Google Denies Blocking Skype on Android Devices

Google on Friday denied that it is blocking VoIP services like Skype on Android devices, and said that full-featured VoIP apps are not available on Android phones only because developers have not yet created them.

The statement came after USA Today published an article that said Google does not allow a full Skype VoIP app on Android devices. The paper accused Google of blaming T-Mobile, which provides service for Android phones, for blocking Skype and only allowing Skype Lite, a version of the service that runs over traditional phone networks, not the Web.

T-Mobile told USA Today that it did not ask Google to block VoIP services.

At this point, Google does not have a full-featured version of Skype for Android handsets, but Google said Friday that this was not because the search engine giant had blocked VoIP apps.

"While the first generation of our Android software did not support full-featured VoIP applications due to technology limitations, we have worked through those limitations in subsequent versions of Android, and developers are now able to build and upload VoIP services," Andy Rubin, vice president of mobile platforms at Google, wrote in a blog post.

USA Today, however, is "wrong" to suggest that Google blamed T-Mobile for the lack of a full Skype app on Android, Rubin said.

"As we told USA Today earlier in the week Google did not reject an application from Skype or from any other company that provides VoIP services," he wrote. "To suggest otherwise is false."

Why are there no complete VoIP apps for Android? No one has created one, Rubin said.

"At this point no software developer – including Skype – has implemented a complete VoIP application for Android," he said. "But we're excited to see – and use – these applications when they're submitted, because they often provide more choice and options for users."

Rubin closed by saying that Google looks forward to when consumers "can access any applications, including VoIP apps, from any devices, on any networks."

Skype confirmed that it developed Skype Lite because Android did not support a full-featured version of the VoIP service.

"It is our point of view that consumers benefit most when software companies such as Skype, operating systems such as Android, and wireless operators collaborate to deliver a complete mobile Internet experience," a Skype spokesman said in an e-mail.

"Today in the Android Market there are Skype and other VoIP-related applications available for download by T-Mobile customers with Android-based handsets," T-Mobile said in a statement.

Friday is also the deadline for Google, AT&T, and Apple to submit their responses to an Federal Communications Commission inquiry surrounding Google Voice. Late last month, the FCC penned letters to the three companies requesting detailed information about why Apple blocked several Google Voice-related apps from the iPhone as well as data about the companies' roles in approving apps.

Those filings are expected to be made public this afternoon. Check back later on PCMag.com for all the details. (UPDATE: ).

Additional reporting by Sascha Segan

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 3:45 pm Eastern time with comment from T-Mobile.