Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Updates to our Google Voice apps

blog.google

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 364 posts

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#41

Post by izacus »

27182818284 wrote: post #19

I like how this story has shot up immediately to the top of Hacker News. Google Voice is beloved by its users, but Google hasn't shown love for it for (as they point out) five years. I'm glad to see the update! So that's lovely, though overall the PMs and VPs need to reconcile all the apps with each other. A friend recently bought a Pixel Phone and was lost as to what to use. I mean, I can't blame him... * Phone's ge…

I don't understand what's there to be lost about? Those are separate chat services? Or is 2017 the year when understanding that e.g. Facebook Messenger, Duo (video chat), SMS and Hangouts are different services?

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#43

Post by JustSomeNobody »

sp332 wrote: post #20
JustSomeNobody wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity, why didn't you keep using it, but with Hangouts instead?

I thought Hangouts only got those features working with Google Voice numbers about a year ago?

Has it really only been that long ago? I honestly thought it was longer than that.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#44

Post by hackcrafter »

The killer feature I still keep Google Voice around for is transcription of voicemail sent to your inbox, even for direct calls to your cell (non GV #).

I stopped giving out my GV number, but you can set up your Verizon cell phone to use Google Voice as your voice mail service, and I love getting transcriptions to my email inbox of missed phone calls!

The app update is welcome, as you still have to use the app to listen to the voice message on the rare occasion when the transcription didn't pick it up.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#45

Post by mrb »

nemesisj wrote: post #17

I've been a Google Voice user for 6-7 years. It became more important to me 5 years ago when I moved to the UK and ported my mobile number to GV. It's not been very pretty. We were thrown a lifeline with the Google Hangouts app taking over for the absolutely-awful Google Voice app. One of the most frustrating things about GV is that for certain SMS providers, it fails the "is this a USA number test" or "can we SMS to…

Not being able to text non-US phone numbers from Google Voice is my number one issue with the service.

Living in the US, when I receive an occasional text from my distant family members in Europe, I can't text a reply, I can't call right now (because of the timezone difference), and I can't email (some of them don't have email).

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#46

Post by bearcobra »

Anyone know of a decent self-hosted alternative? I ported my number to Voice after I moved from the states, but have been frustrated by the lack of support up until now. I tried running something similar with Twilio and openvbx, but that project seems to have been pretty much abandoned.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#47

Post by joshmn »

Google Voice has been a life saver to me in more ways than one.

I have Sprint, which integrates with Google Voice so I can use my Sprint number on Google Voice, with all my texts and all my calls sitting nicely in Google Voice. I have the Google Voice Chrome extension installed, which allows me to tell my girlfriend I'm still at work whenever she texts me, allowing me to maintain some sort of focus for the next 9 minutes until she texts me again.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#48

Post by colechristensen »

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.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#49

Post by tgb »

Just to add a counterpoint, I've been using Google Voice for, I think, 7 years. I've never had any issues with it and the lack of updates always felt like "don't fix what isn't broken." It's gotten slowly better and better with the Hangouts app. I never really needed anything more complicated than texts and voice, but the transcribed voicemail is a godsend.

Re: Updates to our Google Voice apps

#50

Post by codebook »

As a Fi user (and the number was used from Google Voice), still Fi/Google Voice has problem that the phone doesn't ring even the call goes to Voicemail. Phone has no 'missed call' and suddenly voicemail is received.

This issue has been addressed a few years ago but still they never give any option to extend ringing time. What a poor service.

Post reply on HN