“Stunned” with Apple, Google stopped updating its apps on iOS for more than a month now

Since early December, Apple has officially implemented the App Privacy labeling on the App Store, when asking developers to provide detailed information about the data they have. collected from users.

But Fastcompany has discovered an interesting coincidence. Also since Apple started rolling out this new privacy feature, Google hasn’t updated its apps on iOS.

More specifically, on December 8, Apple required developers to bring new information about privacy for their apps to the App Store in order to update their apps. The App Privacy sticker will be visible to users starting December 14, coinciding with the launch of iOS 14.3.

This also means that in order to release new updates to the app, developers must also provide new privacy information. The only way to get away from this temporarily is to update the app, and it seems to be the way Google is using it.

Fastcompany reports that the last time Google updated any of its apps on iOS was on December 7, just before the day Apple asks developers to provide in-app privacy info. me. This means that now, if you visit Google apps on the App Store, you’ll only see a message that says “No Details Provided.” (No information provided).

Meanwhile, their apps on the Android platform have been continuously updated since December 7 until now. The Gmail app, for example, was updated on December 16, and YouTube was updated on December 21.

Just hours after Fastcompany’s report came out, Google said its apps would be updated this week with the information Apple requested. The company also said that since the majority of Google employees are still on vacation since the end of December, that is why Google’s apps on iOS aren’t being updated.

Currently many companies also criticize the labeling of this App Privacy. This in particular is a concern for instant messaging apps – a prime example of this is Facebook with a long page detailing the data they collect from users.

Among the information that Google and developers have to provide, Apple emphasized there are some important information that developers must keep in mind when preparing to label App Privacy for their apps:

Developers must identify any data that can be collected and used, even with certain data collected and used only in rare cases.

Developer responses are subject to the App Store’s Review Guidelines and any applicable laws.

– Developers are responsible for making sure their answers are accurate and up to date. If your behavior changes, you must update your response on App Store Connect.

Refer to 9to5Mac