What is the difference between deleting a user and deleting an email subscription in Pushwoosh?

Pushwoosh has two different methods for removing user data, depending on whether you want to delete a user entirely or just remove an email subscription.

Deleting a user

The deleteUser API method removes the User ID and all linked devices, such as push tokens, email addresses, and phone numbers.

This method requires the User ID. If you pass an email address, the deletion only works if that email address is the actual User ID in your system.

The API processes this request in the background. A successful response means the system accepted the request, and the deletion will complete shortly. Once removed, the user is removed from all communication channels and active customer journeys.

Deleting an email subscription

The deleteEmail API method removes only the email address subscription from the application. It leaves the User ID, push tokens, and other device details active.

This method requires the email address itself.

Scripts and troubleshooting

If you run automated scripts to delete users or email subscriptions in bulk using a CSV file, make sure the formatting is correct. Saving a file as UTF-8 can add a byte order mark (BOM) character, which can make columns like UserID unreadable for some scripts. Check that your line endings match what your script expects.

You can run deletion scripts across multiple applications using a single API token. Go to Settings, select API Access in your Control Panel, and create a single Device API Token. You can then assign permissions for this token to all the applications you need to update.