After Facebook, Now Google Found Violating Apple’s Developer Rules

Both Facebook and Google have been found violating developer policy rules on Apple’s platform.

Google is the latest technology giant floating an app on iOS without sharing its actual purpose with Apple.

(Photo: iStockphoto)

After Apple revoked Facebook's iOS developer certificate for using an app that closely tracked some users data, there was another app from Google called Screenwise Meter that also monitored users' data on their smartphones.

Google says Apple has also revoked its access to a key developer tool, preventing its employees from testing new app features on iPhones. The search giant declined to say why it lost access to the tool.

Google appears confident it would quickly regain its access. It says it is working with Apple to fix what it called a temporary disruption to some of its corporate iPhone apps, and said it expected the situation to be resolved soon.

In its app, Google invited users aged 18 and up (or 13 if part of a family group) to download the app by way of a special code and registration process using an Enterprise Certificate.

"That's the same type of policy violation that led Apple to shut down Facebook's similar Research VPN iOS app" called "Facebook Research" where the social media giant was found to be secretly paying teenagers $20 each, asking them to install the app that let the company access personal data to know how they use their smartphones.

"The Screenwise Meter iOS app should not have operated under Apple's developer enterprise programme – this was a mistake, and we apologise. We have disabled this app on iOS devices," a Google spokesperson told Fortune.

This episode is similar to what Facebook had to face, after a VPN app was found to be accessing data of it users in the teens, who were paid to use the service.

Forced to react on it, Facebook decided to pull the plug on the app from all Apple devices. The app, however, remains available for Android users.

The app allowed Facebook to collect data including private social media messages, photos and videos sent via instant messaging apps, emails, web searches and web browsing activities.