DISQUS

psimac · 4 months ago

Not sure this is new news. I've been using the Google Voice Web app on my phone for weeks! Just go to voice.google.com on any iPhone.

egoiste · 4 months ago

perhaps I am not understanding why this is big news? I've been able to do this since the day I got my google voice number and before the iphone app rejection.

Robert Basil · 4 months ago

Did you even bother to read the story? The new web interface will be MUCH better than the current one that Google provides. The current Google Voice web interface leaves a lot to be desired. Thank God I bought GV pro before it was removed from the app store.

HawaiiRealty · 4 months ago

I am absolutely THRILLED to hear this. That Apple n AT & T situation is intolerable.

David Abraham · 4 months ago

no push notification in web apps right? severely affects GV SMS potential

Andrew Girdwood · 4 months ago

I didn't replace my iPhone when it was stolen (thank you London Tube). I debated whether that was the right thing to do or not - but with each extra day that passes I'm sure it was. Sure, Windows Mobile on my X1 suxxors but I'm simply waiting for the Christmas rush of Android phones. One of those will do me nicely.

Nery Encarnacion · 4 months ago

Apple is going nowhere with this attitude... this has to come to an end!!

MichaelApproved · 4 months ago

Nowhere? They keep growing and growing at more and more amazing rates. I don't agree in blocking the app but you can't say they're going nowhere.

Bios Element · 4 months ago

Apple's iPhone growth is slowing and the Android OS growth is taking off at a surprisingly fast rate. Apple's not the only kid on the block now.

robblewis · 4 months ago

Excellent! I think the only real option for Apple is to authorize the Google Voice app...this sounds like it's going to happen with or without them anyway #googlevoice

msesh · 4 months ago

I love my iphone mostly bc it's nearly a pc or errr mac in your pocket
all the apps that are available make it hard to beat by any other phone
imo. I'm ecstatic abt this new development a ph carriers 1st worry shd
b their customers & blocking apps bc they hav the power to do so makes
me want to switch carriers but i wont we need to innundate apple &
at&t w our requests we dnt even hav to leave our pcs millions cn send
emails daily & give them something else to do besides think of how they
cn tell us no!

williamle8300 · 4 months ago

hey my first comment.

from my understanding, there's no reason why iPhone users shouldn't jailbreak their phones and dl the lapsed GV Mobile from Cydia.. i hear the app works like a charm.

infomofo · 4 months ago

you are confusing GV Mobile (a third party developed paid app) with the official Google voice client (free, and developed by google).

While Sean Kovacs' app was very nice, it did have some interface issues that users were hoping would be fixed by a native Google client.

williamle8300 · 4 months ago

I'm aware GV mobile is a 3rd party app. I'm just saying, it works well. I'm not aware of any of the interface issues.. sms/voicemail/auto-refresh is all there...

Rishabh Mishra (possible248) · 4 months ago

Absolutely brilliant.

This is a genius tactic from the minds of Google. I can't wait to see how Apple/AT&T react to this.

waded · 4 months ago

My prediction is the web app will go forward, & not be blocked, & but at 10% the user base the iPhone native-app would get. (Primarily due to loss of app-store advertising: sure the tech community will figure it out, and Google might advertise in other apps, but I suspect that reaches a small % relative to app-store advertising.) Second prediction is approval of the iPhone-native app in the app store is still going to be a while. (Not tomorrow, not next month.) Grab a <your favorite candy bar here>.

Colin Crawford · 4 months ago

When the Yahoo directory launched it was a great way to showcase some of the best web site - but with exponential growth of web pages - it could not keep up and search replaced the browse function.

The growth of the apps stores, the fact that they are being so "controlled" means that there must be a similar change in the current model. When the iPhone launched, developers had to build web apps - but the web browser was not sophisticated enough. With the launch of the iPhone SDK we saw the surge of iphone apps, aided by Apple's iTunes distribution and payment systems.

However, the problems over search and discovery, inconsistent approval procedures, arbitrary rejects, a reviews system that can be gamed and an awful search and discovery process is leaving developers and customers disillusioned.

Google sees the opportunity to try and own the mobile browser and the development of apps within the browser. Sure, it's not there yet and will take a number of years to flush out but the directional indicators are pretty clear. Apps stores have some short term advantages but go long on the mobile browser. Certain segments such as mobile banking will never develop mobile apps because of security issues, esp caching. Banks and finance institutions will develop apps in the mobile browser and wrap them in an App skin to get maximum distribution but their focus is all on the mobile browser.

Apple's success with the Apps store may blind them to the mobile browser opportunities. However, the recent moves by Google many give them significant pause for thought.

VeRonda · 4 months ago

Wow! This is crazy... What more can Apple really do? I guess a lot, right?

Diablo · 4 months ago

There already is a mobile web version of GV. It's just not very pretty. An iPhone optimized version would be most welcome.

ricsam · 4 months ago

That is one of the reasons why I'm turned off by the iPhone. The AT & T/Apple collusion seems to trap the user into their realm (no open source mentality, no user choices). Definitively, we are seeing the dark side of Apple (AT & T was already there long time ago). Power to the user!!

Andreas Heubach · 4 months ago

I found this nice blog and read a lot in it - so I will visit it in future one time a week to read in it. That is the Phone I dream of....! Never saw a so good Phone - I want it - I love it. I would buy it here but you don´t get it here. Greetings from Germany Andreas

Rob Findlay · 4 months ago

For those of us who are iPhone challenged, I would like a google voice app i can run on say maybe AIR for my PC, using my google voice number.

That would not suck.

tudoradam · 4 months ago

This is good news, even though it doesn't excuse Apple's almost dictatorship rule of the apps store. Good job to Google though for looking at this option. I still can't help but think the iPhone days are numbered and Android will come out ontop

Hunter · 4 months ago

Excellent ... but what about a WinMo ap? I Windows Mobile dying out?

Brad F. · 4 months ago

I somehow think the future is going to be iPhones and Android and Symbian. No one likes Windows to start with, so Windows Mobile isn't all that appealing. Just my opinion though. I know I damn sure wouldn't want anything to do with Windows Mobile.

Varun Singh · 4 months ago

the ISPs could always look at protocol headers/ protocol analysis to drop packets...

Robert Basil · 4 months ago

From your post it above it is clear that you have no clue how Google Voice works. It is NOT a voip service.

Name · 2 months ago

It's apparent from this and other posts that you are a jackass. Lighten up and don't somebody's balls just because they don't stare at a computer all day worrying about how well they understand the intricacies of a particular application. I know I am late on this but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to say what I am quite sure many have thought.

dekkerd · 4 months ago

Google should follow gv mobiles lead and release the app on cydia. That would give the eff a new tool in their fight to have jailbreaking legitimized.

Dennis Jernberg · 4 months ago

I think the point is that Google is avoiding app stores altogether, and that includes Cydia as well as the Apple app store. This is all-Web, but optimized for iPhone.

Brad F. · 4 months ago

Glad to hear this. Apple's approval policies are starting to piss me off. I think when it's time I might make the switch to an Android phone.

TwitrFic · 4 months ago

A lot of apps do not need to be in the app store as they are web based.

alex · 4 months ago

Time has changed. Apple is forbidding iPhone users to install Google Voice app on the device. They decided to take it off App Store. Why? Just because.
This smart phone is essentially a computer with operating system and an ability to install third party software like any other computer. When I called Apple, tech support representative informed me that Apple does not have to explain why they are forbidding me to install Google apps after I purchased device planning to use it with Google Voice. She also informed me that App Store is like any other store has right to choose what they put on their shelves.
Well, I respect their choice, but the last time I checked in my neighborhood mall none of their stores are FORBIDING me to use products from anywhere else but from their store. Does Apple respect my choice? Communist China government did not dare to make Lenovo give me a list of software I can install on my laptop. Lenovo respects my choice because they know what will happen with their laptops if they would try to deny this choice to people in free world.
Just imagine what would happen if Microsoft make an agreement with Comcast and set up a list of software you are allowed to install. What if they allow you to connect to internet only through Comcast? What if Comcast decides they not like some software and a week later Microsoft would FORBID using it without any meaningful explanation? That would definitely be considered mafia-like behavior and nobody would tolerate it.
We are not tolerating this behavior neither from China, US government, Microsoft, nor from Comcast. For how long are we going to tolerate this behavior from Apple? I erased my iPhone, I smashed it with hammer and I will send it on Monday to Steve Jobs, c/o Apple 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014
Time has changed.

Kino · 4 months ago

This is totally wrong. If the application is written correctly it should not be rejected by Apple's App Store. I think that anti-competitive tactics should not be tolerated because it totally undermines capitalism.

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Dennis Jernberg · 4 months ago

Well! What better way to get around the Apple/AT&T oligopoly than to make the rejected app a Web app identical to what the native app would have been! What's more, the web app can also be optimized for Android, Windows Mobile, and any other smartphone OS. And you can be sure that Google will do the same for all the smartphone apps it plans to release in the future. And I'm certain other companies will follow suit by withdrawing their apps from the Apple app store (or even Cydia) and taking them directly to the Web.

For the Apple/AT&T oligopoly, this is the beginning of the end. Let's see them try baiting the feds by blocking this.

Alex · 4 months ago

Time has changed. Apple is forbidding iPhone users to install Google Voice app called “GV Mobile” on the device. They decided to take it off App Store. Why? Just because.
This smart phone is essentially a computer with operating system and an ability to install third party software like any other computer. When I called Apple, tech support representative informed me that Apple does not have to explain why they are forbidding me to install Google apps after I purchased device planning to use it with Google Voice. She also informed me that App Store is like any other store has right to choose what they put on their shelves.
Well, I respect their choice, but the last time I checked in my neighborhood mall none of their stores are FORBIDING me to use products from anywhere else but from their store. Does Apple respect my choice? Communist China government did not dare to make Lenovo give me a list of software I can install on my laptop. Lenovo respects my choice because they know what will happen with their laptops if they would try to deny this choice to people in free world.
Just imagine what would happen if Microsoft would make an agreement with Comcast and set up a list of software you are allowed to install. What if they allow you to connect to internet only through Comcast? What if Comcast decides they don’t like some software and a week later Microsoft would FORBID using it without any meaningful explanation? That would definitely be considered mafia-like behavior and nobody would tolerate it.
We are not tolerating this behavior neither from China, US government, Microsoft, nor from Comcast. For how long are we going to tolerate this behavior from Apple? I erased my iPhone, I smashed it with hammer and I will send it on Monday to Steve Jobs, c/o Apple 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014
Time has changed.

JohnGabrikh · 3 months ago

It look that things are getting worst against itune, Google alliance will be hard to face.

John Waters · 3 months ago

I live less than 10 miles from the center of Charlotte, NC, yet I have internet FAR more often than I have a cell signal. If AT&T doesn't want folks to use VOIP, they could improve their coverage -- at least in my case.

Alex Findlay · 2 months ago

The Phone Giants have played god far too long. My Google Voice connections are crisp, clear and fast. Thank you Google Alex Findlay