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Google's own Google Voice app rejected

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str1f3

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Aug 24, 2008
1,859
0
Apparently Google's first party app has been rejected and it's ATT's fault. Last year, the lead guy developing the project got a personal assurance from Phil Schiller no less that the app will be approved. When the app was rejected Schiller had to give the guy a personal apology. Google originally submitted the app six weeks ago.

Full story on TechCrunch: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/27/apple-is-growing-rotten-to-the-core-and-its-likely-atts-fault/

AT&T is a pice of sh** and I can't wait for Apple to cut ties with them. I'm curious also as to what happens when the first Android phone hits AT&T.
 
S

strike1555

macrumors 6502
Jun 29, 2009
326
0
I hate ATT as much as the next guy but if they are the ones stopping it- how come Blackberrys on ATT have this app? Surely iPhone users taking "more bandwidth" can't be the only reason for it.
 
A

aethelbert

macrumors 601
Jun 1, 2007
4,287
0
Chicago, IL, USA
Seems that I was a few hours late on GV Mobile, now this... awesome. More BS from Apple with their control on this fishtank garbage. This has nothing to do with AT&T, or else it could be released on a foreign store if it wasn't rejected due to the App Store's terms of use.
 
DeuceDeuce

DeuceDeuce

macrumors 6502a
Aug 8, 2007
821
1
San Dimas, CA
strike1555 said:
I hate ATT as much as the next guy but if they are the ones stopping it- how come Blackberrys on ATT have this app? Surely iPhone users taking "more bandwidth" can't be the only reason for it.
Click to expand...

I think its because there is no way for Blackberry to stop people from installing it. If Google developed an app and released it to the jailbreak community AT&T couldn't do squat then either. The problem is the only way to legitimately get apps on your iphone without JB is via the app store and they can put pressure on Apple on that front.
 
hitekalex

hitekalex

macrumors 68000
Feb 4, 2008
1,624
0
Chicago, USA
You can still use GV over Google's mobile web app. Yes it's not as elegant as "native" iPhone app, but it does the job fine. Every feature of GV is supported.

Nice thing about web apps is that there isn't a squat Apple or AT&T can do about them.
 
S

Slip Jigs

macrumors 6502a
Feb 18, 2008
698
2
hitekalex said:
You can still use GV over Google's mobile web app. Yes it's not as elegant as "native" iPhone app, but it does the job fine. Every feature of GV is supported.

Nice thing about web apps is that there isn't a squat Apple or AT&T can do about them.
Click to expand...

They could start charging more for data.
 
R

ruinfx

macrumors 6502a
Feb 20, 2008
894
0
strike1555 said:
I hate ATT as much as the next guy but if they are the ones stopping it- how come Blackberrys on ATT have this app? Surely iPhone users taking "more bandwidth" can't be the only reason for it.
Click to expand...

AT&T has no control over how applications get onto blackberrys. this is the same reason skype is unrestricted on other mobile platforms, but crippled on the iphone.
 
I

inbrissy

macrumors member
Oct 12, 2007
57
0
Brisbane
Apple's Contract obligations are similar to what they have in Netherlands.

In Netherlands they have a contract only with one Telco. There is no way to an iPhone other then on a contract with the one Telco.

I'm sure that these contracts were put in place as a start to get the iPhone sold world wide. Now that the demand is big for the iPhone, Apple will be able to start taking some control back in the deals they made before.

I doubt that now the iPhone is so popular, that Apple will renew any of those contracts that limits them to such an extent.

If indeed its AT&T stopping this, I doubt they're going to have that leverage for long.

The rumor was that the reason no GPS Navigation software made it onto the iPhone was because of the contract Apple had with Google over Maps.

Something will happen. Google Voice will make it onto the iPhone sooner or later.
 
ltldrummerboy

ltldrummerboy

macrumors 68000
Oct 15, 2007
1,534
9
Of course they start pulling GV apps on the same day I get my invite. Isn't that always the way it goes?
 
S

str1f3

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Aug 24, 2008
1,859
0
This is beginning to be a long list of apps that are crippled by AT&T. Every time this garbage happens it cripples the iPhone against competitors. The App Store is a great experience but it means nothing if you can't use the apps the way you want to. This is going to come to a head sooner or later. Either these apps start making it into the store or people will eventually moving away from the iPhone.

For all the greatness of the App Store it seems that their competitors main strength is being able to add apps w/o an App Store. It may be less safe but if you stick to the mainstream apps you'll have a more full featured phone outside the control of the carriers.

I hope that the next deal Apple makes, they don't allow the carrier to have any control over what apps are accepted.
 
F

frolo

macrumors newbie
May 28, 2006
20
0
I finally got an invite a few weeks ago. I saw the 3rd party apps but I held back thinking Google is going to release their own app. Now I find out Apple rejected the official app and yanked the 3rd party ones. Great... :mad:
 
spyda

spyda

macrumors 6502a
Jun 30, 2009
732
0
How the **** can you deny Google? I'm disgusted with AT&T's despicable imbecile behavior.

rotten :apple: quit serving as AT&T's personal b!tch!
 
A

aethelbert

macrumors 601
Jun 1, 2007
4,287
0
Chicago, IL, USA
str1f3 said:
This is beginning to be a long list of apps that are crippled by AT&T. Every time this garbage happens it cripples the iPhone against competitors.
Click to expand...
This has little, if anything, to do with AT&T. The GV Mobile app was rejected because it was "duplicating features that the iPhone comes with;" I doubt that this is any different. If this was completely AT&T's doing, it would be available elsewhere, not to mention that they would have wanted such apps pulled/rejected a long time ago. Apple is in on this, too, no doubt. It's not any of AT&T's concern or business what appears on the Swiss, South African, et al, app stores.
 
T

The General

macrumors 601
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
1
Pika said:
AT&T is banning 4Chan
Click to expand...

Not anymore. That only lasted for like 6 hours. The reason they blocked img.4chan.org is because there was a massive DDoS attack coming from that IP address, which is said to have been AnonTalk spoofing their IPs to look like img.4chan.org.

It was a totally reasonable thing to do. This Google Voice thing, however, is not.
 
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MikhailT

macrumors 601
Nov 12, 2007
4,582
1,325
Don't worry guys, eventually this will be a thing of the past. AT&T is only pissing Apple off with this and Apple is the one making more money and have the power to bring iPhone over to other telcos. AT&T will lose more money from losing the customers over to competitors then they will lose from having third party apps giving out free SMS, VOIP, GV and so on. Eventually the cellular network will become purely a data utility like the Internet ISPs, and we'll switch over to VOIP, once that happens, AT&T will lose unless they embrace it.

AT&T is trying to get the most money they can now from SMS and overcharges, eventually that'll be a thing of the past as well.

The question is when? I guess within the next 20 years or so.
 
M

MikhailT

macrumors 601
Nov 12, 2007
4,582
1,325
akonradi said:
This has little, if anything, to do with AT&T. The GV Mobile app was rejected because it was "duplicating features that the iPhone comes with;" I doubt that this is any different. If this was completely AT&T's doing, it would be available elsewhere, not to mention that they would have wanted such apps pulled/rejected a long time ago. Apple is in on this, too, no doubt. It's not any of AT&T's concern or business what appears on the Swiss, South African, et al, app stores.
Click to expand...

"Duplicating features that the iPhone comes with" is a default stupid reason that Apple uses a lot and no justification for not allowing the app. It should be left to the user to decide, not Apple.

As for being available elsewhere, Google Voice is only available for the US market.
 
A

aethelbert

macrumors 601
Jun 1, 2007
4,287
0
Chicago, IL, USA
MikhailT said:
As for being available elsewhere, Google Voice is only available for the US market.
Click to expand...
Me being a likely exception, I run two US phones while out of the country. It has forwarded to my work phone (+41) without issue, though I am charged to be connected through it. It seems that the only issue is that it isn't available to generate numbers outside of the United States.
 
S

str1f3

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Aug 24, 2008
1,859
0
akonradi said:
This has little, if anything, to do with AT&T. The GV Mobile app was rejected because it was "duplicating features that the iPhone comes with;" I doubt that this is any different. If this was completely AT&T's doing, it would be available elsewhere, not to mention that they would have wanted such apps pulled/rejected a long time ago. Apple is in on this, too, no doubt. It's not any of AT&T's concern or business what appears on the Swiss, South African, et al, app stores.
Click to expand...

It has plenty to do with AT&T and Apple deserves some of the blame. This app was assured acceptance by the #3 man at Apple personally. Schiller even apologized to the man after it was rejected. It is clear the pressure was coming outside of Apple.

The US has always controlled what the rest of the world gets in the App Store as evident of the crippling by the crippling of the Slingbox app. Because AT&T wanted no 3G support that meant everyone else in the world didn't get it either. There are no separate versions for apps in the App Store. If an app is crippled in the US, it is crippled everywhere.

It's funny hearing people complain that Verizon wants it's own App Store for their phones because we already have it. It appears that AT&T exercises full control over the app approval process. They have more control over the velvet rope than Apple.
 
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