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Is This Why Google Voice Can’t Make It On The iPhone?

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38bfc_GoogleVoicePreview1.jpg (JPEG Image, 500x360 pixels)I may be completely off base here, and if I am, I’m sure I’ll be corrected. That said, this post on jkOnTheRun rang some bells for me this morning. I didn’t realize that AT&T offered a voice mail transcription service for its customers. That feature of Google Voice is one of the selling points (even though the transcription sometimes fails in entertaining fashion.) Of course AT&T offers the feature for a non-inconsequential $9.99 a month fee.

Again, maybe I’ve missed this before, but in all the back and forth about Google Voice on the iPhone, including FCC involvement, this certainly strikes me as a possible reason that Google Voice is still verboten on the iPhone. Why give it away for free when you can score a sawbuck a month?

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Rob

    12/02/2009 at 7:16 am

    that can’t be it, Warner. You can get the Google Voice app on Blackberry’s, which are also on the AT&T network.

    • Warner Crocker

      12/02/2009 at 7:18 am

      Like I said, I may be wrong. But it sure sounds suspicious given that you can also do other things on the AT&T network on other platforms that you can’t do on the iPhone.

  2. GeoffreyM

    12/02/2009 at 7:17 am

    I have to wonder how many people are paying for it and whether the quality is any better than the Google Voice transcription. I continue to receive them from Voice, just for the entertainment value, and in the hope that a few words will give me enough of a gist of the message. Otherwise, I find it pretty bad.

  3. Sumocat

    12/02/2009 at 9:15 am

    The thing to remember when comparing iPhone services to BlackBerry services on AT&T is the exclusivity deal. For the iPhone, AT&T has exclusive rights to offer services, including voice mail. They don’t have such a deal for BlackBerry. Thus, they can block competing services on the iPhone but not BlackBerry. Also, Apple has to be mindful of such considerations, even if AT&T has not specified a service be blocked, or else risk a contract violation, especially since GV keeps adding features. Great potential for a large mess.

  4. Stuart

    12/02/2009 at 11:45 am

    I heard that AT&T service actually has real people in India transcribing some messages so it is not 100% software.

  5. Danny

    12/02/2009 at 12:29 pm

    Apple is, at least in large part, behind the google voice rejection. That was made clear to all but the mindless fanbois months ago.

  6. Clayton

    12/05/2009 at 9:24 am

    “even though the transcription sometimes fails in entertaining fashion.”

    Sometimes? Try 100% of the time, hehe. I get messages about steak hoagies climbing stairs when my grandmother just wants to know how I’m doing.

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