later why an ad seems to know what we talked about at dinner.
There's a better habit, and it takes about two minutes. Both major app stores now put a summary of an app's data practices right on the listing, before you download anything.
Where to find the label
On iPhone and iPad. Open the app's page in the App Store and scroll down to the App Privacy section. Apple requires developers to describe the types of data the app may collect, and whether that data is linked to you or used to track you. That information is required to submit new apps and app updates, and it's meant to include the practices of any third-party code built into the app.
On Android. Open the app's page in Google Play and look for Data safety. Google required this section by July 20, 2022. It covers what the app collects, what it shares with third parties, security practices such as whether data is encrypted in transit, and whether you can ask for your data to be deleted.
The two labels side by side
| App Store: App Privacy | Google Play: Data safety | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is | On the app's listing, below the description | On the app's listing, in its own section |
| What it shows | Data types collected, grouped by whether they're linked to you or used to track you | Data collected, data shared with third parties and the purpose of each |
| Security details | Not the focus of the label | Shows practices such as encryption in transit |
| Deleting your data | Check the app's privacy policy and settings | Shows whether you can request deletion |
| Who fills it out | The developer | The developer |
That last row matters. Neither store tests every claim before the label goes live. Read the label as the developer's own description, and read the privacy policy if anything surprises you.
Quick check: is this app worth the data?
Open the label for an app you're considering, then answer five questions.
1. Does it collect data it doesn't need for what it does?
2. Is any data used to track you across other companies' apps or sites?
3. Is your data shared with third parties?
4. Can you delete your account and data?
5. Is there a privacy policy you can actually read and understand?
See how we handle it
Every Vilasi app has its own privacy policy, listed on our Apps page next to its support page. Run this same check on ours.
What owning your data looks like
"You own your data" gets said a lot. In practice it comes down to a few plain questions. Do you know what the app keeps? Do you know why? Can you see it, take it with you, or delete it when you're done?
If a label leaves those questions open, that isn't automatically a red flag. Small developers often write short labels. It's simply a reason to open the privacy policy, or to write to the developer and ask. A good one will answer.
How we think about it at Vilasi
We publish apps for faith, family, learning, health, the performing arts and everyday life. Several can be used on the web today, and native versions are coming to the App Store and Google Play. Each one has its own privacy policy, and that policy, not our website's, covers what happens inside the app.
When our native apps reach the stores, they'll carry the same labels described here. We'd rather you read them than skip them.
Your before-you-install checklist
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Two minutes on a label won't make you a privacy expert. It will make you a much harder person to surprise.
Questions about one of our apps?
Ask us what an app collects, how to delete your data or when it's coming to your phone. We read every message.
References
- Apple Developer. App privacy details on the App Store.
- Google Play Help. Understand app privacy and security practices with Google Play's Data safety section.
- Friel AL, Fath KR, Tomimbang G. Google to require apps to display "Data Safety" information by July 20, 2022. National Law Review. May 12, 2022.