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Updates to our Google Voice apps

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Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#161

Post by fh973 »

nextos wrote: post #106
baggachipz wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was a die-hard Google user/fanboy until about a year and a half ago. I was a Fi user, Voice user (before Fi), Hangouts, Nexus buyer, you name it (I even had a Google TV and almost bought an OnHub). I bailed on it all when I realized that Google has absolutely no long-term vision or desire to support what they produce. I went to an iPhone and despite Apple's warts, it's a night-and-day experience. I'll never again t…

Frankly, I can't understand how Google is so chaotic. Perhaps it's the organization, which looks more like a conglomerate than a cohesive corporation with a clear vision. They release products, only to abandon many of them without a clear reason (like Google Talk). Or they release two products that should be one instead (Android & ChromeOS, or Allo & Duo). The Google Talk fiasco got me particularly disenchanted. A be…

It's the promotion system. People are incentivized to work 2y on a project, launch, get promoted, move on.

Coupled with no clear strategy other than "we need the next toothbrush" you get what you see.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#162

Post by st3v3r »

johansch wrote: post #82
fdsfsaa wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The specific root cause is Google's practice of promoting based on product launches; it literally doesn't matter whether that product goes on to be successful. This practice creates a strong and perverse incentive to continually launch new products while discouraging iterative development of existing products.

I've never worked at Google, but... didn't Larry Page announce a full-blown program to fight that like 3-4 years ago? Work on features/depth rather than new products?

He can launch programs all he wants, but unless that trickles down to management, and the incentives are aligned to at least reward iterative development as much as launching new products, it's not going to change anything.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#163

Post by mark212 »

colechristensen wrote: post #48
jitl wrote: post #14

I used to use my Google Voice number as my primary contact number, but when development of the product seemingly died for three years without addressing outstanding issues with group MMS or picture messages, I migrated back to my regular cell number. I've already told all my friends to forget my Google Voice number. I've changed my preferences in every service I use to contact my regular cell number. Now Google is so…

I'm assuming what happened is they used Google Voice to jumpstart Google Fi and left Voice around as a neglected old version which they actually kept supporting (whoo). Now Fi is settled they're turning their focus back to Voice.

no, they bought a company called Grand Central in 2007 and re-branded it as Voice. This was well before Fi. A couple of the key players from GC left to form Uber Conference in 2012 which was then rebranded as Dialpad with backing from Google Ventures.

http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/21/inventor-of-google-voice-n...

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#165

Post by losvedir »

knz wrote: post #124
hamandcheese wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Suppose we're using Facebook. How do I send a text? Messenger. How do I make a call? Messenger. How do I make a video call? Messenger. Try answering the same question using Google's services.

Doesn't Hangouts do all of the above? The icons in Gmail are video chat, add user, voice chat, and send SMS. Hangouts on my Nexus 6 has the same options. Imgur link to screenshot -> http://imgur.com/a/vTlqO

Hangouts does, but it's impossible to know if we're "supposed" to be using Hangouts. A year or so ago I received a pop-up in my Hangouts app that Google recommended I check out Messenger [0]. It also seems to be the currently recommended option [1] although I don't know why since, as you say, Hangouts can handle all those scenarios.

This has understandably led to no end of confusion among Fi/Voice users, including myself. [2][3][4][5]

[0] http://www.techtimes.com/articles/128591/20160129/google-ret...

[1] https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6062495?p=fi_tips&rd=1&...

[2] https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/project-fi/eg...

[3] https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/project-fi/04...

[4] https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/hangouts/AcKr...

[5] https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/project-fi/cB...

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#166

Post by ashark »

erikpukinskis wrote: post #121
nol13 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same gripe I've had on iOS past, could never figure out if my response was going to go over sms, imessage, or email, and if email which account, so I just avoid as much as possible, and don't setup additional accounts on my iOS devices or ones i set up. Mostly to avoid getting "why am i getting email responses to my text messages" questions etc. Not saying it's hard or complicated, just hard and complicated enough fo…

Apple doesn't care if you can communicate with non Apple users. They have their iMessage population hostage. Those people can never switch to Android because they'll be left out of group texts. It's vendor lock-in of the highest order. Spectacular play by Apple, really. They guarantee switching to Android is painful, you risk losing business deals and messages from friends. I doubt it's legal, but for now they are ge…

I've never had a problem with mixed Android/iOS group messages and media with iMessage. I've made no special effort to get it to work. It's seamless. Am I doing something wrong? Or right, rather?

Now, back when I used Android I remember Hangouts ruining everything it touched and I had to switch back to the deprecated Messages app (which was completely fine and did not need replacing) to fix it. Maybe the problem with the Android users on these group texts isn't on the iMessage side....

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#167

Post by blakesterz »

nextos wrote: post #106
baggachipz wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was a die-hard Google user/fanboy until about a year and a half ago. I was a Fi user, Voice user (before Fi), Hangouts, Nexus buyer, you name it (I even had a Google TV and almost bought an OnHub). I bailed on it all when I realized that Google has absolutely no long-term vision or desire to support what they produce. I went to an iPhone and despite Apple's warts, it's a night-and-day experience. I'll never again t…

Frankly, I can't understand how Google is so chaotic. Perhaps it's the organization, which looks more like a conglomerate than a cohesive corporation with a clear vision. They release products, only to abandon many of them without a clear reason (like Google Talk). Or they release two products that should be one instead (Android & ChromeOS, or Allo & Duo). The Google Talk fiasco got me particularly disenchanted. A be…

>> Frankly, I can't understand how Google is so chaotic.

I'd love an open and honest answer from someone up high in the org chart at Google on that. Better yet, just an acknowledgement of it and how they're going to stop doing this in the future. If they were a startup with 200 employees under the age of 30 I'd understand it, but they're obviously waaaaay beyond that stage.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#168

Post by slacka »

jitl wrote: post #14

I used to use my Google Voice number as my primary contact number, but when development of the product seemingly died for three years without addressing outstanding issues with group MMS or picture messages, I migrated back to my regular cell number. I've already told all my friends to forget my Google Voice number. I've changed my preferences in every service I use to contact my regular cell number. Now Google is so…

I have been using Google Voice/Hangouts for all my daily phone calls and SMS for 7 years now. Since switching from the Google Voice app to the Hangouts App, I have not had any major issues or complaints.

Did you you try the Google Hangouts App before ditching Google? I wonder if most of your problems stem from that.

EDIT: I just verified that I can sent/receive group MMS. It appears this feature has worked since at least 2014. Seems you missed the memo to migrated to Hangouts.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#169

Post by philip1209 »

beambot wrote: post #102
philip1209 wrote: post #6

As a current Fi user and former Voice user, I'm still unclear on the relationship between the two. Hangouts for Mac still rings when I get a phone call, but I can't answer the call.

Not sure if this is still the case... but Google Voice cannot forward calls to any Fi numbers. So if (for example) your business uses Google Voice to route calls for customer service, you will not be able to receive them. This was an unpleasant little "feature" when we made the switch to Fi.

Uber Eats thinks that my former Voice number (now Fi number) is not a real cell number, so it does not let me order. After repeated support tickets, they still assert that it's a virtual number and will not let me order.
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