How to Read the App Store Privacy Label on a Coloring App

Before you download a coloring app for a child, the App Store gives you one short, standardized answer to “what does this app do with my data?” It’s the privacy section on the app’s page. It’s useful and easy to misread, because it looks like a certification when it is actually a statement by the developer. This guide explains how to read it, what each label means, and what to check alongside it.

The Short Version

The privacy label is the developer’s own account of what the app does with data, and Apple says it hasn’t verified it. “Data Not Collected” is the best answer you can see, but it’s a claim, not a test. Read it, then cross-check it with the app’s privacy policy, what it asks you to do on first launch, and whether it shows ads.

How We Researched This

We read Apple’s developer guidance on app privacy details and Apple Support’s article on privacy information on the App Store. We also read the privacy section on the App Store page of every app in our database. All 15 of those apps are published by EyeZen, a developer affiliated with our editorial team (see our disclosure policy), so they are examples rather than a sample of the market. We did not inspect any app’s network traffic, so we cannot confirm what an app actually sends.

Where to Find It, and What It Says

On the App Store, scroll down an app’s page to App Privacy. The section opens with a line that is easy to skip. On the listings we read, it says the developer “indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below,” followed by: “This information has not been verified by Apple.”

Apple’s support article confirms the arrangement: the information is self-reported by the developer. Apple’s developer documentation says developers must report the practices of any third-party partners whose code they include, such as analytics tools, advertising networks and SDKs, and that they’re responsible for keeping the answers accurate and up to date.

The Labels, in Plain English

Apple’s developer guidance defines “collect” as transmitting data off the device so that the developer or its partners can access it for longer than needed to serve a request in real time. Data that stays on the device is not “collected.” For a coloring app that means it can store your pages locally and still truthfully say “Data Not Collected.”

What the Label Can’t Tell You

• Whether it’s true. Apple does not verify it. The developer is responsible for accuracy.
• Whether it’s current. Developers can change their answers at any time without releasing an update.
• Everything Apple collects. Data collected only by Apple, such as App Analytics or payment information for in-app purchases, doesn’t need to be declared.
• Ads, purchases and gates. The label is only about data. An app can say “Data Not Collected” and still push a subscription hard or have no parental gate. See how to read a coloring app paywall and why coloring apps need a parental gate.
• What a child can type or send. If an app has a chat, a contact form or sign-in, check what it asks for. Our permissions red flags checklist covers this.

What We Found on 15 Real Listings

We checked the privacy section for every app in our database. All 15 show “Data Not Collected”, and all carry the line that the information has not been verified by Apple. That is the strongest result the label offers, and for a simple coloring app, with no accounts, no social features and no ads, it is plausible. We have not verified it ourselves, so read it as the developer’s statement rather than as our finding. Our guides on what data kids’ coloring apps collect and Apple’s Kids Category explain the rules that apply to children’s apps.

A One-Minute Check Before You Download

1. Read the label. “Data Not Collected” is the goal. If data is listed, look at whether it’s linked to you or used to track you.
2. Open the privacy policy linked from the listing. It should not contradict the label.
3. Check the age rating knowing that a 4+ rating describes content, not data.
4. Look for ads and sign-in prompts in the first ten minutes. Our guide on why ad-free matters explains what to watch for.
5. Re-check after big updates. The label can change without one, so it’s worth a glance occasionally.

If a children’s coloring app says it tracks you or links data to you, treat that as a reason to look elsewhere. Apple’s Kids Category rules say apps in that category should not include third-party analytics or third-party advertising, with limited exceptions, which is why a “Used to Track You” label is so out of place in one. If you need to remove data an app has already collected, see how to delete your child’s data from a coloring app.

Our Take

Treat the privacy label as a useful first screen, not a guarantee. It’s quick, it’s standardized, and “Data Not Collected” is what you want to see on a coloring app. But because it’s self-reported and Apple says it hasn’t verified it, pair it with the privacy policy, the app’s behavior and the other checks above. For apps we’ve tested hands-on, see our best ad-free coloring apps for kids.

Sources: App privacy details on the App Store (Apple Developer), About privacy information on the App Store and the choices you have to control your data (Apple Support), App Review Guidelines, section 1.3 Kids Category (Apple Developer), the App Privacy section of each app’s App Store page, read October 14, 2026