Apple turns hostile to Google Voice in App Store
Published: 29 July, 2009
READ MORE: Apple | Google | App Store
Apple continues to court controversy over its App Store policies, and this time the row is over products from Google, which is increasingly challenging not just Apple's mobile platform but its whole closed software ethos. Apple has removed two third party Google Voice apps from its store, as well as the search giant's own client.
The relationship between the two companies gets odder by the day - they are increasingly competitive, but Google CEO Eric Schmidt still sits on Apple's board, despite conflicts of interest. In the past, the iPhone maker has been accused of giving Google preferential treatment in the App Store, by giving it access to closed APIs before other developers, but now it is taking a harder line on the software house's disruptive new voice technologies.
Google told MacNN that six weeks ago it submitted a Google Voice client - which effectively replaces a device's native dialer to support low cost calls and integrated messaging - optimized for the iPhone. But this did not pass the App Store approval process even though some third party Google Voice-based apps had been certified. Now some of these are being barred too, with Apple removing the popular GV Mobile program "due to it duplicating features that the iPhone comes with (dialer, SMS etc),", according to the TechCrunch blog. Another GV-based app, VoiceCentral, has also been removed.
This behavior is in line with previous blocks on programs that Apple deems to conflict with features it supports itself. Some observers believe its hostility to Google Voice is inspired by its key carrier, AT&T, which will clearly see the software house's infiltration of the mobile voice market as threatening. Google has already released a GV client for its own Android and for BlackBerry.
The rising profile of Android in the mobile apps race will soon make it more difficult for Apple to pursue its sometimes high handed approach to its own store. Developers who whip up consumer enthusiasm for their products can offer them on the Google system should Apple prove hostile. This seems to be the approach adopted by popular music streaming service Spotify, which will go mobile soon with Android and iPhone clients - but may fall foul of Apple's rules, since it clearly competes with the iTunes music approach.
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