The latest version has some nice improvements but added some other issues. I like the ability to send photos and use emojis. I don’t like that it no longer recalls and suggests the numbers that you have sent texts to. Because I don’t link my iPhone contacts to it, If I delete a text string I now have to look up the number to start a new one. It should suggest numbers that have been used even if the archives are deleted and allow us to delete a suggestion we no longer need. The opposite is true for phone calls. It not only archives the phone numbers of calls you make but there is no way I have found to remove them from the archive. If these two issues were resolved I would rate it 5 stars. I'm updating my previous negative review to a positive 5 stars. Defects have been corrected and it is easier and more reliable to use. I especially like the ability to easily and permanently delete conversation and call history. Thank you Google !! Totally non functional for texts. Used the prior version all the time now there is no way to send a txt because the ">" that used to be there to send is missing. Also, after you enter the destination number you cannot get back to the message without starting over. This is a total train wreck. (Using iPhone 6s with latest iOS update).
Google Voice claims you can make and receive VOIP calls using WIFI and mobile data, provided you configure that you prefer this option versus using your mobile phone number. However whenever you are off WIFI and on mobile data, the app says your “Internet Connection is unstable” so it’s going to use your mobile phone number anyway as a fallback. I assure you my LTE service is excellent and I have no trouble with Zoom and Skype and WhatsApp video calls over LTE, so a voice only call on GV should be a piece of cake. By saying your “Internet Connection is unstable” Google is just making up an excuse for their app being broken. It’s actually Google’s app that is unstable. Too bad they killed making and receiving calls in Hangouts because that worked perfectly all the time. UPDATE: Lowering rating to 1 star. Google contacted me to say I should test my Internet bandwidth while on LTE. Obviously the developers didn’t read what I wrote above about other voice and videoconferencing applications working fine. They simply cannot believe they have a bug and they’re going to blame it on something else. What hubris! And by the way I see similar replies to other poor reviews of this App. Google, Ookla Speedtest shows 11 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up under the worst of circumstances. If that isn’t enough for a phone call, I don’t know what is.
I use Google Voice as a work number so I don’t have to give out my personal one. I love that it’s free and that I’m able to keep my work life and personal life separate. I also love that you can record as many voicemail messages as you want; when I’m out of the office, I just switch it to a different voicemail and I’m good to go. Having said that, there are a couple features I’d like to see/bugs that need fixing. I’d love to see more options for the display when someone is calling through Google Voice. As it stands, you can either have the name “Google Voice Call” scrolling on the screen without knowing who is calling, or you can “screen” the call so you know what number is calling, but you don’t know if it’s a Voice call or a normal call from your personal number until you answer and hear the “call from Google Voice” lady. Can there be a way to see that it’s a Voice call and also see who’s calling? I’d really like that feature. One of my biggest complaints is that do not disturb doesn’t seem to work. When I’m on vacation, I don’t want any work interruption whatsoever. I was visiting a childhood friend in another state and kept getting calls from clients despite do not disturb being on in the app. Texts, calls, voicemails, everything just kept popping up on my phone; it drove me nuts! Please fix this feature!
Love the App, But Contact Management Needs Work 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I'm really pleased with the Google Voice app overall; it's become a staple in my daily communications. The app's user-friendly interface and seamless integration with other Google services are major plus points. 👍 However, there's a significant drawback that needs attention. It's quite baffling that there isn't a dedicated Google app for managing Google Contacts. In an era where everything is app-centric, having to resort to the web to manage contacts feels archaic and counterintuitive. 🤔 As a Google Voice user, the inability to directly add, edit, or manage contacts within the app is quite frustrating. It's inconvenient to juggle between the app and the web, especially for tasks like adding photos or editing contact details. This limitation hinders the otherwise smooth experience of using a cloud-based service. I'm a big fan of Google's dynamic cloud-based applications, but this gap in contact management is a real letdown. Can we get an update or a new feature to streamline this process? It would make a world of difference to have an in-app solution for managing Google Contacts, aligning with the app's overall efficiency and user-centric design. Here's hoping for a much-needed fix soon! 🙏 #GoogleVoice #ContactManagement #UserExperience #TechNeeds
Google is great but should take some notes on refinement from Apple
Somehow, online, Voice is marketed as a way to receive texts using your phone number. (For me, my number shows up, but I can’t register it. I will have to spend more time to try and get it to work.) Something Google should take care of immediately is how their Gallery app handles videos. Right now, it is the literal embodiment of a carcinogen in software form. A cigarette takes 11 minutes; getting a new video player, not having it work, finding cables for a second monitor (settled on using Windows) took around an hour, and that’s an hour unable to be spent watching my lecture video on a higher speed. There should be a California Proposition notification before playing videos on that app if it keeps on going to the next file whenever the left or right arrow is pressed (this resets the video too). This action is hardwired into my brain for over a decade. People pay over $300 for a chromebook… Does anyone working there actually use a chromebook? I like how Google has software availability and speed, but for users paying for Chrome OS, this is not a product I could recommend anymore.
I am an American residing in Costa Rica. For some time I’ve maintained my US mobile number with an AT&T prepaid account, which includes wi-fi calling, to handle US business, which was dependent on wi-fi availability, and to have service while traveling to the States. I also have a Costa Rica number which requires a physical SIM card. I recently purchased an iPhone 13 (iPhone 14 doesn’t have a physical SIM card slot) and the world of eSIM was opened to me! After doing a bit of research I found that if I ported my number from AT&T to Google Voice for only $20 (there’s no monthly fee for Google Voice) and install an eSIM from Airalo I no would no longer have a monthly fee. All I have to do is top off my installed eSIM prior to traveling to the US. An extra added bonus is that while I’m in Costa Rica my US number is no longer dependent on wi-fi because of my Google Voice App which works using my Costa Rica SIM data! This change is a win win! I no longer have a monthly fee, I can use my US number anytime I want and the service is fantastic! As inexpensive as the Airalo data is, with Google Voice being free, I am pretty sure that if I returned permanently to the US I would likely continue using an Airalo eSIM and Google Voice.
Waste of time actually it’s very similar to the issue of getting signed out of your Gmail account because you lost your phone number and they have no way of verifying you yet. This is the same company that is literally the search engine for the entire world and has information on everyone. Very annoying please try verifying with a different number. Do I look like I have seven different phone numbers? What is that? Obviously, I have access to the number that your old number is attached to. It seriously a bigger problem than just Google voice because I still have no access to my Google account in my Gmail account and I have lost so many accounts because I can’t verify myself. Just to have a hole in your email and a whole new number and I try to use the service and I can’t because my number is attached to an old Google account and I wouldn’t be surprised if that person that signed out of there and all the account and can’t access it. So I would recommend that you save yourself a headache because you might have a number that is already affiliated with an account. Which is stupid because they should all be in the same thing isn’t that the whole thing with Google Docs etc. so it just doesn’t make any sense because I already have a phone number affiliated to my Lincoln. He said that I want my calls to be forwarded to my number anyway it’s just dumb.
I have been using this app for 1.5 years because I love the concept of a free way to text message and receive calls, but the app itself is the worst app on my phone. It crashes several times a week. When replying from the lock screen, it often does not actually send the message but doesn’t let you know it failed. I cannot send or receive video messages. A new message notification may pop up, but then when opening the app it may be super delayed in appearing. I regularly click on one text message and it opens a different one. 90% of the time if someone calls me, we can’t hear each other and I have to hang up and call them through a different app. I have to forward my calls instead, which works well. I have to use Google Hangouts to make free calls, because using the app either doesn’t work or uses my cell line that costs money. There are a couple of pictures I tried to send once and failed, but the app still shows them as pending months later and there is no way to delete them without deleting the whole conversation...so I have to scroll through them every time to see the latest message. Google obviously does not care to invest hardly any money or time in improving Google Voice. If I knew of a reputable and more reliable free phone and text service, I would use it instead.
I use my GV as my business # that I give to my clients instead of my personal cell #. It works pretty well and for the most part I’ve been happy with the app. Recently I was having problems not being able to make calls when the wifi/mobile data was on. It kept saying my internet was unstable and I’d have to make the call using my carrier. I could do everything else (make/receive texts and receive calls), but just couldn’t make calls without it using my carrier. It was frustrating and when it would use my carrier, my GV # that my clients are used to wouldn’t be shown on caller ID, it would show some weird #. I tried shutting off and restarting my phone, turning off/on Wifi, checked to see if there was a new update, but none of that was working. I ended up having to delete/reinstall the app, and now it works as before. I like the fact that the new update now shows that the caller is coming through as GV, so I know that’s it’s a business call, it wouldn’t do that before and I wouldn’t know if it was a random caller or business. It would be nice if they added a feature where you can set a separate ring tone for the app.
Still not improved!!! I have been using Google voice for nearly 4 years. I needed a safer way to contact clients while Keeping a low profile as well as a way to contact guys I date and block them if need be all while having the ability to archive messages to reference later since I’m also a writer. Overall the service works great but why no address book was included in iPhone app version is beyond me. So I had to add the clients number to the iPhone which became problematic when Facebook linked my profile to these contacts and all the sudden my privacy was violated. And because you can add and update or block numbers from the app only when you log in via your email it gets super annoying. I also wish google had allowed for pictures to be sent out not just received. I recently downloaded another Google voice 3 app which I hoped included an address book along with picture sending and since downloading and using that I can no longer make calls using regular Google voice app. I also wish the messages wouldn't be separated into various conversations with the same person. Why couldn't they archive like regular text message for the same number. Google please fix!!
They really need more options on the notifications, I want sound on calls but not for texts etc. That is a hugeee issue, I do not need a beep every time I get a text. As well customized notifications for each contact would be huge, the ability to mute someone but not block them etc. Also it would be amazing if we could pay to have mutiple numbers, and that we could have multiple GV numbers that go to my cell. I’d hand out one GV number for personal reasons, and another for work reasons and then I’d be able to filter them automatically. I’d pay for that time saver! Rather than to have to customize options on how contacts calls are sorted. And then if you need to you can filter them additionally on top of that. Instead of a pyramid filter think of it as triangle on top of a triangle filter haha. Also a watch app would be amazing. I usually leave my phone behind and it would be great to hear voicemails from my watch. Thanks for your hard work!
Many shelters allow donations of older phones so that those who wish to help a crime victim who may not have access to WiFi while fleeing a dangerous situation/ or homeless individuals who may be working through temporary changes due to storms, fires, or any circumstance- the use of Google Voice is very important for those who cannot gain a Government phone until within a safe setting ( when a crime victim )/ or who may opt to avoid such a phone due continued safety. Google voice utilizes cellular data/ does not require WiFi/ works in older devices- which helps many client families served. This app has saved lives, helped lives, & blessed many. Google, please consider allowing a timeframe of 30-60 days of access to the older version of this app. Why? It seems fair to consider ALL people instead of a sudden block of the use of an app that could be the only safe mode of reliable communication for many. Many may need time to secure a newer device. Many may have housing/ transportation concerns to work through to seek help gaining a newer device. An update that forces an unforeseen need/ expense - creates a hardship for those who may already be in the midst of hardship. Please consider. Thank you.
I used Google voice daily on my old iPhone. One day, the Google voice app shut down and would never open again because it needed an update, but it couldn't update because it wasn't compatible with my iOS. I couldn't update my iOS because the newer iOS didn't support my 3 year-old iPhone. So I had to get a new iPhone in order to continue using Google voice, even though my old iPhone was working just fine in every other way. I downloaded and logged into the Google voice app on my new iPhone. I am definitely logged in to the correct Google voice account, but it says I don't have a phone number. I clearly do, because if my old and new phones are next to each other, Google voice calls ring to my new phone. I have no way to make outgoing calls, see missed calls, access voicemail, or send and receive text messages. Google voice does not have any way to contact customer service. Google, if you see this, how can I get the Google voice app on my new phone to recognize that I already have a Google voice number? I know Google voice is a free service, but this is a big enough issue that I require some customer service, please.
The solution is simple & already used with Google Workspace
I gave this app 5 stars so everyone could read it. We are all aware that Google Hangouts did not drop calls but this app always does. We all must understand why. Zoom became the front runner in video conference calls surpassing the longtime standby Skype. Zoom uses a communication system called Polycom which is considered a Unicorn ( startup worth 1 billion) Polycom was was built on the network power of AT&T and it made its second version better without comparison. With that understood MicroSoft bought Skype and integrated into Skype for business and Google workplace uses it. I know that this app can use the internet VoIP with the power of polycom to make this app work. In Elon Musk's opinion internet phone calls are drastically cheaper than data based service especially if you use it over WiFi. So the unstable connection of apps similar to this really come down to money. Wouldn't it be great to make free phone calls.
I have had this Google phone number attached to my regular number for quite some time. I downloaded the app to my iPhone and was exceedingly surprised at how user-friendly and convenient it is to have a second number that is really attached to my main number. And I do not have to download "sketchy" apps that want to download my contacts to their server and all the other things that are so questionable these days. The part I do really love and have used, is that when people call my Google number, I can press the number four on the keypad, and it plays a legal recording telling both parties that the call is being recorded. If they continue, that is their legal acknowledgment and then Google sends you that entire recording to keep or archive on their trusted servers for as long as needed. Overall, I really cannot say enough about the Google number feature. And the app that I am reviewing here, is just an added bonus that deserves 10 stars in my opinion.
Love the service, not crazy about the latest update
**Update. App version 2.8 on iOS 11.0.3 iPhone 7 on AT&T. The app constantly crashes to the point where I have to type text messages in a different app then copy & paste into the GV app and quickly hit the send button before it crashes. It is not a matter of “if” but “how fast” would it crash... I am a total GV fan and extremely thankful for the service which I would gladly pay for. Now, considering this is a free service and a free app it seems ungrateful to criticize but my intent is to provide feedback rather than complain. Since the last update the app (on iPhone 6, iOS 10.2.1) is SLOW! It takes forever to show new messages/voicemail and when searching for a contact, it takes a few seconds for each letter! Another aspect of the update I am not crazy about is the way the dial screen works; you can either input a number on the keypad (default) or if you would like to search by name, you have to touch a keyboard icon which then takes forever to bring it up and another forever for each letter you type. Not sure why this massive slowdown but I am at a point where I am looking for an alternate app for GV
Lots of stuff to like here. I really like having a second number I can give out instead of my personal cell number. Excellent call quality if you have a solid data connection. I can use my Google Voice account on multiple devices and my laptop browser. I don’t travel much, but when in Europe I can call back to any US number for free if I can find WiFi, plus some of the lowest rates I’ve seen to international numbers. Unlike Skype or WhatsApp, this uses a regular phone number, so the other party doesn’t need some specific app, just a phone. Supports multiple accounts so I can seamlessly use both a personal number and a work GSuite number on the same device. I can transfer calls between my devices; start a call on my laptop, then transfer to my phone. This is really a wonderful platform and I’m happy to see google giving it more attention lately. I’ve been using google voice for years and it keeps getting better. Thanks!
Forced Updates?!!! What happened to don't be evil.
It's absolutely cruel to lock people out of their means of communication with no warning. The old app still loads for a few seconds before displaying the lockout message. Google locked people out for no reason. UPDATE: Do you see the developer response on this. It's a canned response I've seen on many reviews asking people to go through the app to provide feedback. We've been locked out of the app!! One reviewer mentioned people in shelters using donated phones who have now been locked out of their only way to communicate. This was done with no warning. There was no response to that review. What happened to your mottos of "Don't be evil" or "Do the right thing"? Why make the update forced? This blocks out users on older devices that can't update to the latest OS. Not everyone can update. I can understand users on older versions not having access to new features, but to block it completely is just wrong. People depend on this app. It was working for two days after you rolled out this update so it isn't that the older version can't work. It was working. There's no reason to lock people out.
I was really happy to see GV getting some love again with actual work being done on it... But soon into the changes I noticed the first downgrade in functionality. Before, I was able to use the dial pad to search my contacts' by name using the letters associated with the numbers AND could just search by the phone number itself, but it changed. Instead, searching by number became the default and to switch to searching by alphabet I had to tap a button that brought up the keyboard. I don't understand, the first way had the best of both worlds in one... is it because we don't associate letters with dial pad numbers as much anymore? Then this new update came out (mid-August 2018) that got rid of the alphabet search function entirely! I have to go to the contacts tab and search for my contact and go through so much more now to just call someone. I was annoyed before, but now it's very frustrating! Not having much of a problem otherwise... Please improve the dial pad contact search! Bring back the all-in-one method!
So I got this APP years ago when I was selling a few items on Craigslist. A great comfort when you don’t want just anyone getting your home/cell number. Most of the time the APP/ service works great. Yes, its sometimes hard for the transcriptions to be accurate, just like any type of voice recognition. But it does a good job notifying you if you have a call voicemail and such. I have no problem “verifying” my forwarding number, but I have to wonder. Just got a new iPhone, and you know Apple, once you buy their products, little support or concern to the customer after that. Especially when it comes to 3rd party APPS. Anyway, I had to set up the APP again AND verify my number. A week or 2 later google wants me to reverify? Maybe an automated thing or bug with APP. Anyway, still works good.
Ok. So I am a google voice power user. I do not even know what my phones real number is. Everything was fine until ios14. It took me a few days to figure it out. Here is the problem. Under the setting that says “Make and Receive Calls” the choices are “Prefer Wi-Fi and mobile data” or “Use Carrier Only”. The best choice is Prefer Wi-Fi and mobile data. That was what I always used and it worked great. However, since the iOS 14 update that choice breaks Bluetooth in the car. No one can hear you. Also, calls keep dropping. So I switched to “Use Carrier Only”. That works fine with Bluetooth in the car, but “hey Siri call John smith using google voice” does not work with this setting. Also, creating a shortcut to call from that Siri command does not work with the setting “Use Carrier Only”. Please fix it so that Bluetooth works perfectly with the “Prefer Wi-Fi and mobile Data” setting so that Bluetooth works in the car and I can use voice commands to dial through google voice.
I love the idea of having a second phone number that’s separate from my mobile but accessible on it. I’ve used Voice for years for all kinds of things that I want to keep one step away from my “private” number. In the last couple of years, though, I’ve found it periodically stops working with iOS. I have no idea if this is Google’s fault or if it’s something Apple does in its updates, but I hit these patches where I can’t get it to ring through the app or through call forwarding if I delete the app. I do all the suggested fixes online, and it still might or might not work. I just have to wait for an update. I’ve missed a couple of important calls this was and have to say I don’t think I can rely on it for everything anymore. I’ll still use it for things like making calls through my laptop (great for conference calls - the sound seems to be much better than speakerphone), but I can’t recommend this for anything really important if this issue keeps happening.
Seriously, this thing feels downright prehistoric. It has a horrific lag time that Google has never fixed. When switching from another app to this one, Voice freezes for as much as a minute or more just to go live, then the keyboard allows maybe one character per second until enough time has passed for the app to load. Text conversations show as just the originating number for several seconds before they are retrieved from your contacts. Searching texts is amazingly terrible for the world’s biggest search engine company and produces no results more often than it actually works. Seriously, it’s even worse than iMessages which is the gold standard for poor quality text apps. It’s weirdly reminiscent of the slow, dialup days of the internet and not at all like a fully functional message app in 2023. It’s handy to have an alternative phone number for sources likely to spam you, but it’s painful for day to day use. It’s little wonder alternatives like WhatsApp are so much more prevalent.
At first I considered using Google Voice for my business as a means to save a little money but after reading the fine print I decided it would not be worth it due to lack of privacy. So, I use it as a number for signing up for rewards programs and text subscriptions for companies that I shop at (a lot of businesses these days offer discounts and special sales for those who sign up to receive text messages). It used to be that every once in a while I would receive a call at my Google Voice number that was meant for some other number, yet somehow it would come through to me. This is happening more and more often now. While I don’t expect great service since it is basically a free phone number, it’s becoming pretty ridiculous. I definitely don’t trust it for anything other than what I currently use it for, and it’s becoming bad enough that I don’t even think it’s worth it to save a few dollars while also not giving out my real telephone number. Hope they fix it.
Google voice covers the basics, you can make phone calls and send and receive text messages. For the most part, it has done everything I needed. I work for mental health facility, and when my job went remote I began using Google Voice to contact our patients about meetings. It worked well until I received a series of private messages, including a photo, via text message which was not intended for, or solicited by me. Out of respect for my client, I wanted to delete the messages without having to see the photo. In order to delete any of the messages in our conversation, I had to open the entire thread which meant opening the photo as well. I searched several times for an alternative, and deleted the app from my phone in the hopes that I would delete the messages. There was no alternative, and no helpful filter for unsolicited adult pictures. There was also no way to contact anyone at google about getting help. As soon as we resume in-person meetings, I will be deleting this app permanently.
The whole purpose of using GV is so I don’t give out my personal number and avoid unwanted calls. When people call my GV #, it rings on my cell like my regular network #. It would be great if I can get (sound/vibrate) ring notification within the app that is “separate” from my regular phone. That way I can tell the call is coming in via GV # or personal #. Tried multiple work around but doesn’t seems to work correctly. An online article suggested downloading Google Hangout App and have the GV # forward to Hangout instead of my personal #. Doing that does allow a separate notification in the Hangout app when people call my GV # and regular number would ring normally. However, downloading 2 apps is a hassle and cause problems with other functions and more confusing. Why need 2 app google? when GV app can be improve to ring separately. Also, if contacts can be manage within the app would be better. Not sure why it wasn’t included with the app creation or update.
I added this app to my phone so parents and students could reach me. Shortly after I began missing calls that were being made to my personal number. So I brought a prepaid smartphone so that those with my Google number. However, that’s not what happened. Now I can’t get voicemails and most of my calls are going to the other phone with Google voice. All I want to do is get this app off my cell phone and separated from my cell phone number, actually I want this mess removed from both my phone numbers. I know there has to be a way get get rid of the app. Someone please help!!! I did make sure I was logging into the correct account. I even sent the calls from Google voice to my personal phone number but my personal calls made to my personal phone number still were answered by my Google voice voicemail. I feel like you are forcing this app on those who decide that they no longer need it. Now I’m missing very important call and messages. All I’m asking is to have the Google voice app from both my phone numbers. I’m asking you to please remove the app...please!!
It would be nice if the app actually worked or at least there were instructions on how to use it. All I got was, it accessed my phone book. I allowed that. But when I went to use the app, i.e. make a phone call. It told me that I had to click on something. But there was nothing on which to click. Then, it came up with two notifications, which I was unable to see or delete. After fussing with it awhile, and then looking for some sort of direction, I gave up and deleted it. App writers need to look at things from the view of the user! Maybe they would learn something. ——————————————————————— So, I reloaded, thinking that it would work. It doesn’t. It has the same issue: once the number has been entered, it says to push an icon. But there is no icon to push. Hmmm! The last iteration of this worked. But now it doesn’t again. I dial the number and it says it can’t make the call. Sad. It still does not work. i don’t know why someone from Google does not respond to this issue. It works on my computer, but not on my iPad.
From the beginning texts show up from different numbers at different times on the Google Voice app and my phone’s texting app. I have to figure out how and where to add people to contacts resulting in 7 Becky Smittys. Phone calls now don’t seem to have any info about which line they’re from and I’ve missed calls and texts over the years so I still have to give my personal number out too. I get 100’s of calls from the same exchange, all hang ups or spam calls, so the list of users is distributed fast and far. There’s a new change coming that I can’t remember but it, together with the fact that I was never able to find any help or support for the issues above, is what’s forcing me to find a different option that’s reliable for my business. There were links in other answers here that might have helped, but they can’t be copied for some ridiculous reason. No hyperlink. Another dead end. I really tried Google. It shouldn’t be this hard to be loyal.
This isn’t a bad app. The problem is that every time Google makes it “better” they make it worse. Leave the settings alone. Urg!!! Now callers either have to say their name, and most new callers don’t want to do that or it connects directly to my line. The other option is to see my Google number as caller ID. With the first option, if callers don’t say their name ( and new callers usually hang up ) I have no idea if it’s a Google call, which I use for privacy, or a personal call. There’s no privacy anymore. There’s a reason I have a Google number!!! It used to be that I could see the caller ID, and there was an announcement that it was coming through the Google line, which was perfect for deciding how to handle a call. After this last update, it sent Google callers to my private VM until I could get in and change it. Leave it alone!!! Don’t change settings when you update. I don’t need you to adjust things for me. And include the option for me to decide how calls are answered. Quit deleting options.
I run an animal rescue and I meet all types of total weirdos and sketchy individuals that try to call middle of be night, try to look up my address, give out my number to total strangers that have absolutely no regard for other people’s lives. Insert google voice, to give an additional line to my phone so I can keep it on me all the time without an actual second phone BUT have at least a small amount of privacy and keep track of my work people from my home people. BUT THIS APP CRASHES ALL THE TIME. ALL. THE. TIME. Almost every day, and often multiple times in a day. I will be trying to have a convo by text with volunteers giving time-sensitive information so they can have written instructions to refer back to later when they’re at the vet and I can’t get because it won’t stop crashing. It’s absolutely maddening. Very little options in settings. The whole app is very clunky and SO. SLOW. There’s a substantial delay using Google voice. If I knew of an alternative to this I would absolutely use it.
Google Voice used to be awesome, since updates, stating stability and improvements, I continue to have one dropped call after another. In fact I’ve had multiple calls that have dropped 2 and 3 times during the same initial call, having to call back not once, not twice, but three times in a 20 minutes period. This app continues to not be stable for the past several months. Very disappointing! I have deleted app and reinstalled based on someone reaching out regarding my negative review. It only seems to help somewhat and then temporarily. Yes, the app is still less stable and more glitchy before the last several months of stated “stability and improvements”. It also takes longer to load as well. I’ve also had a lot of problems with transcription and phone numbers listed not dialing out properly on my apple product. I took screenshots but no way to attach here, thanks.
Voicemail playback is losing its user-friendliness
I love the service and have used it since about 2006 or 2007 (I think). My only issue is that the app is making it harder to listen to voicemails. Oftentimes the voicemails play back on a low volume, which is on me because I have to wait until a message is playing before I can increase the volume. That isn’t the app’s problem... Because it starts at a low volume I have to replay the message after I am able to turn it up, and I don’t mind doing this. The problem is that it is almost impossible to scroll the voicemail bar back to the left now that they added a feature to delete the message, by swiping left on the message. When trying the drag the voicemail bar back it ends up sliding the message over for the delete feature. Frustrating because if I have a long voicemail (1min+) I don’t want to have to wait until it’s done before I replay it. Especially when I have multiple voicemails to listen to. FWP
UPDATE: Thanks for replying, but I had already read that article and attempted it all and I still get 10+ calls a day. I literally only need this to answer 1 specific phone number, but I get constant, random calls that interrupt my day and aggravate me to no end. I refuse to pay money to solve a problem I didn’t create, so it looks like I’ll need to find an alternative to this poor excuse of an app. The only reason I have a Voice number is to activate the front door lock on my apartment building, but somehow, spammers got a hold of my number and will not stop calling me. I get dozens of calls a day and none of the features in Voice help mitigate them at all. It’s insanely frustrating and the only solution seems to be paying money to change my phone number, which still wouldn’t ensure that my number won’t get scraped again by another spam service. I’ve got 200+ blocked and spam calls in my history and my number only needs to answer one caller. This is awful and I wish there was any kind of solution.
Do not disturb feature is not working properly and has not for quite some time. Prior to a month or so ago, I was able to set my do not disturb hours and have them correlate with my working hours. According to my Google calendar this has worked fine for the last four years again up until recently. As of late, the working hours feature of do not disturb all does not work. Also, I am not sure who changed the setting of do not disturb that now allows for text messages to come through. If I don’t want to be disturbed, that includes all forms of communication. This feature not being correlated with my working hours on my calendar has caused a major pain and inconvenience as well as contributed to major inefficiencies in my business. The app basically goes on and off do not disturb whenever it wants and also sometimes during do not disturb a phone will ring or a text message tone will go off. I am not sure if I should be looking for a different app, but this is getting really bad.
I’ve been looking for a way to have the type of functionality iMessage gives you on iPhone/iPad/Mac, but with Windows instead of a Mac. This is literally perfect for that. I get messages, calls, and voicemails on any device, any OS, truly what I needed. Would love some of the silly niceties of modern messaging apps like stickers, read receipts, message reactions, end-to-end encryption if it isn’t already present, etc etc... If there were any way my non-GV contacts could see my messages as if I were on an iPhone, like if Google Voice were able to send my messages through iMessage servers via some kind of deal with Apple, then that would just be icing on the cake. My communication on any OS, but without my iOS friends having to deal with the green bubble issues like insecure communications and low res images and such. But for now, I really do love this.
This is a new development and I’m not sure if it’s because of an update or because of the Bluetooth headset I stared using. When I hang up or if the call is dropped, about half the time the app will freeze on the call screen. All the buttons will be grayed out and I can’t go anywhere in the app. I can leave the app by pushing the home button on my phone, but it will act like I have an ongoing call until I push the end call button on my headset. Some times this unfreezes the app as well, but other times I have to delete and reinstall. The trouble didn’t start as soon as I started using the headset, but I thought it might be a contributing factor. If possible, please fix. I really like using this app for teleworking, as it allows me to call customers without them getting my personal number.
OMG! Do you know how annoying it is to write a text and then it crashes and you have to write your text over multiple times? Infuriating. I use my app for business and it always worked perfect and I couldn’t complain at all. However, in the last 2 months, the app just randomly crashes and it happens when the app is open for longer than like 65 seconds. It’s insanity, I really hope you guys fix this! It’s such a waste of time right now but I already have this number printed everywhere so please please fix it. I would gladly pay a small fee just for it to stop crashing. I have to text my texts in another app like text or notes, then copy + paste. Or copy and paste as I am typing just in case the app crashes. I’ll change my rating if the app gets updated and the bugs fixed. If it doesn’t get fixed I’ll be rating the app even lower. Cmon google, lets get it together! This is unacceptable.
I use this program every day but now they say I have to upgrade but I need iOS 14 in order for it to work. I have an older iPhone 6s Plus that doesn’t support iOS 14 so now I can’t use the application anymore This isn’t the only app that’s trying to force me to buy a new phone even though my old one works fine and does everything I needed to do it’s pretty frustrating to be pushed from several different directions in the spending $1500 on a new phone when I have an $800 one that’s only six years old that works fine as long as I put a new battery in it every two years for $25 Update: Google was kind enough to provide a response and I followed the link to update the software but it still won’t allow me to load a version that will work with my iOS 12 point whatever it says I need iOS 14 and Apple will not let me put that on my old iPhone 6s Plus so I guess I won’t be able to use Google Voice any longer
Google Voice helps me get by without a phone, on the iPad Pro 👍🏻🥳🥰
I’ve been a Google Voice user since back when it was called Grand Central, and it works out great, now that I’m without a mobile phone, and I’m using an iPad Pro only, which doesn’t feature built-in telephony capability, on the consumer device end of things, at least. Google Voice manages my 2FA sign-in duties, messaging, and most website sign-in requirements - it’s enough to get by, well enough, as a web denizen, of most pursuits and recreations, and I do try to cover a large portion of things that ought to be done, on the web. People get to pick their own phone number, using the sign up interface, and I got myself a pretty memorable phone number through Google Voice. The service is great! Thanks so much.
Normally love this app to easily keep my iPhone separate from my Google Voice account & contacts. One issue I have run into as of recently has me really irritated. I love having this app accessible on my iPhone & still be able to try to keep it from cross contamination. Although I’ve realized now that if I try to add a contact to my Google Voice app, in the contacts tab, it only adds my new contact to my iPhone Contacts app & not to my Google Contacts where I actually need it to go to use it in the app & to keep things separate & clean. This is so frustrating! Also all the help sections say you should simply be able to add the contact in to the app & it work seamlessly with your Google Contacts … Doesn’t mention this issue at all let alone address the cause or solutions… I have also submitted suggestions via the ‘Help & Feedback’ section before leaving a review here. Thanks.
Nonexistent direct customer support and unhelpful support forum
Got this app for a new phone number. Made the unfortunate mistake of deleting my number before changing it as I meant to do and now have my number blocked from getting another number. There is no direct way to contact support, instead you have to post to the forums where the "helpers" will repeat the same 3 unhelpful explanations while berating any users that may respond with the same problem. I saw a similar problem as mine posted in the forums only to be locked for bringing up the problem outside of the original post. If a competent customer support function was added and if there was a more clear explanation of how changing / transferring / deleting phone numbers works, this might have earned more than two stars. Additionally, the commonly asked questions and explanations from google themselves should be updated for relevant information instead of describing the now defunct UI. Thanks.
Update Oct 2, 2019: Are there any plans to implement feature for favorites? Many, if not most, use the app from the car, and it’s difficult to browse the contacts or call history... ———————————————— Nice look and feel - but would say a D grade on functionality. The favorites feature was already barebones- with “suggestions” having to suffice as “favorites”. But now, it’s completely gone!?! Like many others, I use this while driving and I want to be able to call someone with just a tap, rather than search. Why not have a tab with 3x3 (say) tiles for your top 9 favorites, and set another tab for “suggestions” or leave it incorporated with “contacts” ? Please (re)design a functionality for favorites, pretty please!! UPDATE 10/8: Things seem to go from bad to worse. Now the suggested contacts are gone, and I have to constantly scroll through the contacts list, find the person I need, open the contact screen and the choose the number. In the iPhone app, it then asks you to confirm the call. Given that I (and many others, based on the reviews I read here) use this to make calls while driving, using this app has become a very hazardous task. While I really love the app for its cheap rates and simplicity, the lack of valuable (and commonly available) features is very disappointing. Please implement a “favorites” option.
I use Google Voice texting app for my “On-Call” as an Admin at a statewide Hospital for Doctor’s & Nurse’s that affect patient care. Before when I get paged to my google voice phone number it used link-up to my actual personal cell phone and that particular notification would be a HIGH PRIORITY page and identified based from the phone number listed in my own personal contacts so the paging would alert me in the middle of the night should anything go wrong. Instead the page only shows up on the google voice texting area for only a single “ding” that is easily missed. I have checked and rechecked my settings and as far as removing my personal cell from the linked phone to only re-register my personal cell for only the same results. Please Google support!!! I really need this to work as it was working before so whatever changed since mid-July-2020 should be turned back on or changed back. This has been an AWESOME alternative up till now. I will rate this app again hopefully when it is polished up.
I’m not sure what happened, maybe an iOS update, but it’s not the same. I have this number to use the recording function, I am a medium student, I record readings and send a copy to the sitter after each call. The calls are never automatically transcribed, which is fine, I honestly don’t need or want that function (it should just go away imo) but instead I get an email with a link option to listen. Unfortunately how it opens has changed and is now causing issues. In the past I would open the link from the email (it would open in safari (didn’t matter if I viewed or downloaded) and then copy the link in the browser window and send to the sitter via text. Now I’m getting “open in iMovie” only option mp3 format and the sitter can’t open the file. I don’t see anywhere in my phone or app settings how to change this. I don’t know why or what caused it to change.
The Google folks have been working hard on this app since they give it the functionality we all expect when we text. I have every faith that they will finally get it together and that one day it will work effortlessly like it used to before they added the features that we all asked for. Google voice, in general, is a service that I cannot see living without. In my opinion, google voice must be something that God created on the eighth day after he rested on the seventh I love it that much. I feel sorry for people who do not use Google Voice as their primary way to contact people. I can't think of any way that they could possibly improve google voice's incredibly rich and awesome features, except to finally get the app to stop crashing a few times a week.
This app used to be extremely slow and now it runs fine on the same exact phone and iOS for me I used to use a very old google voice account on this app (over 10 years of history). I had tried to increase the speed by archiving most of my conversations but I still had at least a few with history going back many years. Now that I transferred my google voice number to a fresh account with neither many active conversations nor long/old conversations, the application is quite fast (when hangouts was an option years ago, it was perfectly fast on my old account). This suggests to me that the app is trying to load more than it should yielding the slow behavior even on a nearly brand new iPhone. Perhaps if it instead only tried loading a more modest bit of information (e.g., the last 50 conversations and 50 messages) and caching it locally better, this wouldn’t be an issue on older accounts?
I recently upgraded my phone and for some reason when I logged on to my Google Voice account that I use often and for years, my phone number was gone and when I search, Google Voice says there’s no numbers—anywhere. So I made an entire new Google account and tried again, but the dams thing happened. I literally typed in every single state in the US and the app claims there are no numbers. You’re seriously trying to tell me that all the numbers in places like Wyoming and Montana are taken up? Yeah right. There’s definitely something wrong with their app but it’s literally impossible to receive any type of customer service. Ridiculous that a company this huge can’t make an app that works. Now I have to change my number with tons of businesses and people. I wondered why I was not receiving calls and texts. Now I know why. Google Voice cost me a lot of business by doing whatever they did to make their app not work and take away the number I had for years with no warning.
As a teacher who initially had to work from home, having a Google Voice account helped me keep in touch with my students’ families without having to give out my actual personal number. There are settings to establish notification times as well, so you can set up “out of office” or contractual hours times, where you won’t be notified until you are ready to start your day (for those families or students who are only available to call or text you during the evenings or nighttimes). It really helped to re-establish work/home boundaries. The texts came in like regular texts, and the audio for voice calls were just as normal as through my actual phone. I am pleased and thankful!
UPDATE: The developer response provided a link to a generic troubleshooting guide that didn’t even list this issue, and a link to the community forum that while discussed this exact problem no fix exists. I had already checked before posting this review. However this raises another issue: a complete lack of GOOGLE technical support. There is no place to contact experts at GOOGLE itself to report bugs and obtain actual fixes instead of work arounds. The community forum in general can primarily come up with work arounds but cannot patch the actual bugs in the software. Barring a way to directly contact Google this is the only option left🥲 This app used to work well; however, for some reason the app no longer answers calls. When a call comes in and I swipe “answer” it silences the call and sends it to voicemail. I can never answer calls made to my Google Voice number on my phone any longer. And this needs to be fixed.
Google Voice gives you a phone number for calling, text messaging, and voicemail. It works on smartphones and computers, and syncs across your devices so you can use the app in the office, at home, or on the go. NOTE: Google Voice only works for personal Google Accounts in the US and Google Workspace accounts in select markets. Text messaging is not supported in all markets. You’re in control Get spam filtered automatically and block numbers you don’t want to hear from. Manage your time with personalized settings for forwarding calls, text messages, and voicemail. Backed up and searchable Calls, text messages, and voicemails are stored and backed up to make it easy for you to search your history. Manage messages across devices Send and receive individual and group SMS messages from all your devices Your voicemail, transcribed Google Voice provides advanced voicemail transcriptions that you can read in the app and/or have sent to your email. Save on international calling Make international calls at competitive rates without paying extra for international minutes with your mobile carrier Keep in mind: • Google Voice is currently only available in the US. Google Voice for Google Workspace users is available in select countries. Check with your administrator for access. • Calls made using Google Voice for iPhone can be placed through a Google Voice access number. All access number based calls use the standard minutes from your cell phone plan and may incur costs (e.g. when traveling internationally).
