Apple pulls Google’s enterprise certificate, breaking internal betas & employee apps

Chance Miller | Jan 31 2019 - 1:23 pm PT

Update #2: Google’s access to enterprise certificates has been restored.

Update: Apple says it is working with Google to “reinstate their enterprise certificates very quickly.”

Following its decision to block Facebook from using enterprise certificates yesterday, Apple today has taken similar action against Google. This comes after Google, like Facebook, was found to be using Apple’s enterprise certificates to distribute its data collection app Screenwise.

The Verge explains that this means Google’s pre-release versions of apps like Maps, Hangouts, Gmail, and more have stopped functioning. Similarly, employee apps like Gbus for transportation and Google’s in-house cafe app have stopped working.

A person familiar with the situation tells The Verge that early versions of Google Maps, Hangouts, Gmail, and other pre-release beta apps have stopped working today, alongside employee-only apps like a Gbus app for transportation and Google’s internal cafe app.

Apple’s decision to pull Google’s enterprise certificate comes despite Google pulling its Screenwise app and apologizing. In the statement, Google explained that it “was a mistake” to distribute Screenwise under Apple’s developer enterprise program, though it noted it was “upfront with users” about what data was being collected.

TechCrunch was first to report earlier this week that Facebook had been distributing a “Research” app through Apple’s developer enterprise program. The Facebook Research VPN app offered users up to $20 per month for nearly limitless access to their device. Apple responded by blocking Facebook completely from the enterprise program, breaking all of its internal employee apps and betas.

Apple’s guidelines for the enterprise certificate program are very clear. The company says that “any developer using their enterprise certificates to distribute apps to consumers will have their certificates revoked.” The program is meant to be used by companies to distribute internal apps, as well as beta versions of consumer apps, to employees only.

Googlers now have their ios apps back btw, all is well with the world. https://t.co/QPJ3FWoFeS

— Mark Bergen (@mhbergen) February 1, 2019

https://twitter.com/JohnPaczkowski/status/1091097938393128960

Google statement, via @mhbergen:
“We’re working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps, which we expect will be resolved soon.”https://t.co/qpZhVXUeOV

— Sarah Frier (@sarahfrier) January 31, 2019