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Apple iPhone 3GS

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company said that it revised its Voice software so that consumers could access it through a smartphone's Web browser, unlike most iPhone apps that need to be downloaded and installed directly.

The new Web app allows customers to make cheap long-distance calls over the Internet, bypassing traditional cellular networks, and includes an alternative on-screen dialing pad and the ability to listen to voicemail from the browser.

In July, Google accused Apple of blocking its Google's Voice from being distributed through its app store, prompting the Federal Communications Commission to launch an inquiry into the matter.

Apple said it hasn't rejected the application outright, instead pushing the blame to AT&T -- the exclusive U.S. carrier of the iPhone -- by saying there was a provision in its agreement that obligated it to reject Internet calling programs originating or terminating from the carrier's cellular network.

AT&T denied taking a part in Apple's review of the Voice application.

The fighting over Google Voice underscores rising tensions between the two companies, due in part to competition in each other's markets. Earlier this month, Google started selling the Nexus One, its own smartphone, directly to consumers online.