Apple on Thursday appears to have revoked Google's enterprise developer certificates in retaliation for an app that violated its policies. The move could make it impossible for Google employees to test iPhone apps and use certain internal apps. The move was first reported by The Verge.
A Google spokesperson said, "We're working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps, which we expect will be resolved soon." Apple did not return a request for comment.
Apple did the same thing to Facebook on Wednesday and, until now, it seemed that Google might have gotten away for violating the same policies as Facebook.
Apple first pulled Facebook's enterprise certificates after a TechCrunch report revealed that the company had been secretly distributing a Facebook Research app to members of a program that allowed the firm to collect data on how they used their devices.
Google was operating a similar program called Screenwise Meter that also skirted Apple's rules. It apologized on Wednesday evening and called its action a "mistake." Both Facebook and Google have shut down the programs on iPhones.
Enterprise certificates let companies develop and install apps without having to publish them to the Apple App Store. But Apple's rules require that the apps are only distributed to employees, not to outside parties.
Apple's decision was said to have "crippled" parts of Facebook, particularly among employees who could no longer access early builds of apps, such as beta versions of Instagram and Facebook Messenger, which they were working on, according to Business Insider. It also prevented Facebookers from using employee-only apps such as Mobile Home and Ride, the latter of which helps with employee transportation.
That means Google's employees could face a similar situation, particularly those who are working on early builds of new applications. Google has lots of popular apps on iPhone including Google Maps, Gmail, Calendar, Hangouts, Google Music and more. One employee who asked to remain anonymous said they were having difficulty accessing an internal app used for checking Google shuttle bus schedules.
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