Gmail gets App Store privacy labels letting iPhone, iPad users check all the ways Google may collect their data

Google has finally added Apple App Store’s privacy labels to its Gmail app. Google was supposed to do this way earlier, more precisely a month earlier, but for some curious reason it failed to do so. That said, the Gmail app for iOS is still not getting any update, security or otherwise, as Google chose to add the privacy labels to it rather silently.

While the company did not announce any new update for iOS users, it has simply added the privacy labels to its Gmail app. With the introduction of new privacy labels, users will now not get any new features or bugs. However, users will be informed about all the ways Google may collect their data through Gmail.

According to the data, the app can share users’ coarse location along with user ID with advertisers. Also, it can collect information based on users’ interaction with advertisements. Some data can also be collected for analysis including email address and content like photos and video as well as audio data along with search history, and location information. Apart from this, the app seems capable of also collecting contact details as well as search history in order to give some personalised experience.

It is to note that along with Gmail other mailing apps like Microsoft Outlook, Apple’s Mail, and Hey have privacy labels. Apple rolled out privacy labels on the App Store in December last year and informed iOS users about the data a particular app might be collecting. But these labels are dependent on the basis of self-reporting by developers and Apple does not verify it. Also, the App Store will not be able to inform users about the purpose of data collection and how frequently it is collected.

While Gmail has updated privacy labels for iOS users, other Google apps like Chrome, Photos and Maps still have to receive privacy labels on the App Store. (Agency)