Perhaps the big G spoke too soon when it said its new
Google Voice service was coming to iPhone. First, GV Mobile developer Sean Kovacs relays a phone call he had with Apple where he was notified of his app being removed from the iTunes store for duplicating built-in iPhone features -- an app that was originally and purportedly approved by Phil Schiller himself. Next out the door was GVdialer, and if you thought that was all bad, now comes word that Google's official Voice app was flat-out rejected by Cupertino. Now it's hard to say with certainty who's to blame for these app rejections, but a good many fingers are pointing to the cellular carriers -- and given
AT&T's previous statements about the SlingPlayer app, it's hard to argue with that. For its part, the company hinted at finding a workaround via web apps, much like they did when Apple gave
Latitude a cold shoulder -- but doesn't that
feel just a little 2007?
[Via
Apple Insider]
Read - Official Google Voice App Blocked from App Store
Read - GV Mobile is getting pulled from App Store
Read - Sean Kovac's Twitter status on Schiller
posted Jul 28th 2009 12:01AM
when oh when is HTC's Hero coming out again in the States?
$25 and anyone with an Android SDK can post whatever applications into the Android market!
What?
Developing for Android is so easy.
No stupid overpriced Mac hardware you have to buy. Just download the industry standard Eclipse that everyone is already experienced with. And download the Android plugin and you are ready to go. Standard Java that everyone already knows, no wasting time learning Objective C that no one but Apple uses.
And Android + Google Voice is amazingly cool. Only just starting to grasp just how much stuff you can do with it.
That's the main reason why I like Android. If you don't post in the market and host apps in your own site or build one for personal use and upload via USB, you don't even have to pay the $25. There's basically no other platform like Android. Sure, right now the install base isn't as big, but once the free phones come out, it'll expand.
Not sure about the Hero but when HTC link the Sense UI to decent hardware then Apple are fucked and rightly so.
@jake
That's one of the problems of the Android Market. There's so much spam on it by people who mass upload apps. Hopefully they allow you to blacklist certain authors in a future update.
Jake,
WinMo market is exactly like that.
Have you even heard of sites such as XDA-Developers or PPCGeeks, just to name a couple?
For WinMo you can create anything and everything with tried and true industry standard tools, post them as .cab files or self-installing .exe's and share them between phones via BT, OTA exchange, direct PC transfer, email, IR, you name it, all without paying anyone a single cent for royalties.
WinMo is arguably the most open mobile platform out there, bar none, and it can also be the cheapest (free) for designing, building, and distributing your product.
@Yoyodyne dude get a clue. NOONE other than Google uses java for mobile development so java is not at all a very well knows language for the industry. However, the facts are that the mobile application market is still and infant and as such the choice of language makes absolutely no difference. Sure there is a pretty high entrance barrier for iPhone developers when compared to any other platform but I can guarantee you that Objective-C is not going to stop any mobile developer and in fact it usually takes them about 1-2 weeks to learn in since all of them already know C. Objective-C is pretty much the same with a lot of new libraries and some other cool things like a garbage collector and such.
@WindowsFTW, you are kidding right? WinMo is not, has never been, and will never be an open platform. Just like the iPhone OS, RIM, Symbian ... An open platform does not mean one that you can program for or one that has a low entrance requirement. Plus WinMo is just as expensive to develop for as it is for the iPhone. VS Express has none of the tools that developers need and licensing cost for VS alone are not that cheap. Then you have the problem of a totally inconsistent hardware install base, etc.
As far as the actual appstore rejection goes, Google Voice is still an invitation only service. It sucks that Apple allows AT&T to dictate their approval policy and I really hope show them the finger soon. However, I'm pretty sure that by the time Google Voice is out of alpha stage the app will be in the appstore.
By saying that WinMo is the most "open platform" I was not implying open as in open source -- i.e. all of the underlying foundational framework and code is open to anyone and everyone interested in it.
Rather, WinMo IS ARGUABLY the most open platform to code for.
That is to say, ANYONE can code for WinMo, share their application with the community, and rarely, if ever, have to deal with any of the powers that be.
The methods of app distribution on WinMo are also second to none.
In this regard, WinMo is the most "open" platform out there.
@cg0def
RIM (Blackberry) uses Java for mobile development. As did several manufacturers when people still used BREW and J2ME. Not to mention that WinMo has a Java environment available to install.
@ cg0def
WTF!, every non smartphone i have ever owned has had java ME since 2004!, you know, that little "Java Games" option
@WindowsFTW
Then WinMo is at best equal to android since android apps can also be packaged by anyone, distributed by anyone and be transferred/installed to the phone multiple ways (outside of the app market). When I had a G1 I would typically install .apk files directly from the browser (after installing astro file manager which allows you to extract archives and install .apk files within them)
@Bobby Gonzales
Are you blind? That is exactly what the iPhone app store situation is now, wow. Read up on it lol. There was stats posted here before I believe that mentioned most people who buy apps dont use them past very short ammounts of time like even less than a week.
Get a clue, Android market is far less dilluted at the moment. I agree that it could change, but your head is def. up your ass
SCREW GOOGLE VOICE.
I can't get it in Canada
:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
@cg0def uhh, what? You've never heard of J2ME? getjar.com, my friend. I was installing J2ME games and apps on my old razr! And doesn't the Pre use Java also?
Ya, plenty of phones use Java...and for all practical purposes, you don't need anything above Java in a phone. I'm sure some hardcore "coders" are going to disagree with me, but I have yet to see a single app in the iPhone store that couldn't be put together faster and easier in Java.
I'll admit that I'm not very good at C, but I know enough of it to be annoyed by objective-C, the fact that College classes and Macs are the ONLY ones to still use it, and there is also no reason I should need to buy a Mac to program in it.
With the "cellphone app" market heating up, developers are going to go with whatever platform can be used on the most number of phones with the least number of porting.
I dont get it. WHY is it that operators have been allowed to fsck the evolution (sw and hw -wise) for so long??
As someone who spent WAY to much time on developing SW for j2me before realizing the hard truth, I have been waiting for something like android on nice devices. I have played with the idea of wifi-devices and fonero like infrastructure but very little happens, and probably for a good reason. The market being stifled by these eh.. lack of word here. . entitys. The only hope I have is OSS coupled with furious device development driven by market competition.. that is FAIR market competition, not oligopols.
David, I don't think it's Google at fault: you also can't get Canadian SkypeIn numbers. The Canadian telecoms industry sucks.
@ cg0def
Get out of here, you apparently know little regarding this topic.
Besides, it's noone's but Apple's fault that we're in this mess in the first place. I mean, seriously? Are you kidding me? Apple is making TONS off each iPhone sold and they're bitching at Google for _improving_ the device? Shame... Oh well, guess I'll just trade my Blackberry in for an Android device... (Though I was going to do that anyways...)
AT&T will be lucky to have exclusive rights to the iPhone, especially after this.
Apple pulled the app most likely because AT&T wanted them to.
Apple had the upper hand to begin with - everyone wants the iPhone. AT&T is not in a position to tell Apple what to do, especially if they want Apple to stay with them exclusively. They would have had trouble hanging on to it anyway, but with them telling Apple what to do, they're pretty much screwed, IMHO.
Great, exactly what I wanted to see. People getting upset with Apple and moving (or planning to move) to other platforms. This is a huge opportunity for the industry and we may thank Apple for giving a lifeline to the industry. Read more at http://truvoipbuzz.com/2009/07/thank-you-apple-for-blocking-google-voice-app-opinion/
I'm just glad that I have iPhone Skype and I can call my employees in Shanghai and California without it costing me a dime.
Yeah, but you have those lazy commie chinos overcharging you for crappy work. Now who's the sucker?
P.S. google blows!
Skype? Why don't you use two tin cans and a string. Sounds like to work for a first class operation.
So what's a "voice app"?
This video should help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4Q9MJdT5Ds
yeah yeah voice app, where the hell is push gmail and gchat? make those apps first - for the the things that finally aren't beta
@josh Why would Google have any motivation to make the iPhone any better? Expect to see them pushing a lost of their mobile development resources onto Android, WM, Blackberry. I mean, the iPhone already gets Google apps and features last.
BTW, I have push GChat on my WM phone, have since GChat was launched....Thanks, palringo w/ Jabber!
Damn you ATT !
Oh come on, I can't believe anybody is surprised by this. The odds that AT&T wouldn't mind an app that would render both their $20 a month text messaging service and international calling totally unnecessary was slim to none. Keep in mind that AT&T has one of the lowest customer service ratings possible.
$20 a month for the texting alone is $480 over the life of the contract, and while I myself wouldn't ever bother to use a cell carrier's international calling plan (because the rates are awful) a lot of other people do and would probably have saved a ton of cash with Google Voice.
Of course they can't really entirely block it anyway since (for now anyway) you can just log into the Google Voice page and trigger calls and SMS from there but I guess they're trying to make it as inconvenient as possible.
Oh well at least Google Voice probably wouldn't ever be banned on a Sprint smartphone since all those text messages would already be included.
@the4thheat
Wrong wrong wrong....
This isn't about that, as a matter of fact, GV SMS isn't meant to replace your phone SMS service, but to allow you one number for life that includes both voice and sms - & seamless changes to phone numbers --- so once you have a GV #, if you change your cell phone #, or carrier w/o porting, etc. you don't need to inform everyone of your new number --- this was possible with lots of other services, but none of them allowed you incoming and outgoing SMS message forwarding.
@ chris
i hate people like you that have no idea what you're talking about, but really just love to talk and make it seem like you do. do you even have google voice? if you did, and had a phone w/ a decent mobile browser, you would know that you can turn off the sms forwarding (so it doesn't forwarded sms messages from your google voice number to your actual cell) and you can send and view incoming messages on your browser. not to mention that once your on your computer, you can send them quite easily
to give you even more proof that google voice, especially w/ a proper app will replace the $20 dollars a month that att charges. i've had gvoice for the last 11 days, i've sent over 400 messages using my google voice number. total i receive the first one through my phone number in the last 11 days (when i average about 1200 or so a month). and that was because the person who messaged me didn't save my gvoice number. i downgraded from the $20 unlimited to the $5 200 message plan, and you better believe whenever there's a winmo app, i'm def going to drop from the $5 to a pay as you go.
SimbaDogg is right, I have Android w/ the GV app, added them to my fav 5... and I can now make unlimited calls without using my minutes since all calls are done through the GV number. Also, and even though I haven't... I could just as easily downgrade my SMS plan or remove it entirely and only use the GV messages. It gives notifications just like an actual text message... and unlike AT&T's shitty service (I'm an X-AT&T customer) I can get the text message regardless of my phone having signal or enough battery. With AT&T I CONSTANTLY didn't get text messages because I didn't have signal when they sent it... and sometimes even for no reason at all.
Being able to send the messages from the computer is even more of a plus... and then you don't have to pay for their useless voicemail services (if they have any addons to those.. i think they do.. but idk) because GV will transcribe the voicemail then email/sms it to you, or even allow you to play it back any time from a computer or your phone...
Disclaimer: I'm sure there are typos... its 5:20am, don't like it? then skip my post and keep reading.
Apple rejected this worldwide. ATT allows access to google voice on the web. They also allow the Blackberry app.
This is Apple's fault. Not ATT's.
Whether it's Apple or AT&T doesn't matter. The fact is that the service is still available as a web app and having it not available as a regular iPhone app isn't going to keep me or other users from using the Google Voice service; the only thing it's going to do is piss off iPhone users even more and hasten the exodus from the Apple/AT&T dictatorship to an Android platform on a mobile phone carrier of one's choice.
"Perhaps the big G spoke to soon"
Too, not to!
Tool!
shut. up. We all get the intent. This is a blog, not a goddamned English paper.
Correction stands. This is a publication, not toilet paper.
No, they were right. There's a guy named Soon who works at Apple who approves or denies all of the apps in the store.
Looks like he pulled a fast one on them.
Damn, I was enthralled by the idea of having the same number for live. Assuming Google is still around as long as I am.
life*
Although I do enjoy their mobile web gmail, I'm not sure a web based work around would be great for voice. Now I'm dieing for Android.
*dying
How is this AT&T's fault?
Blackberry has a Google Voice app and the last time I checked there are Blackberry phones on AT&T.
lots more people who have AT&T are buying iPhone than Blackberry, champ.
More people have iPhones that Blackberries??
Do you know how many Curves and Pearls are in the wild??
A Blackberry app doesn't need to be approved by ATT ( correct me if im wrong ha i might be..)
(correct me if im wrong again...) Theres 10 million + iPhones on ATT with the number of people buying them increasing, more than blackberries.
I don't own either phone. ( iPhone or Blackberry) so to me it doesn't matter...I am making a point as far as blaming AT&T...
now your point of approval is a good one... Do you think if they had to approve the app for Blackberry that they would have blocked it?
don't be dense.
You must know that on average, an iPhone user uses SEVERAL times more data than the average bb user. Shit, my gf has a bb, and all she ever does that uses bandwidth is load those shitty, pictureless web sites in bb's shitty browser.
What % of bb users have theirs through work? Sure, they do email, but they aren't streaming video or uploading to facebook or using other network-intensive apps to the same extent that the average iPhone user does.
AT&T knows this, and so they tax iPhone users more. The rejection of the Slingbox application is completely demonstrative of this. You disagree?
AT&T is scared shitless that they're going to lose control in this battle. Jesus, Verizon cripples wi-fi on their handsets for the same reason.
It's all lame, but I do think that iPhone users get the worst of it, and it's more AT&T's fault than Apple's
It's speculated (and likely IMO) that there are restrictions like this in te AT&T / Apple contract. Same reason that there will be no VOIP apps that use 3G.
I suspect that once the iPhone exclusivity with AT&T ends we'll see a lot more cool apps. Personally I use GC numbers as my primary business numbers and I was really looking forward to this. Hopefully they will get it worked out. I'm holding off on a 3Gs until some of this shit gets settled.
All that sounds wonderful but like I said...You are not using data to make phone calls with Google Voice. That seems to be the premise of your argument.
Have you used it before? The only time you will be using data for is SMS or Voicemail. The bulk of the time you will be making/receiving calls. What data are you using??
It's not about bandwidth, really:
FTA:
The systematic disappearances don't have a larger official explanation but, given the common thread of their using the same service, is now thought less to a matter of Apple guarding its built-in features and more cellular carriers pushing it to keep the service out. Google Voice not only lets users provide one virtual phone number to call multiple real phones but greatly reduces the cost of outbound long-distance and messaging, all of which potentially deprive AT&T and eventually other carriers of possible extra revenue.
@CraigJ
You make an excellent point and I agree so if AT&T had the ability to not allow Blackberry users to use the app..Do u think they would reject it? There are more iPhones out in the market place but it isn't like there are that many less Blackberries. They will benefit in the same way iPhone users will by the explanation you provided.
This is 100% Apple's fault, because either they rejected it themselves for anti-competitive purposes, or because they gave AT&T the ability to ultimately veto apps which Apple would otherwise accept (SlingPlayer being the obvious example).
Whichever is the cause of the rejection in this instance, blame Apple. Apple could have sold the iPhone unlocked and free of any carrier subsidy. They decided that it was better to receive a higher subsidy from AT&T and give up some control than to try to sell an unsubsidized phone directly to customers. From a user-experience perspective, it was a really disappointing decision. However, it was a smart business move for Apple, because the subsidy mean they sell a lot more phones and make much more profit than if they were to sell unlocked iPhones for $400.
That was very sexual.
@Mike. It's not that simple. Apple HAD to sign an exclusive agreement with AT&T to get the iPhone to market. Verizon turned them down (and frankly if you think there are issues with the phone apps on AT&T Verizon would likely have been worse given their track record of screwing up phone OS features)
So, Apple had to make a deal with the devil. Personally I am looking forward to the day the exclusivity contract expires, but even then it is likely that the carriers will try to restrict features like this to boost their revenue.
crawdad, you must be the biggest moron on this article, and the way you describe other phones vs. the iPhone in your posts shows your stuborn undying love of all that is iPhone, its a great phone, but your so short sighted its not even funny. It has NOTHING to do with user base!!! You think if more people buy a BB or similiar phoen they will reject GV or Slingboxx App? Get your freaking head out of your Apple poisoned ass. I don disagree with it being a good phone, iPhone, but your obvious blind faith in the Apple App Store is beyond a doubt a ridiculous absurdity. Apple has FIRST say on what app is addded or not, and if it was AT&T deciding this, they would NOT give it just to BB owners and not Apple, as AT&T customers across the board would flip out. IT IS APPLE YOU DOLT. holy jeez you make my head hurt. GTFO man
Then why / how was the VoiceCentral app approved?
So I guess I lucked out? I still have GV Mobile installed.
I don't know whose fault it is but it's really disappointing. I was looking forward to a seamless* GV experience on my iPhone.
* = no background applications
Why I love my G1 even more~!
Google Voice is an app that allows you to get a faux number anywhere in the world *almost like voip. You get to use this number instead of your give number for local and/or long distance number. BTW the rates for international calls are really cheap ie $.03 for Japan and you add it like a prepaid phone cards through Google Checkout.
In addition you can get a email, text message sent to you with voice and text attached so that you don't have to check your voice mail. So far these are what I've taken from Google Voice.
Too bad Iphone users won't be getting to take advantage of it.
I'm loving Google voice on my G1 as well.
It just goes to show, if you want a babysitter telling you what you should and shouldn't do all the time, buy an Apple product. If you just want a smartphone that is yours to do with as you please, buy a G1.
I've got the Google Ion and I love the Google Voice app, though I'm not using a lot of its features. I have a lot of back-and-forth SMS conversations and GV's text messages just don't update fast enough, there's a minute or two of delay before I receive a message sometimes. I mainly like it for its voicemail transcriptions, those are amazing and I can't believe I ever used a phone without that feature.
Google should recommend jailbreaking in order to run the app
Agreed, and even go so far as to post full details of how to JB to run their application....
That would be exciting.....
Google VS Apple VS Microsoft VS Google (etc........)
Here's your sign
MAYBE THEY SHOULD MAKE gJAILBREAK
Agree
Hell Google should develop Android to run on an Iphone just to piss Apple off.
GV mobile is written by google.
I was just gonna say, release it via Cydia! :)
Then why does Blackberry have an app and people use them on AT&T if they blocked it???
I am getting sick of this nonsense. When will AT&T/ apple respect the consumer and not always worry about things that they feel will effect their bottom line. It would probably boost it.
I agree. I'm tempted to get a different phone just to prove a point to AT&T. Assholes.
That "bottom line" thing is the whole reason they exist in the first place.
Swim is right. They are a company and like any other company their sole motivation is to make as much money as possible. They are no better or worse in that regard than anyone else.
AT&T I GIVE YOU THE MIDDLE FINGER!!
but my friends also you might want to try Fring, now you can make and receive calls with it using SIP(VOIP) no text nor control over google voice thou, which makes apple an ass kisser, the applications that count the most, they block.
anyways i already got my GV dialer, I just hope that it continues to work
What's the problem? If Apple doesn't want it in their app store then there must be a legitimate reason, Apple didn't get to where they are by making stupid decisions. You don't like it don't get the phone, Plain and simple. Personally I trust the decisions Apple makes and stand by them on this one.
Do you even own a Google Voice Number???
ladies and gentlemen, Steve Jobs!!!!
I really, really hope this is some masterful reverse-psychology troll... if not I really fear for you.
Trust me, that's a bad way of thinking.
that comment was beyond the "-" button. I had to push the "!" button.
report for obscene fanboyism.
same reason winmo/bb users have a sling app. lots more people who have AT&T are buying iPhones than Blackberries.
The reason they give more leeway to winmo/bb users is b/c there's less of them, and they use less of their network.
Wow, I just downloaded GV Dialer last night.
As to Apple, what a shame...the hubris is worrisome. First they disable iTunes syncing for the Pre, now they're playing with karma again by messing with The Behemoth?
Google, put multi-touch on Donut and I'm yours.
While I'm rather pissed about this, I have no problem with this: "First they disable iTunes syncing for the Pre"
The only reason it worked in the first place was the Pre said "Hi, I'm an iPod", then Palm had to brag about the fact that they had iTunes support and basically how they did it. I'd have kicked them in the nuts too if they sold a piece of hardware that pretended to be one of my products...
The only network part of Google Voice is the SMS/Voicemail part...beyond that u are using the current phone system to make...which is what most ppl will be doing with it..
I'll second that!
Once again, screw Apple. Stuff like this is exactly why I will not buy an iPhone, and decided even though the Macbook is a spectacular piece of hardware, Apple's evil and won't get my money. Manufacturer's don't get a say in what applications I run on my hardware. Period. I can't understand why everybody is so willing to let Apple run amok and say what they can and can't use. Ahh well, I guess if you're willing to deal with AT&T, you're up for getting screwed every which way, including loose...
You've never owned a gaming console? I mean, geez, they really have a hard time letting you put your own software on it, ya know!?
Because you are dealing with Apple. Most people are very attached to their apple gear and just can't let go. If Apple says something people will believe it.
Look at what they put in the Ad's they run. They have an entire 30 second ad about Copy and Paste. Hello old feature that other phones have had for a long time now, but because the Iphone just got it they have to claim it was an idea never done before by anyone else.
To sum it up they try and make the smallest feature sound like it was an amazing idea and exclusive to Apple and the App store. However with a little research you are quick to find out that many of the same apps are on other phones as well along with other features.
I don't really hate Apple, but I do just get so sick of all the total BS they talk about makes me never want to buy anything Apple again. I did buy an Ipod, but after 3 years gave Zune a try and have no looked back. Buying an Apple computer IMO makes me feel like I know nothing about computers because if I did I would not have noticed I bought a $1,000 computer with specs in it that $700-$800 computers have in it.
crawdad689, granted, the PS2 and PS3 have official ways to install Linux, but the graphical hardware is severely (and deliberately) limited on the PS3.
crawdad, xbox 360 + xna launcher, or xna sdk and make your own.
Once again, Android rules.
apple is pretty much like microsoft when it comes to being an extremely closed company. someday, hopefully, they too will be dragged to the court. hopefully.
Dragged to court for WHAT, exactly? I DARE you to come up with something Apple has done that's illegal. And I mean with proof and facts, not the standard Apple-hating bullshit like "they're a monopoly", because all that will do is prove that you don't know what the word "monopoly" means.
If you can't do it, then I would ask that you please stop talking out your ass.
@Zak: Easy there, Sally. The Mascara's running.
Synn - So you can't do it either? I'm shocked. Really. BREAKING NEWS: Apple-hating idiots are full of shit. More at 11.
@Zak: Look at the EU/Opera lawsuit that Microsoft got hit by. They got hit for not shipping other internet browsers on Windows despite letting people install other browsers on their machines. But Apple gets a pass for not even letting people install alternatives that "duplicate features"? GTFO with that fanboy blindness.
I used to, but left my iPhone for a T-Mobile G1. Did that about a month ago and still can't believe how much better this phone is. I got into Google Voice last week, and it's very impressive. Don't get me wrong, I loved that iPhone, but I'll never consider switching back now that I've tasted Google Voice + Android integration I can't lose Google Voice.
Once you get over having to change your number, you realize that Google Voice does more for the cell phone than Apple ever did.
Google should port this to the Pre just to stick it to Apple.