A third-party Google Voice application is now available on the App Store following an update to Apple’s application approval procedures last week.
The new app, called GV Connect, is now available, while another developer, Sean Kovacs, has said on Twitter Apple will restore his GV Mobile app to the store shortly.
The approvals come over a year after Apple removed all Google Voice-related apps from the App Store, sparking controversy within the app community. After Apple removed the official Google Voice app, it resulted in an investigation from official regulators to determine if there was any anti-competitive behaviour occurring.
Google Voice is a service that allows users to replace all their phone numbers with a single number. Users can then control their contacts and other messaging features through a connected online service.
The apps were originally removed from the App Store for being too similar to the iPhone’s native voice systems.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
