Sean Kovacs

Apple did the right thing. The app was crap and was full of bugs. Apple actually did us a favor by pulling this. It does not surprise me.

Google Voice was rejected as well.

Please release it on Cydia. Your other “legal” avenues have been cut off. I will happily pay for the app. I (unfortunately) delayed in anticipation that Google Voice would be released, but that isn’t happening.

I don’t claim to be an expert on AT&T-Apple contracts, but when Apple sells me a subsidized iPhone for $199/$299, I think it’s fair to say that part of my service plan over the next 2 years is going to pay for the subsidy. AT&T may in fact be paying that subsidy to Apple upfront, but at the end of the day, part of your monthly bill is going to back to Apple. My point is that Apple realizes this, and doesn’t want to support a service that is a threat to this revenue stream, or next time their carrier partner won’t be willing to subsidize the initial purchase as much.

Again, I’m no expert. Just my take on the matter.

Well, things just got worse people.

Apple apparently told Google to stop the development of Google Voice for iPhone (the official app from Google).

The reason: AT&T!!!!

I AM SERIOUSLY THINKING ABOUT FILING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST AT&T.

Can anyone tell me why ringcentral & the AT&T branded ringcentral app is still in the app store. I’m serious, search ringcentral and tell me what that app doesn’t do that allows it to stay in the app store. I’ll be busy jailbreaking my iphone.

Sign me up. @alchemistmuffin

Sign me up as well.

alchemistmuffin :
Well, things just got worse people.
Apple apparently told Google to stop the development of Google Voice for iPhone (the official app from Google).

Well, no, things didn’t “just” get worse. If you’d bother to read you’d see that we mentioned this a few pages back. (Also covered by TechCrunch a while ago with an official quote and everything.) You didn’t add any news.

As a correction, however, they didn’t tell apple to “stop development”. Google submitted the app to Apple 6 weeks ago. They have now admitted that Apple rejected it. I thought the NDA required Google to not reveal that, but I guess they can get away with it.

I wonder if this recent string of stupidity by Apple (first Latitude, now this) is why Google hasn’t updated the Google Mobile app. I guess it used some undocumented API stuff to handle the “start recording when you bring it up to your face” stuff, and it broke in 3.0. Google said they’d be fixing it but it is still broken. I wonder if Google is just saying “f that” to iPhone apps. If I was them I would.

There are so many other apps that duplicate. Such as Truphone, Skype, Textfree.

But even your dialer is not the same dialer as on the iPhone. SMS is not even push SMS. Basically we all just know that AT&T is just doing this because them and or Apple want to control everything.

Reading about this and that they are also blocking the App from Google is making me think abotu quiting AT&T and going back to Sprint. My wife and I left Sprint to go with AT&T because of the iPhone but maybe not now. This is BS that I can’t run the apps I want to on my phone. We are paying about $50 more per month then what we were with Spring and getting a lot less then we were before.

This really annoys me! I was trying out your free app which I was really impressed with. I was procrastinating on buying the full version and now it isn’t there. Damn you apple and at&t >:(

Dude…. Cydia. Go for it. If Apple doesn’t let you back into the app store I will more than willingly pay for the application on Cydia.

This is very disappointing and does not reflect well on Apple in my opinion. I have already purchased your app and am using it. Will it continue to work or are they going to do an Amazon and remotely disable the app on my iPhone?

Well… you can be sure this is due to ATT… Blood thirsty bandwidth-overselling monkeys… After one too many dropped call I finally switched to Pre + Sprint and (in NYC) the service is SO MUCH better. Google maps is actually usable! No dropped calls, crystal clear sound… “The S is for speed” yeah… right… like a super fast computer on a dialup… very useful…

@dev: I’m sure Palm would love to have your app on their empty store I’d certainly buy it, and I’d say the ratio of geek Palm Pre users is pretty high so I’m most likely not the only one with a gvoice account… And it will keep you busy while fighting Apple to try and get the iPhone version back up.

Would appreciate if you could let us know f you’re considering/planning etc a Pre version… even an unofficial “maybe” or “definitely not” would be useful to get a feel for what might happen…

Thanks!!

Go cydia now Sean. Since Apple doesn’t seem to have a clue with regard to the actual functionality of the GV mobile app you might as well bundle a VOIP client with push functionallity for GIZMO built into the app so that you can remove AT&T out of the equation. This is total BS

Sean,

What can we do to protest against this. Who do we contact? Apple? ATT? Let us know because this is just ridiculous. We still use ATT mins to make and receive calls. This shouldn’t have been blocked. Note to APPLE:

GET THIS PHONE OFF ATT’s NETWORK!!!!!!

Go for cydia Sean!
Apple

@alchemistmuffin
Do it iPhone owners should stand up for their rights!

Time to go to Cydia – Your apps seemed to be most advanced, and now Google won’t be releasing something, nows’ your choice to capture the (jailbroken) market.

I was hesitant to jailbreak my iPhone. I think that this apps, along with Qik and a couple of others may push me to jailbreak.

I haven’t seen a link on any sites to make complaints heard…

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

Post it. I can’t find anywhere else to do it.

You don’t need to jailbreak to install non-app store apps. You just need someone with a developer certificate who can sign the app for you and deploy it using XCode.

This is definitely Apple trying to control everything, not so much AT&T. AT&T Blackberries handle 3rd party apps just fine, including Google Voice. Apple is the problem here, as they always have been. Even going back to the old Apple II computers, they’ve been anti-developer. Behind the marketing facade that paints them as cool & hip, Apple’s really more right-wing, big brother corporate than anyone.

If we purchased the full GV mobile can we still use it. Also, if not do we get a refund.

I am sick of the bullshit that has consumed Apple Inc. I have worked for Apple for over 11 years and let me tell you, that with Schiller in the mix, things have gone from so so to total shit. The company has completely lost the cool factor and I am in the process of looking for a new employer with less corporate greed and higher emphasis on CUSTOMERS. Yes, Apple seems to have forgotten that it is the CUSTOMERS who bring them their revenue.

AT&T and Apple know with certainty that you WILL continue to use the iPhone and pay your AT&T bill and new subscribers will continue to buy in by the thousands.
Just shut up and keep giving AT&T you money because they know that you will and they own your phone. The contract you agreed to legally binds you to pay them no matter what and the contract language allows them to change anything they want at any time and for any reason. Oh and guess what!? You agreed that you have no legal right to sue them for anything they do wrong.
Anyone who agrees to a cell phone contract is basically stating that they are a complete idiot so stop complaining and pay your bill before AT&T sues YOU for defamation.

Sean you should have pressed 4 during the call to record and share it! haha, that would have been dynamite.

Thanks for all your hard work Sean. I’m a paying customer and I appreciate it. I’ll check cydia for updates.
My last iPhone. Such a shame, it is a great device with so much blocked potential.

Even though Sean’s GV application did not work on my iPhone I am joining the crowd to condemn Apple and ATT for blocking Google Phone. It is not working on my iPhone AT ALL. What a monsters those companies are!! I will move to an Android phone next week.

So let me get it right:

-Apple gets 30% of the profit and there is no way to install an app independently. This means that every developer becomes a partner with apple
-Apple can shut down your business any time they want (like dark room, red lazer, now you etc)
-You need to get their approval about what you can run in YOUR phone (you paid and you are paying monthly for it)…

FUCK APPLE. We pay monthly for our phones, you get 30% without doing anything and you still piss developers.

We need an open phone that allows users to install things directly from the developer.

All those comments are great in support for GV Mobile, and for Sean. But we need action to solve this crisis.

We all need to call AT&T and Apple customer service to express our discontentment for their decisions.

Cancel our contracts, and use those unlock criPhones with T-Mobile.

Boycott crApple and AT&T products and services.

Complain to the FTC http://www.ftc.gov/ this practice is illigal.

Start a class action lawsuit against crApple and AT&T.

That will surely teach them a lesson for life.

Together we can.

Ahh… You should have recorded the call using Google Voice! That would have been awesome

Well Cydia is waiting for you! We will buy the app if reasonable priced. I will even review your app and send you many customers, how about that?

WTF??? I was having problems connecting with GV Mobile today so I thought I would just uninstall it and reinstall. Obviously I’m a PC guy, other than my iPhone. I uninstalled it then went to the app store and couldn’t find it. Now I see this! That’s just fucking great! I’m assuming that when I get home I can sync to iTunes and get it back on my phone…..I hope!! This is the first time since I’ve been an iPhone owner that I don’t want to be. This really pisses me off.

Well I love GV very much. I can save money on SMS and Cell minutes. It is very useful App. I’m very upset that apple kick out GV. Now I’m planning to jailbreak my Iphone cause Apple and Greedy AT&T have many restrictions on iphone users. That’s not fair.

All this speculation pointing at AT&T being the culprit behind the removal of the app got me thinking… Anybody know if AT&T has gone after anyone for the development or release of apps for the Blackberry phones? Those seem to still be readily available.

@alchemistmuffin
Sure you are…Tough guy.

@alchemistmuffin

Sure you are…Tough guy.

Richard Chipman appears to be the “Apple Angel of App Death.” He called us a little while ago about our applications with an odd issue that we resolved right there on the phone with him. We left voicemail to see what the status was but he never called back. The apps magically appeared a few days later but, again, no heads up at all. Very strange way to do business.

So if I have already purchased and downloaded GV for iphone, if I sync will the app be removed?

Cydia, Cydia, Cydia,

So I have used Seans GV iphone app for a month and absolutely love it. The call quality for international calls far exceeds AT&T call quality for direct international calls, and is obviously less expensive. I still use text messaging directly on the phone… not sure why but Im sure its just a comfort factor with the existing text app on the iphone.

I have replaced Vonage with MagicJack (and a dedicated “bone-pile” pc) at home and am front-ending my “home” number with GV. I have also changed my “professional” number to a second GV number. I setup GV to direct calls to my office and mobile. It works great. I am a huge fan of GV, but Seans GV for iphone is a pivotal feature of my new “phone system”. I might consider Jailbreaking if the app gets deleted from my phone at the next sync.

GV – two numbers to rule them all: “Home” and “Professional”.

@alchemistmuffin

Please do sue AT&T because they’re really being stupid!!!

I was enjoying GV Mobile on my iPod Touch, and there is no duplication of features there. After 31 years as an Apple customer and software developer, with a good understanding of how they operate, I have no doubt that the problem is AT&T. The relationship with AT&T is now becoming a net liability. It’s time for Apple to move on, we don’t need AT&T anymore.

For anyone holding a position in AT&T, I’d recommend selling it now because the T share price is going to crash when the Verizon announcement comes.

See you on Cydia. (I hope).

Wow…if I could change carriers and still have the iPhone…I would.

Google voice still depends on the carrier’s service. So…what is the gripe with AT&T? If they’re complaining because of free texting with Google Voice, then that’s stupid. We pay TOO much for texting with AT&T anyway.

Just install the full version from Cydia

@Matt G
AT&T is already guaranteed at least $75/month (2-year contract minimums: $40 voice, $30 data, $5 mms). That’s plenty of coin to retire the subsidy.

Moreover, given all the congestion on AT&T’s network they should be worrying about delivering on their promises rather than undermining subscriber options.

I am this { } close to finally jailbreaking. This just might be what puts me over the edge!

This is terrible to hear. Apple has lost my support. To retaliate, I will be streaming music to my phone so there is constant data going to my phone. Let’s see how much unlimited really is.

Crap. I check your site every 3-4 days for news hoping to see that push is coming. Then I see this. I have been a long time Apple customer and now the give me (not to mention Sean) the shaft. Bad move Apple.

Yes please do release this as a Cydia Store app. And possibly add some form of notification service to it. The Backgrounder app should help get around the lack of connection to Google’s servers.