Google Voice-enabled apps coming back to App Store - report

Sean Kovacs, the developer behind the GV Mobile app, posted the news on Twitter Thursday. The resubmission process may take as long as a week, said Kovacs.

Apple announced Thursday that it had was making "important changes" to its iOS Developer Program license. In response to criticism about the openness and lack of transparency of the App Store, Apple also released the company's App Store Review Guidelines.

Kovacs posted a Twitter message Thursday speculating that GV Mobile complied with the changes to the license. "Since GV Mobile complies with all 110+ guidelines newly posted by Apple, it should get approved?"

Several hours later, Kovacs received "confirmation back from Apple that it will most likely get back in" once he resubmits the app.

Google Voice has been the cause of no small amount of controversy for Apple and the App Store. In July of last year, Apple removed third-party Google Voice-enabled apps, including GV Mobile, from the App Store. Kovacs was later contacted by an Apple representative, but was given few details about the takedown. He responded by moving the app to Cydia, an alternative app store for jailbroken devices.

The app removals by Apple prompted an investigation by the FCC. A 'he said, she said' debate ensued, with Google claiming that Apple had rejected its Google Voice app, and Apple claiming that the app was still "under review."

In a filing with the FCC, Apple said it had not consulted with AT&T in reviewing the Google Voice app. Apple took issue with Google Voice because it "replaced the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail" and uploaded the user's contacts to Google servers.