Google Now iPhone app not submitted to Apple, despite Schmidt's comments

Maybe Google Now used Apple Maps to get to the App Store, because Apple said today that Google never submitted the intelligent personal assistant app to its online store.

A Google representative also told TechRadar, "Yes, I can confirm for you: We have not submitted Google Now to Apple's App Store," backing up the statement Apple sent to TechCrunch.

This flies in the face of comments made by Google Eric Schmidt, who seemed to lay the blame for Google Now's Android-only status at Apple's doorstep.

"You'll need to discuss that with Apple," said Schmidt at the Google Big Tent Summit in India.

Schmidt was responding a candid question from the moderator, who asked when he could get Google Now on his iPhone.

"Apple has a policy of approving or disapproving apps that are submitted into its store, and some of the apps we make they approve and some of them they don't," he said.

"They recently did approve Google Maps, thank goodness," said Schmidt to laughter and applause.

Not Google Now, but maybe Google later

Although both Apple and Google are denying that Google Now is in the App Store queue, the two companies have been in this position before.

Schmidt, in another discussion last October, said the decision for Google Maps coming to iOS would be in Apple's court.

"I don't want to pre-announce products," Schmidt said last October, "but I can tell you that were we to do that, [Apple] would also have to approve it."

"They haven't approved all of Google's offerings over the years."

Lo and behold, Google Maps came to the iPhone two months after Schmidt made those comments and it instantly became the No. 1 app in the App Store.

Google Now for iPhone app video

Could Schmidt's similar sounding remarks today be a prelude to Google Now being available for download in the iOS App Store in the future?

There is a well-put-together Google Now for iPhone and iPad app video that is suspected of being a leaked promotional video, though this is unconfirmed.

Either way, with Google Now threatening to move in on Siri's territory, it could force Apple to evolve Siri in iOS 7 before Google gives it a run for its robotic money.