14 DAY TRIAL // Google Voice has been made available for two of the major mobile operating systems currently available, namely Android and BlackBerry, and it seems that it was also poised to come towards iPhone users. Until Apple blocked the search giant's official client from making it into the App Store, that is. Moreover, apparently the company has also started to remove any third-party Google Voice application from its software portal, TechCrunch reports. A Google spokesperson already confirmed that the Google client for the service had been rejected during the review process, after being submitted six weeks ago.
“Richard Chipman from Apple just called - he told me they’re removing GV Mobile from the App Store due to it duplicating features that the iPhone comes with (Dialer, SMS, etc),” is what developer Sean Kovac has recently written on his blog. “He didn’t actually specify which features, although I assume the whole app in general.” His GV Mobile app was approved for the App Store a few month ago, and has been available on the portal ever since.
For the time being, it seems that Apple hasn't stated anything officially on this decision, though there are some voices suggesting that AT&T might be the one behind the move against Google Voice-enabled apps. As many of you might already know, the service offers users the possibility to send texts or to make long-distance calls without paying roaming fees. At the same time, it also offers users the possibility to add a new number without activating a second AT&T line.
It seems that the approval process for this type of apps has taken a rather long time. According to Kovacs, he has been contacted by Phil Schiller himself – Apple's senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing – to apologize for the delay. FreedomVOICE has dropped any hope after having its Newber app in the approval process for five months, with no official explanation on the delay, nor with a formal rejection received.