Apple has rejected an official Google Voice application, and has since removed two competing third-party solutions from the App Store, suggesting that the company—or perhaps its carrier partners—does not want the service available on the iPhone or iPod touch. Google Voice allows users to send free SMS messages, offers affordable long-distance calling rates, and lets users hand out a Google Voice number which is tied to their account and can be ported from device to device simply by signing in. Speaking with TechCrunch, a Google spokesperson said, “We work hard to bring Google applications to a number of mobile platforms, including the iPhone. Apple did not approve the Google Voice application we submitted six weeks ago to the Apple App Store. We will continue to work to bring our services to iPhone users — for example, by taking advantage of advances in mobile browsers.”
Apple has also pulled two third-party Google Voice applications, GV Mobile from Sean Kovacs and a competing app called VoiceCentral, for duplicating iPhone functionality. Notably, Kovacs claims that Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller called him personally to apologize for the delay in getting GV Mobile approved in the first place, making its removal all the more curious. Google currently has official Google Voice applications available for both the company’s Android platform and for BlackBerry.
