It’s no secret that Apple has been very strict recently about it’s App Store. They have rejected many applications, especially ones that would hurt AT&T or their business.

GPush is a 3rd party application that allows Gmail to be pushed to your iPhone.  All you have to do is download the application and tell it your Gmail login credentials. It will then send you standard iPhone push notifications—badges, alerts, and/or sounds. The developers of this application—Tiverias Apps—submitted this application a month ago and it looked like Apple wasn’t going to accept it.

Today, the application was finally accepted but then quickly pulled from the store temporarily while they fix server issues. You should expect the application to go back up later today.

It is common for Apple to takes it’s time going through application submissions but it is rare for it to take a month, especially because Apple didn’t ask Tiverias to make any changes.

Knowing Apple, and their compulsive desire not to confuse customers, they were probably not going to original accept the application because they might have thought that it would confuse customers. They used this rational to justify their decision to force Google’s latitude to be a web application.

However, with all the pressure that has been places on Apple lately, including a pending investigation by the FCC, they have probably decided to go easy, which would explain the sudden acceptance into the App Store.

Here are a few screenshots:

Recieving an Alert

Entering Gmail Credentials

Push Notification Settings

I left this comment on Jason Kinclaid’s post on Tech Crunch: “FCC Takes On Apple And AT&T Over Google Voice Rejection.”

Thank goodness. It’s certainly time something of this manner occur. I don’t care exactly what the answers are, they just need to get their act together. It’s like Apple doesn’t even have any clearly defined guidelines anymore. Sure, Apple said up front (during the announcement of the iPhone) that there would be some applications that they wouldn’t accept. I just don’t think all of their rejections (especially this one) reflect what Steve Jobs said.

And AT&T. They seem to think that it’s acceptable to request Apple to remove applications from it’s app store solely because they don’t like them. After all, removing applications from the app store ultimately affects people that are in no way affiliated with AT&T. For example, people with other carriers or iPod Touch. In this case, this isn’t necessarily the case because Google Voice only works on phones (not iPods) and in America (so not on other carriers). But, it shows that the behavior has come to be considered acceptable by them. Like, for example, the SlingPlayer—an amazing app that let’s you watch your TV on your phone. Because of AT&T, Apple was forced to tell the developer to restrict 3G access. This ends up affected people of other carriers, in other countries.

Though, at the same time, we can’t put all the blame on AT&T. Perhaps, you can’t blame them for what could have just been a try. Apple could be the one who is at blame for giving into AT&T. We, as iPhone users, expect Apple to advocate for us. That is, after all, why we are iPhone users—we appreciate the significant quality difference over other devices which are strictly dictated by AT&T.

The significant quality difference if beginning to shrink, leaving previously pleased iPhone customers in a difficult place. Possibly deciding “to quit the iPhone” like Michael declared this morning.

So, I would think Apple would be a little bit more aggressive when fighting with AT&T. After all, they have nothing to lose.

So, hopefully, with the FCC’s assistance, something can finally happen for a change. Everyone here needs to learn that they don’t always get what they want and that they don’t always have to give others what they want.

Go FCC!