Apple says it is working with Google after employees' access to internal iOS apps was disrupted (FB, AAPL, GOOG)

Sundar Pichai

On Thursday, Google's ability to run internal iOS apps was apparently revoked by Apple, despite the search giant apologizing yesterday for violating Apple's terms and revoking the app in question.
Google has been running an app called Screenwise Meter since 2012, which allows users to earn gift cards if they offered up access to their traffic and data to the search giant.
Screenwise Meter, however, violated Apple's developer enterprise program which was reserved for company employees only.
As The Verge reported on Thursday, the disruption caused pre-released apps like Google Maps, Hangouts, and Gmail, as well as other internal apps, like the Gbus transportation app, to stop working.
Apple followed up with a statement on Thursday, saying, "We are working together with Google to help them reinstate their enterprise certificates very quickly."

Apple and Google are working together to restore Google employees' ability to use iPhone apps internally, following an abrupt disruption on Thursday that caused speculation of strained relations between the two tech giants.

The app disruption, first reported in The Verge, was believed to be a punishment imposed by Apple following reports that Google's data collection practices on the iPhone had skirted certain Apple rules. Google acknowledged and apologized for creating an iPhone app that collected user data, a controversial practice that Facebook has also been criticized for.

Apple quickly responded by revoking Facebook's so-called enterprise certificates, effectively shutting down internal iOS apps used by Facebook employees. And it appeared that Google earned the same punishment.

But shortly after news of the disruption at Google surfaced, Apple and Google appeared to be trying to patch over the situation.

A Google spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement: “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 followed up with a statement, saying, "We are working together with Google to help them reinstate their enterprise certificates very quickly."

Google has been running an app called Screenwise Meter since 2012, which allows users to earn gift cards if they offered up access to their traffic and data to the search giant.

The app, however, could only be downloaded in a way that Apple had specified could be used by company employees only, like beta or internal tool apps. Google apologized for violating Apple's terms of service on Wednesday and pulled the plug on the app, after reports of the app's existence surfaced.

As The Verge reported on Thursday, Apple's apparent decision has caused pre-released versions of Google Maps, Hangouts, Gmail, and more to stop working for employees. An internal app for Gbus transportation and the company's cafe app have also been shut down.

The disruption for Google was consistent with the experience for Facebook, which also violated Apple's policy in order to distribute an app to users meant to collect their data.

At the time of the Facebook decision, Apple had said, "any developer using their enterprise certificates to distribute apps to consumers will have their certificates revoked.”

From its statement, however, Apple appears to be giving Google a second chance.

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