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Is Google Voice Doomed To Be 2nd-Class Messaging System?

Posted by timothy on from the works-for-me dept.

itwbennett writes "There's a lot to like about Google Voice, including 'voicemail transcriptions, the ability to send and receive unlimited text messages by phone or website, and recording incoming calls,' says Voice convert Kevin Purdy. But when it comes to app integration, Voice is falling short — even on Android phones: 'Most apps that do neat things with incoming texts, like read them out loud when you're driving, can't work with Voice. Tasker, a crazy, nerdy automation tool that can do things like turn your volume up when you get a text from your wife, can't work with Voice.... Online services that text you to verify or remind you are about 50/50.' Google employee Nikhyl Singhal wrote in a Google+ post that 'Hangouts is designed to be the future of Google Voice.' But what Voice users like Purdy are looking for is some sort of 'assurance that Google Voice can work just like any other text messaging system.'"

4 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. Saves me from having to buy cheap cellphones by mlts · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For Craigslist and other uses for a disposable number where I don't trust the other party, Google Voice is very handy. Just this use alone makes it worth having.

  2. Doesn't work outside of US by elh_inny · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Which means it's still very much a niche product.
    Once it works in Europe, China and India then we can talk about it having any signficant market share.
    Even if every single person in the US switched to Google Voice I think it would still be less users than Skype has already...

    1. Re:Doesn't work outside of US by Trimaxion · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yup. If you like Google Voice, don't upgrade to Hangouts yet. I did so a while ago, and admittedly, Hangouts is pretty cool, but it comes with a surprise: it takes away your ability to make outbound GV calls in the GMail interface. Fortunately there was an option to downgrade to the old chat interface.

      Engadget says that the phone calling feature will be returned in Hangouts 'soon'... http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/20/hangouts-upgrade-disables-outbound-google-voice-calls-in-desktop/

  3. Re:Google Voice is amazing by bitt3n · · Score: 5, Funny

    my favorite part of google voice is leaving a message for someone who uses it, and they read the transcript as "human-sized mango octopus glovebox get scammed by the hamburglar one sousaphone excoriated in the afterlife," and then they listen to the message to find out what I actually said, and they find out that's actually what I said.

    --
    how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?