att posts

Google answers to FCC, (mostly) stops blocking numbers in Voice

by Jay Hathaway Oct 29th 2009

Looks like Apple's not the only one drawing the ire of the FCC when it comes to Google Voice. AT&T filed a complaint with the FCC, forcing Google to explain why it was blocking a bunch of rural phone numbers from its Voice system. Google's answer? Because it's really expensive!

Telephone providers are common carriers, and they're required to provide access to some phone exchanges out in the middle of nowhere. That's extremely costly to do, compared to providing the same service in a large, dense city. Google was hoping to get around paying the additional costs, so they blocked some of these more expensive numbers. While still arguing that they shouldn't have to provide service, Google just told the FCC that it's now blocking "fewer than 100 numbers" in total.

[via Engadget]

Tags: att, blocked numbers, BlockedNumbers, fcc, google voice, GoogleVoice

Filed under: Apple, Social Software, iPhone

MMS finally arrives on the iPhone for AT&T customers

by Jay Hathaway Sep 25th 2009

For American iPhone users, today is a pretty big day. AT&T customers should now have MMS (also commonly known as picture messaging) on their iPhones. Update your carrier settings by clicking on your phone in iTunes and going to "Check for Update." Then, to make sure MMS has been enabled for you, go to Settings -> Messages. You should see an option to turn MMS on. Now, whenever you're sending a text message, you'll see a camera icon you can tap to attach a photo.

Other smartphone users have mocked the iPhone's lack of MMS, pointing out that the feature has been almost universally available for years, even on old flip phones. It's not as if the iPhone is making a big leap forward today: it's just catching up. This is probably less Apple's fault than AT&T's, though. International iPhone users have had MMS for a while now, and AT&T delayed rolling it out because the necessary infrastructure wasn't ready. This is a big win for iPhone users, but it's also a bitter reminder that AT&T is still their only choice of carrier in the US.

Tags: att, iphone, mms, picture messaging, PictureMessaging

Filed under: News, Apple, iPhone, Mobile

AT&T: iPhone software update with MMS coming Sept. 25

by Jay Hathaway Sep 4th 2009

The most embarrassing thing about having an iPhone is its lack of multimedia messaging. MMS is a feature that even old-school candybar "dumbphones" have had for years, and this supposedly cool, revolutionary device has been around for years without supporting it. Well, that's about to change. On Sept. 25, Apple will release a software update (presumably iPhone OS 3.1) that will enable MMS, according to AT&T.

The phone company goes on to explain that they've been building out the network infrastructure that well be necessary to handle the unprecedented levels of data transfer they expect MMS to bring with it. iPhone users will believe that when they see, as AT&T has historically caught a lot of flack for providing inadequate service for the iPhone. In fact, a recent piece in Time magazine points out the carrier's deficiencies. Given all that, as an iPhone owner, I'm cautiously excited to start using MMS later this month.

Tags: att, iphone, messaging, mms, multimedia messaging, MultimediaMessaging

Filed under: Business, News, Apple, Google, iPhone

Apple responds to FCC inquiry about Google Voice rejection

by Jay Hathaway Aug 22nd 2009

After Apple decided not to allow Google's phone app, Google Voice, into its application store, the FCC opened an inquiry into Apple's reasons for rejecting Google Voice, and its notoriously inconsistent app store approval policies. Now, Apple has not only responded to the FCC's questions, but publicly released the response on its website. Here are some of the highlights:

Apple claims it didn't reject Google Voice, but continues to study it. The semantic distinction between "rejected" and "not approved" doesn't offer much comfort to Google Voice users who would really like an easy way to use the service from their phones."
The reason Google Voice hasn't been approved (yet?) is that "it appears to alter the iPhone's distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail."
AT&T was not at all involved in the decision not to approve Google Voice, Apple says: "Apple is acting alone and has not consulted with AT&T about whether or not to approve the Google Voice application. No contractual conditions or non-contractual understandings with AT&T have been a factor in Apple's decision-making process in this matter."

Although Google Voice isn't a voice-over-IP app, the FCC also asked Apple some questions about those. Apple answered that it does have an agreement with AT&T not to allow apps that can originate VOIP calls using AT&T's network. Apple also appears to be worried that the Google Voice app passed users' contacts from the iPhone's Address Book to Google's servers without alerting users, but I can't imagine too many people who would sign up for a service like Google voice would be worried about that.

The inquiry is still in its early stages, and it's too early to make a good prediction about what will happen. So far, I agree with Daring Fireball's read on the situation: Apple's decision seems to be all about its competitive relationship with Google and maintaining control over the phone experience on its own device.

Tags: apple, ATT, FCC, google, google-voice, inquiry, investigation, iphone

Filed under: Business, News, Apple, Google, VoIP

FCC demands details from Apple about Google Voice rejection

by Jay Hathaway Aug 3rd 2009

The FCC sent inquiry letters to Apple, AT&T and Google as part of an investigation into the rejection of Google Voice from Apple's App Store. The rejection was one of the now-typical "duplicates the functionality of one of Apple's apps" affairs, and the FCC is pressing for details on how Apple's seemingly inconsistent approval process actually works. Was Apple moving at the behest of AT&T to get rid of an app that might cut into the phone company's profits? Our sister site, TUAW, has the details on the questions each player was asked.

For Apple: What are the actual rules for app approval? Why was Google Voice rejected? Have any VoIP apps been accepted to the store? (TUAW points out that this question seems misplaced, because Voice is not a VoIP application.) Was AT&T consulted on the decision to reject Google Voice?

For Google: Have other Google apps been accepted to Apple's store? What's the approval process for Google's own Android app store? Are there other ways Google Voice might work on the iPhone without the app?

For AT&T: Did AT&T have anything to do with the rejection of Google Voice? Are any VoIP applications running on AT&T's network? What role does AT&T have in approving 3G-enable applications?

The companies have until August 21 to respond to these questions, and the answers should be quite revealing. It's funny that it might take an FCC inquiry to get to the bottom of Apple's mysterious, fickle-seemingly app store policies. iPhone developers will be watching closely.

Tags: app-store, apple, att, fcc, google-voice, iphone, rejection

Filed under: Apple, Google, VoIP, iPhone

Apple pulls Google Voice apps from the App Store

by Brad Linder Jul 28th 2009

Apple doesn't particularly like it when developer release applications that compete directly with Apple's iPhone software. That's why you won't find any full featured web browsers in the App Store. And apparently it's why you also won't find any mobile apps for using Google Voice.

Of course, up until recently, there was an unofficial Google Voice app called GV Mobile that let you make and receive calls and access your Google Voice voicemail. But the developer says his app was removed, and Apple says it's because it duplicates features that come with the iPhone. Apparently Google ran into the same problem when the company tried to submit an official Google Voice application to Apple 6 weeks ago. TechCrunch reports that the app was rejected.

It makes sense for Apple to block a program like Google Voice, but not because it competes with Apple's software. Instead, Google Voice essentially lets users get around some of AT&T's fees by sending free text messages and making cheap phone calls, even to international locations.

But at a time when Google is releasing Google Voice apps for BlackBerry, Android, and other other platforms, does Apple really want to be the holdout here? Especially since Apple has already approved a Skype application, which also duplicates some of the iPhone's native features while letting users send messages and make phone calls without paying additional fees to AT&T.

[via TUAW]

Tags: app-store, apple, att, google-voice, gv-mobile

Filed under: Business, Design, Internet, Apple, Analysis

AT&T Wireless drops iPhone from main page

by David Chartier Jul 31st 2007

[Update: As readers are pointing out, the iPhone is appearing in various other, though sometimes obscure, areas of AT&T's site. We stated in our post that this could simply be nothing, so that fact should probably be reiterated given that this does seem to be a false alarm. Guess the version of the site in our screenshot could have easily been a fluke, capped in the middle of a redesign or who knows what else. Thanks for keeping us on our game everyone, as for now, there doesn't seem to be anything else to see here. Let's all move along.]

Rumors that Apple is wearing the pants a little too often in their iPhone relationship with AT&T have received a boost, now that the wireless carrier seems to have stopped promoting the pricey phone on their main page barely a month after its June 29th launch. While we know that Apple negotiated an unprecedented deal for a percentage of every iPhone customer's monthly contract, many suspect AT&T is becoming less and less happy with the rest of Apple's plans. Note, for example, the iPhone's lack of any integration with AT&T's profitable video, audio and ringtone offerings - all things that Apple either sells through their iTunes Store right now or, in the case of ringtones, is widely expected to with a future software update. The more software and media-based services Apple prepares to unleash, the more monthly, revolving revenue passes by AT&T's bottom line.

Of course, another possibility here is that the iPhone has received all the promotion it needs from AT&T. The device has arguably succeeded in Apple's marketing efforts to get it inserted into all the major media hubs, from the Today Show to Steven Colbert. Still, after adorning the pages of Cingular-turned-AT&T during the six month period since its announcement in January of this year, the iPhone's sudden disappearance from the main page and even the phone-specific page is raising our eyebrows.

Tags: apple, att, iphone, ringtones, sales, software, wireless

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