Apple pulled important app-development tools from Google after the iPhone maker decided the internet giant broke its rules, according to people familiar with the matter.

Facebook’s app development was hobbled in a similar way for about 24 hours, a sign that Apple is wielding power as operator of the most lucrative US app store to push its approach to user privacy.

Google employees can’t access test versions of iPhone apps they’re making, or use internal apps related to transportation scheduling and food, the people said. Security alerts are limited too, one of the people said. They asked not to be identified discussing private matters.

"We’re working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps, which we expect will be resolved soon," a spokeswoman at Google said in a statement. Apple restored Facebook’s privileges on Thursday.

Apple offers an "enterprise certificate" that helps some companies work on iPhone apps without going through the usual app review process. Facebook and Google used this to collect data on user activity for internal research.

When this was reported earlier this week by TechCrunch, both companies stopped the activity. Apple said Facebook had broken its rules and pulled the social-media company’s certificate until Thursday. It’s now punishing Google, too.