With the players having responded to the FCC’s inquiry, it would seem that the Google Voice app store rejection pot is getting another good stir. Apple’s response essentially absolves AT&T of any involvement in the reported rejection, explaining that the Google Voice application wasn’t so much rejected as delayed… Delayed not at the request of AT&T, but because the application alters or mimics portions of the iPhone’s interface and existing functionality.
When the initial rejection (now delay) was reported, Google itself stated it intended to offer the same functionality through a browser-based app. Various media outlets jumped onboard portraying this as a slap in the face to Apple, truly bypassing the issue of rejection and delivering the functionality to users in spite of its wishes. Now, even Apple is suggesting that Google can sidestep the issue in this way. However, coming from them, it’s clear the idea is just a diversion… a not-so-subtle suggestion that lack of admittance to the app store isn’t exclusion from the market.
While not subject to Apple’s approval, browser-based applications on the iPhone are marginalized by their nature because Safari provides them access to only a subset of the iPhone’s features. For Google Voice, the most limiting factor may be the lack of the notification feature available to native apps as of OS 3.0. Google Voice is a potential game changer for the way we use telephone and messaging services but it loses a lot of its luster without the ability to notify recipients of new text messages or voicemails in a seamless manner. While the idea of sneaking through the back door that is the browser makes for a good story, the limitations it imposes will ensure that any such effort on Google’s part will fall well short in terms of the experience a native app could provide.
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