Google removes Visual VoiceMail from Android market, presumably over payment issues

In a move that reminds us of Apple's recent actions, Google has yanked PhoneFusion's popular Visual VoiceMail app from its Android Market. Google's reason for removing the app, which has nearly 1 million downloads? According to a PhoneFusion representative quoted by GigaOm, Google appears to feel that the application violates section 3.3 of the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement, which pertains to use of Google's payment processing system.

PhoneFusion's application is free to users, but the company makes its revenue by up-selling premium services, such as voicemail transcription. It accepts payment for these upgrades through its own website, just as Amazon does with books purchased for its Kindle application.

PhoneFusion says that Google has not been specific in what it needs to do to get the application back into the Market. The company says that they've simply been told to upload it again - as a new app. Doing so would mean that the company would lose its 20,000 comments and its very positive ratings, as well as its Visual VoiceMail name.

PhoneFusion claims that it receive no warning from Google, and has yet to receive a specific reason for Google's actions.