Google disables app that monitored iPhone usage in violation of Apple’s rules

Google just disabled a private iOS app that monitored users’ iPhone usage, after it was revealed today that the app violated Apple’s distribution policies in the same way that Facebook’s usage-tracking Research app did.

Called Screenwise Meter, the iOS and Android app gave users who opted into Google’s Opinion Rewards program gift cards in exchange for tracking their internet usage data. The iOS version of the app relied on Apple’s enterprise program, which allows for the distribution of apps with special privileges to be used only by a company’s employees. The app has now been disabled on iOS, though it’s still available on Google’s Play Store.

A Google spokesperson told The Verge, “The Screenwise Meter iOS app should not have...

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from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2MFEezC