I love Google Voice. On the day that Google decides that, like Google Photos, it deserves to be paid, I can really pull the trigger; having a secondary phone number that you can forward to the real one, hiding the last one, is extremely useful. And the day Google Voice leaves, if it does, I’ll be very sad.
Easy to use Google Voice, as you literally just enter the settings and choose the option to To forward calls and / or text messages to your real number, Google is making a change that means that you will now have to download the app on your device if you want to use the service’s features to the fullest. According to a recent Android Police report, Google will soon remove the ability to forward text messages from your Google Voice number to your actual phone number.
As Michael Crider writes:
This is particularly bad news for those of us who have been using Google Voice as effectively our only phone number, forwarding it to new SIMs and devices as we get them. Phones tend to use their standard text messaging application to integrate with many other services. The Google Voice app usually covers this, but it is not particularly friendly with the rest of Android outside of the notification basics.
Before you blame Google for making this change, however, know that it’s not actually Google lack this time. Apparently, several operators are starting to block these forwarded text messages– perhaps incorrectly assuming they are spam. My guess is that Google prefers to have a manageable experience (in this case, no resources), rather than an inconsistent experience.
So if you want to view and respond to text messages sent to your Google Voice number, you’ll probably want to install the Google Voice app (iOS, Android) If you are not feeling this option for some reason, you can also simply access your Google Voice settings and forward all messages you receive to your email address. You can then reply to the email to reply to the text – a more complicated method, especially if your friends are talkative, but still an option.
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