Jul 14, 2011 17:31 GMT  ·  By

Photovine, a Google-developed service that lets you ‘plant’ a photo and watch it grow, has hit the iTunes App Store in the form of a native iPhone application.

The service is currently in closed beta, but you can visit the official Photovine web site to request an invitation right now.

“Photovine is invite-only at the moment, so you'll be asked to enter your email address after installing the app,” says Google.

“If you haven't already been invited to Photovine by a friend, you can visit our website at photovine.com to request an invitation.”

The Mountain View search giant describes Photovine as “a fun way to learn more about your friends, meet new people, and share your world like never before.”

“It all starts with what we call a photovine: a group of photos around a single, shared caption,” reads the description. “Start a new vine with a photo and caption of your own or add your photo/take on someone else's vine.”

Available as a free download from the Social Networking section in the iTunes App Store, Photovine is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and requires iOS 4.2 or later, which means that every device model starting with iPhone 3G is supported.

Addressing those who are interested in hopping aboard the Photovine train, Google says “The Photovine community is growing and we'd love for you to be a part of it.”

They caution that space is limited, “but the sooner you request an invite, the sooner you'll get access.”

Download Photovine for iOS (Free)

Well, at least one new Google app is getting approved in the App Store.

Google+, the upcoming social networking contender (and Facebook rival) is two weeks into its announcement and still no iPhone app in sight.

As reported earlier today, there’s no reason to be alarmed just yet.

However, seeing how Apple had no problem approving Photovine whereas Google+ is still pending approval makes us wonder: is there a chance Apple really is blocking / delaying the service on its iDevices?