Google has blown the lid on the spat over Apple’s supposed rejection of Google Voice. The company contradicted Apple’s claim that it had not actually rejected the application in an FCC filing today.
In a letter made fully public for the first time, Google said that Apple rejected the app because it did not want applications that “duplicated the core dialer functionality of the iPhone.”
Apple had previously denied rejecting Google Voice, instead telling the FCC it was still considering the application..
The letter disclosed a July 7 phone conversation between Apple executive Phil Schiller and Google’s Alan Eustace, during which the Apple exec told Eustance that Apple was rejecting the Google Voice application.
Google Voice allows subscribers to use a new phone number to route incoming phone calls to handsets or landline phones. It also allows users to place calls within the app, and includes low rates for international phone calls.
In the letter, Google also released some details of Apple’s rejection of Google Latitude. The presence-sensitive application allows subscribers to share their location information.
According to Google, Apple rejected the app because it had the potential to replace the iPhone’s reloaded maps application, confuse users and offer new features not present on the preloaded maps application. Similar to its reasoning for rejecting the Google Voice app, Apple said it did not want applications that could replace the iPhone’s existing functionalities.
After Google released the letter, Apple released this statement: “We do not agree with all of the statements made by Google in their FCC letter. Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application and we continue to discuss it with Google.”
Google and Apple are becoming increasingly competitive. Aside from the app spat, Google’s Android operating system is gaining steady ground with handset manufactures and the development of its Chrome operating system for computers is already generating a good deal of buzz.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt resigned from Apple’s board of directors in early August. Apple said the two companies businesses were beginning to overlap, limiting Schmidt’s effectiveness on the board.
