App Store links mysteriously disappeared from Google search this week, making it more difficult to find iOS apps with a simple web search. Some suspected Google may have killed them intentionally, but it turns out that a technical issue is to blame for the glitch.
Google says it’s now working with “the team” to get it fixed.
Although most App Store links weren’t removed from Google’s search engine completely, many no longer appeared at the top as they have done before. Even searches including terms like “iOS,” “iTunes,” or “App Store” didn’t immediately present App Store links. Instead, these were found further down the list of search results.
Fortunately for iOS users, this isn’t a Google ploy to sabotage the App Store, and it isn’t permanent. Google says an issue with the iTunes web servers caused the glitch, and it’s now working to get it fixed. The company told The Verge:
We’ve been having some issues fetching pages from the iTunes web servers, and as a result some people may have had problems finding iTunes apps in search easily. We’re working with the team there to ensure search users can find what they’re looking for.
This isn’t the first time Google has suffered a high-profile issue with search results, and it certainly won’t be the last. The Verge points to a problem it had just two weeks ago when Google blocked all links to Digg.com thanks to overzealous spam control.
Source: The Verge
