Could Google Voice Finally See an iOS Release?

Posted by Blake Grundman on September 30th, 2010

It is hard to argue that Google Voice isn't one of the most useful web based creations since the email.  Okay, maybe that is going a bit too far, but you would be hard pressed to find a bigger innovation over the last couple of years.  Integrating the use of free voice mail, call dictation, and even VoIP functionality, Google has once again redefined an area of our lives that never seemed necessary at the time, but now we couldn't live without.

For those of you who have been heavily involved in the iOS development scene, you may remember a little legal brewhaha involving Apple blocking publication of a Google developed Voice app, back in July of last year.  It was a very messy situation that ended up involving the FCC having to step in, and at the end yielding nothing more than upholding Apples right to deny the app publication.

Bitter conflict that require a mediator are usually something that is hard to leave in the past, but TechCrunch has a source close to the situation reporting that not only have the proverbial fences been mended, but Apple has ALREADY approved a working version of the Google Voice app for iPhone.  But if it has already been approved, why is it not already in the App Store, you ask?  The story goes on to say that Google is currently holding up on the release, while they work on optimizing the software to be iOS 4.0 compatible.

If this is actually the case, I have to imagine that this will open the floodgates of applications that have denied in the past taking a second (or third, or fourth...) go at submitting to the App approval board.  This is a fairly unprecedented turn of events that may provide a glimpse into the future of a more open App Store.  I can only hope this is the case, because if that happens, the consumers always benefit.