FCC investigation be damned, Google has finally managed to bypass the App Store and release
Google Voice to the iPhone (and webOS, too) the same way it
pulled off Latitude, i.e. via a HTML5-based web app. According to Senior Product Manager Vincent Paquet, it should work with any HTML5-compliant device, although the formatting at this point has been tailored to Apple and Palm's platforms. So here's how it works: much like with its mobile Gmail site, the app caches your contacts list in a browser page. All the usual GV functionality is there, writing SMS messages, checking your inbox, and even listening to voicemails (although that latter functionality wasn't working for us yet in our trials). Placing phone calls is an interesting trick: as pictured above, after you choose the recipient, the app prompts you to call one of Google's local numbers via the native dialer -- even for international calls, hence the lower rates by paying through Google. The recipient will see your proper GV digits, and upside with this method is you'll still be able to utilize call waiting and background usage. The catch, of course, is a call history littered with random numbers. It's not a perfect solution by any means -- if anything, take solace in an
assortment of home screen icons for each section of the app -- but it's probably the best we're gonna get for the time being. The page should be up and running later today, so if you're anxious, direct your mobile browser to
voice.google.com and just keep hitting refresh.
posted January 26th 2010 10:04AM
This use to save me tons on my Jailbroken iphone on AT&T...then I realized that I should just switched to a provider with better rates for voice and data. Thanks Sprint.
@Slvrgun
Neat trick.
Please explain to the class how you got an iPhone to work on Sprint.
Oh that's right. You didn't.
FAIL.
@ClippinWings
I thought anybody who could rid between the lines would have figured I switched to Sprint. Everyone and their dog knows you can't use an Iphone on a CDMA network. Stop looking for someone to dump your frustrations on in the morning. It's not my fault you're having a shitty day.
Anyhow when I had my Iphone I used GV a lot especially when I was getting close on going over my minutes. When I switched to Sprint they had just started the Anytime Any Mobile thing, and I never thought about going over minutes ever again.
OS integration is the only usable way to use google voice as your primary number. sure you can send free texts to people, but from a different number than the one they call you with, and that would be confusing to most people
I am a bit surprised Google voice is coming to the iPhone.
Good on ya Google. Can we have some Google voice loving in the UK for my Nexus One please?
cool
I want iPod Touch support!! This web app does not allow me to use my iPod Touch to place a call - I still have to go to a computer. It does not even allow me to access the standard interface for google.com/voice on the web!!
@delafield I note that the 3d party GV Mobile app that Apple killed allowed me to use the iPod touch to place a call from any phone. And when I say "place a call" above, I mean from my home phone (or actually a Gizmo5 account) to a contact of mine.
What advantage is this to Pre users over GDial Pro? If I read this right, you still have to burn cell minutes to make calls.
The only thing that GDial doesn't allow you to do is delete voicemails though the app.
@ePimp I don't see any advantage over gDial Pro on webOS. gDial Pro allows me to do more, doesn't do the random number thing, has notifications, and also has all of my contact list with it while this web based only has my Google contacts which I do not put people in by default.
Available for iPhone 3GS in the UK?
What is the google voice?
when will we get a GV app for windows mobile? I bet Microsoft will not reject that.
This is beautiful, but it broke functionality for my iPod touch. Be a doll google and bring it back for me...
Can you guys please switch your Image Gallery site, AOL Sucks or what ever your using. Just use Flicker or Picasa makes life easier
@Glory64
Yeah, considering they are owned by AOL, I don't see that happening.
I wonder what this does to Voice Central's "Black Swan" product that attempts to do the same thing. It will be interesting to compare implementations as well as how they compare with the new GV Mobile native app (Sean Kovac's app only for Jailbroken phones, but newly resubmitted to the app store).
FFS...... WE NEED GV IN CANADA!!!!!!
ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
I just tried it out and its siiiick
It's about F#$king time! I have been using Google Voice through Google's mobile web site on my iPhone and it plane sucks. Google has done a good job with the SMS via email but searching and dialing contacts is cumbersome and hardly worth it.
Who should I thank for this? The FCC. Oh god what has the world come to when I begin thanking a government agency for allowing innovation.
No let me go get it to see how disappointed (or pleased) I should be.
@MLamont
Replying to myself... Oops! I did not read. I thought that this was "the App." This is just a better webApp than what was there. I guess that it is better. I rescind my thank you to the FCC - I should have known better.
As I've been saying and no one listens, more because people don't hear me because they don't know me :)
most 'apps' are crap. The only useful apps are will be converted to webapps.
Webapps are the way to go.
Congrats google for seeing my vision through
...
@reapur As long as it is as fast as a web App, I agree with you. I wanted to disagree but I cannot think of any features that would really give Google Voice better usability if it were an iPhone App. The only personal thing is that I tend to have many browsers open at a given time - some that I intend to read later. GVoice as a web App reduces the number that I can use.
no ipod touch support....
OK, so you can make international calls, but you can't get a Google Voice account if you live in Hawaii or Canada, or anywhere else that is, um, international.
Unless of course you get a US SIM card, or a US proxy server (which may slow down the VOIP connection).
Is this a regulatory matter, because Google is an American (non-international) company? Google is non-international right?
Meh, I'll stick with GDial Pro. Does everything I need with Google Voice. Been working flawlessly for me since I started using it. No reason to goto a web app. Also having it integrated into WebOS universal search makes the webapp uselss. Stick with GDial Pro and the patch to make it in search and you're set.
The skeptics once scoffed at web apps for the iphone.
Question...
is AT&T somehow blocking verification of Google voice?? I'm trying to edit my phone number and it is NOT happening. Every time I try, Im getting no bars, and the call goes to voicemail.
Free SMS eh? Time to finally get a gmail account.
Finally! Even though it is a web app it works great. I know some people have an issue with the random numbers and it would be great to have actual numbers in the call history however I can do with out that right now. As far as using your minutes goes get the unlimited plan in case you haven't heard its only $69! Happy to see that GV has got this far to work around the Apple approval bullshit because as a business owner I need this service. THANK YOU Google!
gDial Pro app on webOS, period. No substitutes.
I don't get why there are so many "oooooh Steve Jobs is gonna be PISSED" comments. I thought we'd clarified that it was AT&T that 86'd Google Voice.
Why people always gotta try to start drama? This is like high school again.
Wouldn't you have to go to www.google.com/voice/m ?
Which is why my preferred way of dialing is to have GV call me and the target. This way, the incoming number is my GV number, which is in my A-list. I can do this with GV Mobile+, for instance.
I'm not sure I'm understanding what the benefit of the GV website is. I don't want to dial a number if it's just going to make a standard call, which uses my minutes. If I need to adjust the settings on my GV account, I can just login on the site when needed.
Why doesn't it just initiate a VOIP call??
How do you like them, Apples?
It would be nice if there was a character counter on the SMS. If they are going to limit you to 160 characters, a counter would be included I would think.
That's my ONLY complaint with these updates. Google is on the right track here.
I agree. That is what I use google voice for.
Free SMS definitely got my attention. However its pretty simple to send out messages thru this web based app for free but when someone responds to your text... you get a standard text message reply from that person... meaning i'm still paying for that incoming text.
I went into my settings both on the phone and on the web to disable google voice sms forwarding.
has anyone been able to get SMS to work without getting standard text messaging replies?