Last week, media channels were buzzing with news of T-Mobile’s (News - Alert) new free Facebook calling service, but today, reports are circulating that the VoIP application has been temporarily suspended.

The VoIP app, referred to as Bobsled, has been pulled only days after it was released last week on April 19, due to objections made by Facebook (News - Alert) concerning the application’s design.  

Bobsled allows Facebook users to make and receive free voice calls to their friends using the application, with no download necessary. Using the voice service, members can also record and post voice messages to their friends Facebook walls.

According to one claim from PC Mag, questions have risen about the free voice chat service since it was developed to look like an app created directly by Facebook. The voice service is offered by T-Mobile and Facebook wants that to be clear.

T-Mobile has since suspended Bobsled, working together with Facebook to address the design elements of the application. On Sunday, T-Mobile posted an update on its Facebook page about the sudden suspension of the VoIP service.

“We are voluntarily and temporarily suspending the Bobsled service as we work with our partners at Facebook to address their design questions, including working to ensure that the Bobsled experience is clearly differentiated and is not mistaken for a Facebook created property. We apologize to our customers for this temporary disruption in service.”

PC Mag noted that a Facebook representative confirmed that the app has been removed, and indicated that it violated Facebook policies.

“We can't share details on specific issues, but regularly work with developers and partners on compliance issues,” a Facebook representative said in an email. “In many cases, this involves working with the application provider on minor adjustments, but when there is a security issue or policy violation that could impact users, we take immediate steps to suspend the application until we have investigated the issue.”

Stefanie Mosca is a Web editor for TMCnet. Previously she worked as a freelance copy editor for Digital Surgeons LLC. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of New Haven. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell