Users noticed Google iOS apps warning them the apps were out of date, despite Google not updating them since before Apple's Dec. 8 privacy label change
Though Google has promised to update its suite of apps with App Privacy labels to comply with App Store rules that Apple began enforcing in December …Source:product considerations.
The warnings make the pause visible to users rather than merely an App Store compliance issue. Subsequent coverage records Google resuming major iOS app updates with YouTube, tying the interruption to a bounded disclosure transition rather than a permanent withdrawal from iOS maintenance.
First-order effects
Google's iOS users are confronted with out-of-date warnings while the company has not shipped app updates, creating an immediate trust and support burden for Google.
Apple's App Privacy label requirement becomes the practical gate Google must clear before it can restore normal update delivery for its iOS catalog.
Second-order effects
The App Store's disclosure rules turn a routine app release into a compliance checkpoint: Google must reconcile privacy-label submissions with its update schedule rather than treating the two as separate workflows.
Users who need current fixes or features have less reason to rely on Google's iOS apps during the pause, increasing the cost to Google of delaying label disclosures.
Third-order effects
If platform disclosure mandates repeatedly block releases until documentation is complete, mobile developers will need privacy reporting embedded in release governance rather than added at the end of a product cycle.
Apple's App Store can shape developer operations through submission requirements as well as distribution, making compliance visibility part of the competitive experience for large app publishers.
The trend: App-store privacy disclosures are becoming operational release controls, not just consumer-facing notices.
Google's iOS apps release cycle before & after Apple asks to disclose privacy labels. Thie pattern is probably just a coincidence. We all know “transparency forms the bedrock of [their] commitment to users”... https://twitter.com/...
Rather than update its iOS apps with Apple's new privacy labels that tell users what each app tracks about them, Google is now telling users that its apps are out of date (via @SpencerDailey) https://spencerdailey.com/... https://twitter.com/...
I'm not seeing these messages in Google's iOS apps anymore, and Google tells me they were due to a bug. “We've identified a bug and an update has been rolled out to resolve this issue,” Google said. I've updated my story: https://www.theverge.com/... cc @SpencerDailey
Folks are reading too much into this chart. The explanation is simple. On December 8th, Google's AI systems developed the perfect product: one that is feature complete, has no bugs nor any security holes. Truly remarkable. https://twitter.com/...
@tkawaja It could be but you'd think $12BN / year would buy Google the right to make public criticisms (maybe not as vociferously as FB is)! Since that's rev share I'm not sure what Apple could replace that revenue with until they have their own search engine
If you try to log into some of Google's iOS apps right now, including Gmail and Google Photos, you might see a message telling you that, “You should update this app.” The thing is, there's no update available. (thanks @SpencerDailey for the tip!) https://www.theverge.com/...
@Thomasbcn i'm starting to take the L on this one. The first reports that said “google hasn't updated apps since the privacy labels” i quickly responded that there was december code freeze, etc but now it's getting weird....
Comical. Google acknowledges its own obfuscation of privacy pratices has led to a security risk, by delaying iOS updates to avoid scrutiny on privacy labels. 🙈 [A server side update removed the warning. Still no privacy disclosure in sight 2 months later] https://twitter.com/...
The most unexpected outcome from Apple's privacy changes in iOS 14 was that Google would stop updating their iPhone apps. It's been 2 months. https://twitter.com/...