Stop Tripping Over Apple Banning Google Voice Apps

by Jason Wilk on July 28, 2009

att-death-star-apple

  • Long story short, Apple banned Google Voice from the App Store yesterday, triggering the App Store team to remove all apps that call on any Google Voice API. Reasoning? They duplicate features already found on the iPhone such as the dialer and SMS. Apparently these apps didn’t duplicate the aforementioned features when they were first approved months ago… But they do now. Just like Google launching its mobile social network in the browser (Latitude), Google will be forced to bring Google Voice features to the iPhone browser experience.

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  • Many have pointed their finger at AT&T (seems like the cool thing to do these days..meh), but as my pal Om Malik puts it, if it were truly AT&T, then Google Voice would be banned on BlackBerry devices that use AT&T as well. As of this morning, everything is working fine on AT&T-connected devices. He also points out that people are forgetting that you need AT&T’s voice network to send and receive Google Voice calls. Meaning? AT&T makes money on Google Voice calls and SMS. This is Apple’s problem people, but it’s not that big of a deal when it comes down to it. Google Voice truly does mimick the features of the standard iPhone call/sms features. Apple should have voiced their concerns with it before they approved it months ago and let developers waste precious time building their apps around its open features.

[Post to Twitter] 

Tagged as: app store, AT&T, banned, fail, iPhone

  • King Fudgybottom
    "Google Voice truly does mimick the features of the standard iPhone call/sms features."

    Hardly. Can I tell ATT or Apple to not accept calls from certain numbers? Can I asked them to screen calls from people not on a contact list? And much much more.

    Let's face it, Apple is scared of Google because Google brings it solid on behalf of the consumer. Apple is about making money always.
  • I agree it's bullshit.
  • The argument that it can't be AT&T, because the GV app is available on the Berry, is an utter fallacy. Blackberry apps are installed by the user, not through a central distribution channel, so there's NO control or say-so by RIM, AT&T, or anybody else. AT&T couldn't pull the app if they wanted to, because THERE'S NOWHERE TO PULL IT FROM. The app can be pulled by Apple because the only delivery channel to the user is via the App Store. Totally different model.
  • sherm
    "blackberry apps are installed by the user, not through a central distribution channel, so there's NO control or say-so by RIM, AT&T, or anybody else"

    This is just wrong. There are several channels for content download for Blackberries - the newest of which is the RIM backed Blackberry App World (which comes pro-loaded on all new devices). The others are hosted by 3rd party companies (Handmark, BPlay, Handango). They have editorial rights due to the fact they own the channel. Plain and simple.

    These manufacturer app stores are not affiliated with AT&T and thereby indemnifies them from having editorial oversight of content (outside issues that directly impact their network - ie. data intensive apps). There are two parties that man make arguments for or against carrier involvement.
  • Jeff Haggerty
    Apple/AT&T are free to ban whatever apps they want.

    Right now, Apple is winning the apps "battle", by a long shot. But they might end up losing the "war" if compelling apps start appearing on other platforms, but are "banned" on the iPhone.

    Lattitude and Google Voice are innovative apps, that barely scratch the surface on what is possible with mobile devices. Google has ported them to lots of platforms -- but can't port them to the iPhone. Maybe Palm Pre has a chance after all.
  • Palm Pre doesn't have a chance anymore. They were stupid to not use one of the emerging platforms out there like Android. Even though the PalmOS is a superior build, it's not going to be on the 100+ devices like Android will be deployed on in the next two years. If I was a developer, who would I spend my time with trying to create and market my apps? hmmm, iPhone and Android of course.
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