Apple Pulling all Google Voice Apps

appleinsider is carrying a story stating that Apple is pulling all google voice related apps from the app store. First to go was Sean Kovac’s GVMobile, an app which has been around for months, which I managed to get a few weeks ago and is quite good. Next up was Voice Central, another google voice app. Third up was the denial of google’s official google voice app.

Apparently the reason is because AT&T has an issue with these apps duplicating features of the iPhone’s cellular features such as calling and SMS. Essentially AT&T wants people to use AT&T to make their long distance calls and not the cheaper google voice service. Apple has bowed to the cellular carriers’ wishes as to which apps to block, a la slingplayer

GV Mobile and Voice Central are definitely not in the Canadian app store right now, however TruPhone is still there. Fring is as well despite it replicating functionality too. This seems rather arbitrary and inconsistent.

What about iPod touch users? Could the makers of these apps not re-release the apps for the touch only?

Update: Apparently it WAS AT&T, at least according to John Gruber @ daringfireball