Yesterday Apple removed both GV Mobile and VoiceCentral from the App Store. These two applications work on the iPhone to make using the free Google Voice service easier. Both programs allow users to seamlessly place and receive calls via Google Voice. They accomplish this in a way that makes your outgoing calls appear to come from your Google Voice account. In addition users were able to send and receive SMS text messages through Google Voice while avoiding the need to purchase a messaging package from AT&T. According to several online reports, Apple removed the application because it duplicated existing functionality. The GV Mobile application had been available since April 24, 2009 which seems to lend credibility to some theories that AT&T’s unhappiness with a program that made using their service cheaper could have been behind this sudden approval change.
