Quick answer
Every app on the App Store and Google Play needs a privacy policy linked in the store listing and inside the app, even one that collects no data. Playxoft's free privacy policy generator for apps asks which data your iOS or Android app collects and which SDKs it uses, such as analytics, ads and crash reporting, then writes matching clauses and gives you checklists for Apple's App Privacy details and Google Play's Data safety form. It is a template, not legal advice.
- App Store and Google Play rules
- SDK catalog with vendor links
- App Privacy checklist
- Data safety checklist
- Device permissions
- Account deletion clause
How to use the Privacy Policy Generator for Apps
- 1In Product, choose where you publish (the App Store, Google Play or both) and describe your app in a line.
- 2In Publisher and Audience, add your developer name and support email, where your users are and whether children use the app.
- 3In Features, turn on accounts and payments, and select the device permissions your app asks for, such as camera, location or notifications.
- 4In Services, add every SDK in your build: analytics, crash reporting, ads, attribution, sign-in and payments.
- 5Copy the policy and publish it at a public URL, then open the Store checklist tab to fill in App Privacy in App Store Connect and Data safety in Play Console.
Does my app need a privacy policy?
Yes, on both stores, with no exception for small, free or offline apps:
- Apple requires every app to include a link to its privacy policy in App Store Connect and within the app, in an easily accessible place (App Review Guideline 5.1.1).
- Google Play requires every app to post a privacy policy link in Play Console and a link or the policy text within the app (User Data policy). Every app must also complete the Data safety form, even one that collects no user data (Data safety).
The in-app link is the one developers forget. A Privacy policy row in your settings or about screen that opens the same URL covers it on both platforms.
What do the App Store and Google Play require in a privacy policy?
Both stores list what the policy must say, and they overlap more than they differ:
| Requirement | App Store (Guideline 5.1.1) | Google Play (User Data policy) |
|---|---|---|
| Data collected | What data, how it is collected and all its uses | Types of personal and sensitive data accessed, collected, used and shared |
| Third parties | Confirm that SDKs, analytics and ad networks give the same or equal protection | Every party personal or sensitive data is shared with |
| Retention and deletion | Retention and deletion policy, and how to revoke consent or request deletion | Data retention and deletion policy |
| Contact and security | Not listed in 5.1.1 | A privacy point of contact and secure data handling procedures |
| Format | Link in App Store Connect and in the app | Active, public, non-geofenced URL; no PDFs; not editable |
| Account deletion | In-app deletion if users can create an account (5.1.1(v)) | In-app path plus a web link for deletion requests (details) |
Privacy laws add more: GDPR rights and lawful bases for users in Europe, and the CCPA's categories and opt-out for California. The generator adds those clauses when you have users there.
How do I fill in Apple's App Privacy details and Google's Data safety form?
Both stores show a structured privacy summary on your store page, built from your answers, and both make you responsible for the SDKs in your app.
- Apple App Privacy (App Store Connect): for each data type you collect, such as Contact Info, Location, Identifiers, Usage Data or Diagnostics, say whether it is linked to the user, whether it is used for tracking, and its purposes (App Functionality, Analytics, Third-Party Advertising and others). Apple counts data as collected when it leaves the device and is kept longer than needed to serve the request in real time; data processed only on the device is not collected (App Privacy details).
- Google Play Data safety (Play Console): declare each data type collected or shared, whether it is encrypted in transit and whether users can request deletion. Collection means transmitting data off the device, including by SDKs and webviews; transfers to service providers, for legal reasons or at the user's request do not count as sharing (Data safety).
Apple also requires a privacy manifest for SDKs on its list of commonly used SDKs, such as Firebase and Unity, when you submit a new app or an update that adds one (SDK requirements). Answer both forms from the same inventory you used for the policy, so the label and the policy describe the same app.
Which SDKs do I need to list in my app's privacy policy?
Every SDK that sends data off the device. The usual suspects:
| SDK type | Data it typically sends | Purpose to disclose |
|---|---|---|
| Analytics | App events, device model, identifiers | Analytics |
| Crash reporting | Crash logs, device and OS details | App functionality |
| Advertising and mediation | Advertising ID, IP address, ad interactions | Third-party advertising |
| Attribution | Install source, advertising ID | Advertising or marketing |
| Sign-in | Name, email, account ID | App functionality |
| Payments and subscriptions | Purchase history | App functionality |
Apple asks you to confirm that third parties protect user data as well as your policy does, and Google makes you reflect third-party code in your Data safety answers. On iOS, tracking users across other companies' apps and websites needs permission through App Tracking Transparency (Guideline 5.1.2). To serve personalized AdMob ads to users in the EEA, UK or Switzerland, Google also requires a Google-certified consent management platform (Google).
How do I get a privacy policy URL for my app?
Both stores want a link, not a file. Publish the HTML on your own website or a free static host such as GitHub Pages, at a permanent address like example.com/privacy, then:
- In App Store Connect, open your app, choose App privacy in the sidebar and edit Privacy Policy (Apple).
- In Play Console, open Policy and programs, then App content, and add the URL under Privacy policy.
- Link the same URL from your app's settings or about screen.
For the license to the app itself, see the EULA generator; for games, the game privacy policy generator adds clauses for online play, chat, anti-cheat and young players. Treat the result as a solid first draft rather than legal advice, and have a lawyer check it if your app handles health, financial or children's data.
Frequently asked questions
Last updated by the Playxoft engineering team.