Google’s internal iOS apps are now borked just like Facebook’s were yesterday. That’s all thanks to Apple, which revoked Google’s enterprise certificate today after the search company broke its developer rules.
A report revealed on Wednesday that Google had violated Apple’s policies by distributing a research app to users through Apple’s enterprise system, thus going around the App Store and its rules. That app paid users with gift cards in return for them agreeing to hand over their personal data.
Google subsequently confirmed the report, saying the way it used Apple’s system “was a mistake.” Google disabled the iOS app, but the admission of guilt apparently didn’t stop Apple from temporarily dropping its hammer.
The Verge reports that Apple effectively shut down all of Google’s internal iOS apps, which a source said included Google Maps, Hangouts, Gmail, the Gbus app, and the company’s cafe app. Apple said in a previous statement to the Verge that “any developer using their enterprise certificates to distribute apps to consumers will have their certificates revoked.”
Both Google and Facebook were found guilty of engaging in this practice this week, and on Wednesday, Apple revoked Facebook’s Enterprise Certificate, meaning all of its internal iOS apps were broken, including “the employee apps for coordinating commutes or seeing the day’s lunch schedule.” According to the New York Times’ Mike Isaac, Facebook’s certificate has since been restored.
A Google spokesperson told Gizmodo that it’s “working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps, which we expect will be resolved soon.” According to BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski, Apple says it’s now “working together with Google to help them reinstate their enterprise certificates very quickly.”