Privacy Policy now a must for apps in the Apple App Store

Apple is making it mandatory for all apps on its store to have a privacy policy. The announcement made by the company has said that the rule will come into effect on October 3, 2018. The company in its statement said: “Starting October 3, 2018, App Store Connect will require a privacy policy for all new apps and app updates before they can be submitted for distribution on the App Store or through testFlight external testing.”

The company has further clarified that the app’s privacy policy associated with an app can be only edited during the submission of the new version of the app. This new rule may affect the review time of apps if Apple decides to review each new app coming to the App Store.

Apple had recently ousted the Onavo app for flouting its privacy rules and with this new rule, it seems to be more steps towards ensuring better user privacy. Justifiably so, considering the horrible year we’ve had with all the cybersecurity issues and data breaches. It is finally time there are some rules laid down to protect the user’s privacy and the world’s best companies can start by leading the way just like Apple.