After May, will Google Voice #s be unusable on Windows Phone?

[Red Storm]

Inquiring minds want to know...

 

[cronos]

I don't even know that it is usable now. Is there an app for it?

 

[Red Storm]

There are 3rd party apps, but after May these should be losing access to Google Voice. Android and iOS are fine because they have official Hangouts/Voice apps, but Windows Phone does not. So I just wanted to confirm if this means that those of us using Google Voice numbers will be unable to do so on Windows Phone?

 

[cronos]

It should depend on how these third party apps work. If it's pure VoIP like GrooveIP, etc. then it's going to stop working. But if it works like the GV app for Android, then there's no reason why it wouldn't work anymore.

 

[RockinZ28]

Anyone know what app I may be able to use to continue to make free calls with data? I have a conference call for work M-F thats usually ~15 minutes. Use Talkatone to do it without using minutes. Haven't updated to their new version that charges you, but as I understand it it won't work with GV shortly. Have a 700 minute plan with my wife, and this conference call would eat about half my minutes alone.

 

[Fox5]

Anyone know what app I may be able to use to continue to make free calls with data? I have a conference call for work M-F thats usually ~15 minutes. Use Talkatone to do it without using minutes. Haven't updated to their new version that charges you, but as I understand it it won't work with GV shortly. Have a 700 minute plan with my wife, and this conference call would eat about half my minutes alone.

You could call from a PC using Google Hangouts.

Alternatively, Skype is really cheap and has a Windows Phone app.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I use Windows Phone and have a GV number (got the GV number before switching to WP; I would never have bothered otherwise).

It depends on what you're doing. Call forwarding? Doesn't matter. Someone calls your GV number, it will forward to any phone number, be it a smartphone, dumbphone, landline, Windows phone, anything.

The problem is third party apps. I use a WP app called Metrotalk, a GV app. It has an option that allows you to place calls using your GV number. It still uses cell minutes, but it works just like Google Voice on an Android phone. Is that feature going away? I think it will be but I'm not sure.

The other problem is texting. It seems as though third party GV apps (like Metrotalk) will no longer support outgoing and incoming text messages. There are some kludges you can use to get around this - GV does have a mobile site that is usable in the WP browser, and you can set up GV to forward your incoming GV text messages via email or text. Of course, if you have it forward the message via text, that kind of defeats the purpose of using GV to skirt around having to pay for a texting plan. But most people do have unlimited or near-unlimited texting so it's not a huge deal.

This also bugs me because my wife uses a third-party GV app on her iPad called Talkatone that allows her to make free phone calls over wifi using her GV number. That'll stop working this month as well. I'm not sure if the official iPad GV app lets her do that.

 

[ponyo]

AstroManLuca, your wife can use the Google Hangout app on her iPad to make phone calls. Google enabled phone calls on iOS Google Hangout last year. It uses VOIP and is completely free. I haven't tried it since it requires Google+ which I'm not willing to use but it should work.

 

[notposting]

Supposedly all third party GV apps/devices will be crapping the bed this month. Even the Obihai's are as well. I've been using MetroTalk on WP to supplement my 250 texts per month on Verizon but that will be gone after this. Will let the number expire from lack of use after that.

Google, roping everyone in with open protocols, then changing to closed proprietary ones.

 

[AstroManLuca]

AstroManLuca, your wife can use the Google Hangout app on her iPad to make phone calls. Google enabled phone calls on iOS Google Hangout last year. It uses VOIP and is completely free. I haven't tried it since it requires Google+ which I'm not willing to use but it should work.

I'll let her know. We're on pay-per-use for both talk and text so anything to reduce the number of minutes we use is helpful. I don't use the iPad much so I'm not aware of all the apps and features.

Really pisses me off that Google is basically leaving WP users without any options at all short of using their mobile website. At this point I'm surprised they even allow Windows phones to access Gmail or use any Google services at all.

 

[KeithP]

From my experience using an Android phone (HTC DNA) I would say Google Voice is quickly becoming unusable everywhere and it has nothing to do with app availability.

-KeithP

 

[ponyo]

From my experience using an Android phone (HTC DNA) I would say Google Voice is quickly becoming unusable everywhere and it has nothing to do with app availability.

-KeithP

Explain? Seems fine to me on both Android and iOS. I've been using it for years as my primary number, voicemail, texting, and international calls. No complaint from me.

 

[cronos]

From my experience using an Android phone (HTC DNA) I would say Google Voice is quickly becoming unusable everywhere and it has nothing to do with app availability.

-KeithP

Not sure what you're talking about. My wife and I both use Google Voice on our Android phones and never had a problem.

 

[s44]

Well, texting intents don't seem to work with GV since KitKat, but that's about it.

 

[boneycat]

I'm following this pretty closely myself being a WP user. I use my gv number a lot. If I understand correctly google is closing down their xmpp server which deals specifically with SMS. So while I'm optimistic metrotalk could still function as a pure voice only app, we may lose messaging. Can anyone clarify xmpp for me?

 

[Red Storm]

If it's just messaging that is lost, that's not as big of a deal as you can either forward to email or check them via the browser. My main concern is making outgoing calls using your Google Voice number.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

My understanding is this is pretty much the apocalypse for everything Google Voice outside of Hangouts or using a PC as things stand right now post 5/15.

 

[RockinZ28]

AstroManLuca, your wife can use the Google Hangout app on her iPad to make phone calls. Google enabled phone calls on iOS Google Hangout last year. It uses VOIP and is completely free. I haven't tried it since it requires Google+ which I'm not willing to use but it should work.

Da fuq? Is this on Android?

I just need to be able to make outgoing calls, don't care if it's with my GV# or whatever. I have unlimited data, 700 shared minutes, and all texts blocked/disabled with Verizon, and text using GV. I have no home internet, LTE is faster and cheaper than all other options.

I use my personal phone for work, get a $50 reimbursement for it. So I need something that uses data to call regular phone numbers.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

That hasn't been integrated into the Android Hangouts yet. Which is stupid.

 

[ponyo]

Da fuq? Is this on Android?

I just need to be able to make outgoing calls, don't care if it's with my GV# or whatever. I have unlimited data, 700 shared minutes, and all texts blocked/disabled with Verizon, and text using GV. I have no home internet, LTE is faster and cheaper than all other options.

I use my personal phone for work, get a $50 reimbursement for it. So I need something that uses data to call regular phone numbers.

I don't think Google has enabled it on Android Google Hangout. Meanwhile, it's been available on iOS Google Hangout since last year. Crazy isn't it? It's like iOS users get the best of both worlds. Exclusive iOS features and apps from Apple and all the best and support from Google. Meanwhile, Google completely ignores the Windows Phone and pretty much anything Microsoft.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

There was some talk that this whole mess originated from MS not giving Google access to something of theirs akin to xmpp and Google taking their ball and going home.

 

[RockinZ28]

WP I can understand not having the latest and greatest from google, but android? Really? Hopefully they'll add this the day this GV 3rd party support ends?

 

[cronos]

WP I can understand not having the latest and greatest from google, but android? Really? Hopefully they'll add this the day this GV 3rd party support ends?

Obviously Google is planning to roll everything into Hangouts, but for some reason it keeps getting delayed on Android. It is pretty bizarre that iOS gets it months ago but not Android.

If I had to guess I would say it will come on the next Android update (probably not 4.4.3, but the next one after that).

 

[boneycat]

I did read back in March of 2013 that they were consolidating everything into Hangouts. Not sure how this will affect GV. It's too bad really as I think GV is perfect just how it is.

 

[Chrono]

I currently use MetroTalk... which is an okay Google voice app for WP... it says support will discontinue at the end of the month... so I'm pretty sure that's the end of things for us. I have an Android handset (note 2) but I want to stick to my Lumia 925... I think the thing bout Windows Phone is the skype support is horrific.