The Google Voice rejection: What's needed now

I have been a very loyal Mac owner, Apple shareowner, and now iPhone developer since January 1984.

I am very disappointed with Apple's block of Google Voice on the iPhone, and similar applications. The various free Google apps are, more than anything else, what is driving iPhone sales.

If Apple does not swiftly reverse it's position, users will shift to Android, and be permanently lost to Apple.

Please change the policy right away!

Shhh, don't tell AT&T:
Fring actually works pretty great as a Google Voice app. It's weirdly involved to set up, but you can call directly and receive calls (and since Fring gets push notifications you can get "pushed"), even on an ipod touch.
The thing to do is
1. set up a Gizmo5 account (this will give you a SIP number)
2. hook up the gizmo5 account to your Google Voice account
3. create a SIP account in Fring (oh yeah, 2.5: download Fring to your iDevice)
your username is your SIP number (including the 1)
your password is your Gizmo5 password
the server is proxy01.sipphone.com
4. Don't tell AT&T

Yeah, I understand it sucks for people who are on networks overseas. I also think American networks need to loosen some restrictions, but they are unfortunately not to the point of being simply "dumb pipes" in how their service is set up. And the fact is, you have 100% choice whether or not you use their service, or sign a contract. You are contracted when you get that shiny new iPhone for $400 under the retail price...the retail price Apple sets and collects on. I guess I am just tired of everyone treating the iPhone like it is 1. a God given right to have one, 2. something other than a phone. It is great don't get me wrong, I have been paying full retail for mine since they started coming out. I am no longer under contract, nor will I be. I however find AT&T's service acceptable, and did not have my hopes up for applications like these to see the light of day.

I think the bigger problem here is how Apple chooses to Gestapo the app store. They could have been up front, and if they really were influenced by AT&T, it doesn't take much more than half a brain stem to realize the issue might come up. They also could run their business in a way that people overseas are not affected by restrictive U.S. based service providers. I think that Apple is responsible for following the terms of service for its U.S. partner (or partnerS in the future), but I do not think they have to make it so that everyone in the world has to be affected by it. European markets are built out and saturated (since they are generally much smaller...as I said before many countries would be like simply setting up service for a population and land mass the size of Minnesota). They are a few years ahead in terms of pricing and freedoms. But then again, many Europeans avoid 'tariffs' altogether by simply paying high prices for their handsets. Here, people would be outraged having to pay $700 for a phone, where it is normal over there. You can't have everything.

There was Voice Central (which probably does the same as Google Voice) which I downloaded immediately when I heard about it. I learned why this was important when the day after I D/L NetShare it was pulled from the US iTunes store (allows tethering over AT&T via WiFi.

As VC has been pulled, you can use GV Mobile (for Jailbroken phones) that seems to do the same thing.

I really like the feature that I can call someone with my iPhone (Boston area code) and it looks like I'm calling form DC!

I live overseas, so at the moment I´m not affected by Apple pulling / disapproving the apps. Still what I can´t cope with is their approach towards developers and their approval process. I refrained from programming for the iPhone OS platform early on, because of these reasons.

As long as most of the customers are happy and most developers develop unobstrusive stuff like games and even worse fart applications things will not change.

Since the T-Mobile here in Germany seems to be even worse then your AT&T network I´ll dump the iPhone ASAP for something Android.

I've said it before, and I will say it again...all of you need to actually read your terms or service. You know...all those things you signed or agreed to when you signed that contract for that $400 off the iPhone. Use of 3rd party voice applications over network... grounds for termination...not just on AT&T you say? All carriers have this in there? They just don't police what you install remotely you say?

It's a real shocker the phone company doesn't want you to cheat the system while still using the same amount of bandwidth/data.

Grow up.

As a Mac user who DOESN'T live in the US, this is pretty annoying considering that 3 (the iPhone provider in HK) and a lot of other providers would probably not have the same problems. (3 hypes the use of skype on their phones here).

So for iPhone users around the world (all of Europe, Korea, a lot of SE Asia) to be deprived of so many apps because of "duplicate functionality" and AT&T throwing its weight around is just damn absurd.

Yes the US Market will always be a big cash cow for Apple, but considering the global returns possible....

It jut doesn't make any sense to me.

If you think AT&T is bad, you will really be screwed if the government gets involved. The iPhone cost will go up even more.

When babies can't get want they want, they go crying to mommy. In this case mommy is the government. I guess you prefer China's telecom set-up then.

If you don't like the app selection process, guess what? You don't have to buy an iPhone. Wow, that was easy. Tech people should stay away from business issues and economics and stick to that super cool hacking stuff.

I was happy to jailbreak my phone per Sean's blog post and download his app for free on cydia, then I donated to his paypal account. I am very disappointed in Apple's stance and the way they treat developers.

@rockstars ......your such a douche-bag.......