Google Voice On The iPhone Comes Full Circle As Apple Accepts GV Mobile+
This is a post I've looked forward to writing for a long time — and I'm surprised that I'm even getting the chance. In July 2009, we broke the news that Apple had banned Google Voice from the iPhone.
Context & Ripple Effects
Google Voice’s iPhone path had shifted from browser-based access through VoiceCentral in late 2009 to a Google release earlier in 2010, while Google Voice apps also had a documented history of being pulled after initial approval. Apple’s acceptance follows its decision to admit a Google Voice app again two days earlier, turning a long-running distribution dispute into an App Store opening.
First-order effects
- GV Mobile+ gains access to iPhone users through Apple’s App Store, giving Google Voice a sanctioned native-client distribution route.
- Apple’s approval changes the immediate position of GV Mobile+ from an excluded service to an App Store-listed alternative for iPhone owners.
Second-order effects
- Browser-based Google Voice workarounds, including the earlier VoiceCentral route, lose some of their distinction for users who prefer an App Store client.
- Other developers building around Google Voice must compete with an approved native app rather than solely filling the gap created by Apple’s earlier removals.
Third-order effects
- The reversal underscores how App Store review decisions can determine whether communications services reach iPhone users directly or must rely on web-based substitutes.
- If Apple continues admitting previously excluded voice applications, iPhone software distribution shifts from categorical exclusion toward competition among approved clients.
The trend: The episode is one data point in the gradual reopening of Apple’s App Store to communications apps that had been constrained by review decisions.