Google has recently released a new version of it's Google Mobile application for the iPhone. This is the first time Google has made voice search available on a mobile device (Google Android users were not the first). In order to initiate a search, the iPhone is placed by your ear, as if making a call. The iPhone's proximity sensor detects this and the voice search initiates. While seemingly harmless, Apple has prohibited developers from using the iPhone's proximity sensor, and therefore never released an API for it. Google has, in effect, violated the App Store guidelines. Also, the voice recognition aspects of the application are also not included and not supported by Apple, which has prohibited developers from releasing voice software previously.
Has Google obtained permission to use the proximity sensor API? It's possible, since Google's Eric Schmidt sits on Apple's executive board. Also, Google's large corporate entity, possibly along with strict checks by Apple, gave this application a place in the App Store. Further investigation into Google's software reveals that this isn't the first time Google has used undocumented APIs. Google's Chrome browser uses hidden APIs on Windows to make the browser more secure. While Google is "doing no evil" by using these APIs, the legal aspects may one day be a call of concern into users' privacy and knowing exactly what software is doing - and how.
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