Apple has yet to approve Google+ app

Erica Joy, a support technician at Google, has recently been reported posting this message on Google’s new social networking website, Google+. It reads, ”For my iPhone using friends: the Google+ iPhone app has been submitted to the App store (no not today, sometime prior to today) and is awaiting approval.” She later clarified that it was for iOS devices, and not limited to just the iPhone.

According to the BBC who quotes industry watchers, that in order for Google+ to succeed and possibly go up against Facebook and Twitter, they would need to reach as many users as possible, and one of those ways would be through mobile devices, which many users rely on in order to update Facebook statuses and send out tweets.

However, Apple has been known to be very strict with their app approval process and has blocked several Google apps in the past (Voice and Latitude), which means if the Google+ app for iOS devices fails to make the cut, users may find themselves forced to use the browser-based application instead, which may or may not provide the same experience as a native app would. It’s hard to tell who this decision might affect more, Google or their users?