Google will finally update its iOS apps to meet Apple's demands over privacy
Since December 8th, developers of all iOS apps have been forced to submit a privacy report that contains information including the data that each app has access to from iOS users. That includes Location Data, contacts, photos and browser history. Interestingly, Google hasn't updated any of its iOS apps since December 7th which means that Google failed to meet the deadline to submit the required privacy report on its iOS apps to Apple.
In late November, Apple explained what app developers need to send to Apple in relation to their apps' privacy is concerned. "The App Store will soon help users understand an app’s privacy practices before they download the app on any Apple platform. On each app’s product page, users can learn about some of the data types the app may collect, and whether that data is linked to them or used to track them. If you haven’t already, enter your app’s privacy information in App Store Connect. As a reminder, this information will be required to submit new apps and app updates to the App Store starting December 8, 2020. Existing apps will remain available for download."
Google will send Apple the information about how its iOS apps collect data from Apple users over the next week or two
At first, some assumed that Google planned this out to make sure that it wouldn't have to give Apple the information that it is demanding. Now, according to TechCrunch, Google is ready to put those rumors to rest and will tell Apple how it collects data from App Store customers and how it is used to track them. So if Google wasn't trying to take a stand against Apple, why then did Google fail to update its iOS apps after December 7th? The answer is simple. Google did update two of its apps after the deadline but did not send the required data to Apple. It also appears that many Google employees were away for the holidays. And as TechCrunch points out, Google goes on a code freeze between late December through early January. This is done to prevent a situation that calls for Google's staff to make some immediate bug fixes while the team that handles such an issue is out on vacation.
A Google spokesman said on Tuesday that it will be adding the privacy labels to its apps either this coming week or the following week. If this proves something it is that sometimes a corporation's motive isn't what it appears to be at first glance.
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