We all knew that an iOS app for Google+ was coming eventually, but no one has known if the app was still being built by Google or if it had been submitted to Apple for approval.  Now we know: it’s in Apple’s hands

.

Earlier today, Googler Erica Joy made it very clear in a post on Google+:

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.

No telling when it might arrive, but I’d expect it within a week or two.  Of course, this helps to showcase a major downside to Apple’s app approval process — the Android app has already been updated twice with minor bug fixes, and it’s only been out a few days.  If there are any bugs in the iOS app, it’ll take weeks to get the bug fixes approved for the app store.

There’s the added advantage of Android having the auto-upload option for photos, which can be quite awesome — and Apple will almost certainly deny for the iOS app.  For example, I shot a handful of photos at my daughter’s birthday party yesterday.  While we continued to play, the photos silently uploaded in the background.  When we settled down after eating cake, I was able to create an album for them on my phone and show them off in a matter of seconds.  It’s brilliant!

It’ll be interesting to see what features are included when it’s finally released.