Chapter 6 - App Removal

There have been a lot of concerns about apps recently, in particular, period tracking apps. The concern (very reasonably) is that law enforcement could obtain this data and use it as evidence in an attempt to prosecute someone for having an abortion. However, removing the app from your phone is only part of what needs to be done to protect yourself from having this data used against you. 

First, the data from the app may be backed up online - some apps do this, some do not. The app should have a way to contact technical support - you should reach out to the app's developers and request that your data be removed from their servers. After the data is removed, request that your account be closed. 

Next, you should uninstall the application from your phone. To uninstall an app from an Android phone press and hold the icon for the app, select "App Info", then select "Uninstall". To uninstall an app on an iPhone, press and hold the icon for the app, tap "Remove App", then tap "Delete App", then tap "Delete" to confirm.

Unfortunately, there are logs - both in the app store and on your phone - that show when the app was installed and uninstalled. Both Google Play Store and Apple App Store maintain these logs, but you can remove this data. To remove the data from Google Play Store, follow the following steps (from https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-delete-google-play-store-app-download-history/ )

1. Launch the Play Store app and tap on your account icon in the top right corner.

2. Select Manage apps and device from the menu.

Tap the Manage tab. You'll now see all the apps that are currently on your device.

3. Tap the Installed toggle and select Not installed from the pop-up. This shows all the apps you've previously installed but no longer use.

4. Tap the checkbox next to an app you want to remove from the list. You can select as  as you want.

5. Once done, tap the delete icon in the top right.

6. Select Remove from the pop-up to finish.

Unfortunately, iOS does not allow the users to permanently delete app download history. 

Finally, the only way to remove the internal system logs is to perform a factory reset of your phone. So, if you want to be extra careful, after uninstalling the app and removing app store logs (where possible), perform a factory reset of your phone and only reinstall the apps you need.