While Google is committed to updating its app set of app privacy tags to meet the App Store standards that Apple began implementing in December, many of its top apps have been out for months without being updated and do not yet contain privacy information.
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In fact, Google last updated the Gmail app, in fact, Gmail now displays a warning that the latest security features aren’t available. As discovered by publisher Techmeme Spencer Dailey, when you sign in to a new account in the Gmail app for iOS, warns you that you should upgrade and suggests that you only sign in “if you understand the risks.”
Unfortunately, no updates are available for the Gmail app. Version 6.0.201115 of the Gmail app is the only version of Gmail available on iPhone and iPad and has not been updated since December 1st.
Google said on January 5 that it would add privacy data to its app catalog “this week or next week,” but as of Jan. 20, most apps had not yet been updated with the privacy tags of the applications.
Since then, Google has been quietly adding tags to apps like YouTube, but major apps like Gmail, Google Search, Google Photos, Google Maps, and others still don’t have privacy data. Even in apps that have won with tags, there have been no security or feature updates for the most part.
It’s still unclear why Google takes so long to add app privacy tags to its iOS apps, and it’s not yet known when Gmail will receive an update. Google has been periodically updating its Android apps and the latest update to the Gmail app for Android was released on February 9th.
It has been speculated that Google is hesitant to provide the privacy tag data due to negative feedback it has received from other companies like Facebook, but there are no confirmed explanations yet.
App privacy tags are required from iOS 14.3 and are designed to provide customers with detailed information about the data an app collects from them so they can make an informed decision when choosing to install an app. Application developers must be informed of the privacy information in the “application store” and developers must identify all cases of use and data collection.
Update: Google has introduced a server update that removes obsolete warning when you try to sign in to a new account in the Gmail app.