And indeed the regulators came knocking. Following summer 2009 inquiries from the FCC and then a probe from the FTC in 2010, Apple was forced to back down on its ban on third-party app-authoring tools, and now on Google Voice.

Google Voice lets users route all of their phone calls through a Google number, giving them cheap overseas calls, text translation of voicemail, per-contact call-routing rules, phone recording and free text messaging, among other features. Unlike Skype’s VOIP application, Google Voice uses the traditional phone channel, not the data plan.

Google responded to the ban by developing an HTML5 web app, but that’s not as powerful as the new app. Google didn’t mention the kerfuffle in its announcement of the app Tuesday, instead highlighting the app’s features.

Google’s app is now live in the app store. Epicenter editor John Abell’s quick review: “It’s a really slick app.”

Meanwhile, somewhere in Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs is furiously taking scissors to his closet of turtlenecks in rage at the sullying of his baby, singing to himself, “While My iPhone Gently Weeps”.

Our advice: Baby, you’re a rich man, let it be.

Follow us for disruptive tech news: Ryan Singel and Epicenter on Twitter.

See Also:

• Did FTC Probe Cause Apple to Change App Rules?
• Google Voice App Rejection: AT&T Blames, Apple Denies, Google Hides
• The Empire Strikes Back: FCC Probes Google Voice
• Feds Want Apple and AT&T to Explain Google Voice Rejection
• Google Voice Web App Circumvents Apple’s Blockade
• Apple Rejects Google Voice App, Invites Regulation

Authors: Ryan Singel

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