A former Google executive who is widely credited with creating Android smartphone software has taken a leave of absence from the start-up he now runs, the company said on Wednesday — a day after a report that he was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a female subordinate while he was at Google.

The executive, Andy Rubin, was the subject of an internal Google investigation in 2014 after the female employee complained about the relationship, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details were confidential. The inquiry found that the relationship was inappropriate because the woman worked on the Android team while Mr. Rubin was leading it, this person said.

It was unclear what disciplinary measures, if any, Google took against Mr. Rubin, who left the company in 2014. The complaint by the female employee was reported by tech website The Information.

Mr. Rubin, who runs the smartphone hardware start-up Essential, asked to take a leave of absence this month to address personal matters, Shari Doherty, an Essential spokeswoman said. Essential did not specify when exactly the leave started or when employees had been told of Mr. Rubin’s absence.