US authorities investigate Apple’s rejection of Google Voice iPhone app

The controversy surrounding Apple’s decision to reject a Google Voice iPhone app is increasing, with the US Federal Communications Commission now investigating the matter.

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement that letters have been sent to Google, Apple and iPhone telco provider AT&T about the rejection of the app, with the information to be handed in no later than close of business on 21 August 2009.

“The Federal Communications Commission has a mission to foster a competitive wireless marketplace, protect and empower consumers, and promote innovation and investment,” Genachowski said in a statement.

He also said the letters have been sent in order to obtain “the facts and data necessary to make the best policy decisions on behalf of the American people”.

The investigation was sparked by news that Apple had rejected a Google Voice iPhone app from release, as well as removing all third-party Google Voice-enabled applications from the App Store.

A wave of protest has spread across the internet, with angry iPhone users demanding an explanation for the removal of apps that were once available to all users. A lucky few managed to download the third-party apps before they were removed, but most iPhone customers have missed out.

Google Voice is an internet telephone service that provides users with a single telephone number for all their devices. The service then allows users to determine which contacts can call which numbers at certain times, as well as enabling users to send text messages via a PC and have voicemail transcribed into text.

But the blame for the app’s rejection has been moved from company to company, as Apple said it rejected the app due to features that duplicated services provided by AT&T, the iPhone’s exclusive carrier in the US.

But tech industry analysts have pointed out this rejection as contradicting a report from Google Voice developer Sean Kovacs, who wrote on his blog and Twitter feed that the app was personally approved by Apple senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller.

Additionally, AT&T has rejected blame for the removal of the app, with the company telling prominent tech blog TechCrunch that “Apple is the one who can talk about their App Store”.

AT&T president of emerging devices and resale, Glenn Lurie, also responded to the site’s inquiries saying that “AT&T does not manage the App Store – and we are not involved in the approval process for apps in the App Store”.

The FCC is looking to clear up the conflicting reports, and has requested information about whether Apple and AT&T consulted together before the application was rejected.

It has also asked Apple about its application approval procedures, including what criteria by which the company judges applications and what percentage of apps are ultimately rejected from sale.