Apple responds to FCC inquiry about Google Voice rejection

After Apple decided not to allow Google's phone app, Google Voice, into its application store, the FCC opened an inquiry into Apple's reasons for rejecting Google Voice, and its notoriously inconsistent app store approval policies. Now, Apple has not only responded to the FCC's questions, but publicly released the response on its website. Here are some of the highlights:

• Apple claims it didn't reject Google Voice, but continues to study it. The semantic distinction between "rejected" and "not approved" doesn't offer much comfort to Google Voice users who would really like an easy way to use the service from their phones."
• The reason Google Voice hasn't been approved (yet?) is that "it appears to alter the iPhone's distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail."
• AT&T was not at all involved in the decision not to approve Google Voice, Apple says: "Apple is acting alone and has not consulted with AT&T about whether or not to approve the Google Voice application. No contractual conditions or non-contractual understandings with AT&T have been a factor in Apple's decision-making process in this matter."

Although Google Voice isn't a voice-over-IP app, the FCC also asked Apple some questions about those. Apple answered that it does have an agreement with AT&T not to allow apps that can originate VOIP calls using AT&T's network. Apple also appears to be worried that the Google Voice app passed users' contacts from the iPhone's Address Book to Google's servers without alerting users, but I can't imagine too many people who would sign up for a service like Google voice would be worried about that.

The inquiry is still in its early stages, and it's too early to make a good prediction about what will happen. So far, I agree with Daring Fireball's read on the situation: Apple's decision seems to be all about its competitive relationship with Google and maintaining control over the phone experience on its own device.

Tags: apple, ATT, FCC, google, google-voice, inquiry, investigation, iphone, news