A few years ago, Google began hiring Apple engineers responsible for developing a mobile chip that helped give iPhones and other devices a technical edge. But recently, some of those same engineers have left Google’s chip team, in a potential setback to its ambitions to build key ingredients in its own devices.

Three chip engineers—Manu Gulati, John Bruno and Vinod Chamarty—departed Google’s consumer chip team recently, The Information has learned. Mr. Gulati and Mr. Bruno joined Google from Apple, while Mr. Chamarty is a Qualcomm veteran. Google confirmed the departures, but declined to comment further.