16 Months Later -- Google Voice for the iPhone

The wait is over. The Google Voice application is now available for the iPhone.

As you're probably well aware, this app has had quite the contentious history. Google originally submitted it to the App Store about a year and a half ago. But 16 months ago, Apple decided they weren't going to accept it. Not only that, other third-party apps with Google Voice functionality were pulled from the App Store as well. While Apple and Google were both silent on the issue at first, the government got involved and both sides were made to disclose at least part of their stance on the app, their relationships with carriers, and the relationship with each other. Apple's stated stance was that they didn't like the Google Voice app because it was too similar to the functionality of their own built-in calling system on the iPhone. They also said that they hadn't rejected the app, just that they were still considering it for approval. BS or not, Apple controlled their own App Store, and there was little Google could do. The decided to build a web app for Google Voice instead. But this past September, Apple, perhaps pushed by the governmental inquiries, decided to ease up on many of their strict App Store rules. This led to third-party Google Voice apps being allowed back into the App Store.