Tag: Google Voice

Posted on

Hello Google Voice, How Are You?

Google I/O keynote is set to begin at at 9:00 AM PDT on June 25, 2014. Most likely there will be mentions of Google Glass, Android TV and the next Android OS. One thing that I personally am interested in is Google Voice.

Google Voice seems to have become a forgotten product as part of its features were integrated into Hangouts for Android and iOS, separately. Google Hangouts for iOS gained the ability to make phone calls while its Android counterpart gained the SMS and MMS integrations.

Google Voice on iPhone 5s

Google Voice App for iOS was last updated on September 25. 2013.

Google Voice iOS App Update History

There have been speculations on what Google would do with Voice.

Nikhyl Singhal:

  • Finally, we want to make Google Voice as secure as possible. There are a few third-party applications that provide calling and SMS services by making unauthorized use of Google Voice. These apps violate our Terms of Service and pose a threat to your security, so we’re notifying these app developers that they must stop making unauthorized use of Google Voice to run their services and transition users by May 15, 2014.

Many speculates that Google will kill Voice as a product. We all soon find out what Google will do at Google I/O 2014.

I use Google Voice number for work, that means I need to port that number out should Google kill Voice.

Posted on

Google Hangouts 2.0 for iOS

Google releases Hangouts 2.0 for iOS.

What’s New in Version 2.0.0

  • Fully-optimized for the iPad, including picture-in-picture video calling
  • Animated stickers that help you share exactly how you’re feeling
  • Record and send video messages up to 10 seconds long
  • Send a map of your current location
  • Optimized for iOS 7

Google Hangouts 2.0

Google Hangouts paired with Google Voice on iOS devices make one great VoIP phone.

As of this writing, Google Hangouts on Android still doesn’t allow users to make phone calls.

Posted on

Four months on, Google+ Hangouts for iOS is still better than its Android counterpart.

Google+ Hangouts for iOS gained Google Voice integration back on October 18, 2013 while its Android counterpart is still without this feature.

Google Hangouts Phone Dialer on iPhone 5s

This sure infuriated some hardcore Android users; their comments unintentionally become comedy gold.

According to Nikhyl Singhal, a Google Employee:

  •  Finally, we want to make Google Voice as secure as possible. There are a few third-party applications that provide calling and SMS services by making unauthorized use of Google Voice. These apps violate our Terms of Service and pose a threat to your security, so we’re notifying these app developers that they must stop making unauthorized use of Google Voice to run their services and transition users by May 15, 2014.

Reading between the lines, there seems to be an inherent security issue in Android Platform and/or Google Voice. If not, Google would have already deployed Google Voice integration within Hangouts for Android.

I want Google Voice integration within Hangouts on my Nexus 4; and so does my colleague with his Nexus 5. I guess we all still have to wait.

IMG_0017

Posted on

Google Service Outages, Friday, January 24, 2014.

Earlier today I was having trouble making calls using Google Voice via Hangouts. Once I arrived at the office, some colleagues complaint that Gmail was down. It turns out Google did have service outages.

I (proudly and foolishly) rely on Google Voice to do my job. Days like these would certainly grant me extra hours of slacking.

Google-Apps-Status-20140124

Coincidentally (and ironically), Google’s Reliability Team was doing Reddit AMA right before the outages happened.

Posted on

Google Hangouts for iOS, Lego Ninja and Bakeneko

Ir’s Saturday and everyone are too lazy to write a word or two about Tech. Despite the fact that Google updated Hangouts for iOS with Google Voice support is a worthy news.

What’s New in Version 1.3.0

  • See which of your friends is using Hangouts, and who can be reached right now
  • Call phone numbers from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch (free to the US and Canada)
  • Make and receive calls using your Google Voice number
  • Send and receive animated GIFs that play inline
  • Hangouts will temporarily turn down your music (instead of stopping it) when you receive an incoming message

At this time, I am still unable to receive calls on my Google Voice number using Hangouts.

Here’s a Lego Ninja and his Bakeneko.

Lego Ninja and Bakeneko