Google Sneaks Voice App onto IPhone

Google wants its Voice application to play nicer with iPhone, and doesn't particularly care what Apple (News - Alert) thinks about it.

 

As PCMag.com said, Google (News - Alert) subverted Apple's control by releasing a Google Voice Web app that is accessible from any HTML5-capable smartphone, which at this point only means Apple's iPhone (News - Alert) and Palm's webOS phones.

 

The two heaviest of Silicon Valley heavyweights are sparring over what could be a highly lucrative market in years to come.

 

Google officials said they've revised the mobile Web site for Voice “so that it's easier to display the service's most popular features on the iPhone's latest operating system,” according to the Associated Press (News - Alert).

 

“Among other things, Voice offers an alternative dialing pad, voice mail and international calling discounts,” the AP added.

 

In fact, The Inquirer is reporting, “this new version of the Google Voice app can be accessed via a browser and can bypass the vetting procedures necessary to gain admission to Apple's Iphone App Store.”

 

A petulant Apple has refused to allow the Voice program to be distributed through the iPhone's applications store since last summer, the AP said, “on grounds that it would duplicate or alter important iPhone features.” The recent move to put it on as an app evades that roadblock nicely.

 

All the jostling and jockeying for position aside, how does it actually work? According to PCMag.com, overall, “it works well for a Web-based app. It doesn't offer the functionality of, say, Google Voice for Android (News - Alert), a local app, but it gets the job done… there aren't really any downsides to using Google Voice for iPhone. It's definitely a niche product now, but over time it could catch on to the general public.”

 

Not if Apple has anything to say about it.

 

You can get Voice apps for BlackBerrys or devices running on Android, of course, and if you're still using Palm this upgrade to the mobile Web site should make Voice better on that operating system as well.

 

“Apple told the FCC that it hasn't rejected the Voice application outright, but Google says it still hasn't heard anything further on its attempts to make the program available for iPhone downloading,” the AP reported.