Google Voice VoIP calling is here for all, at last

A nice "free" calling option.

Thanks for sharing this news Isamorph !!
Full wifi calling is always a great thing.

Considering the power, size & wealth of the big G - it sure has taken them a very long time to get around to this.

The last somewhat similar attempt was 'google phone', and since it required Android 7 I never tried it.
( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.dialer )
It'd be great if this latest thing will work on version 4 and up, so as to be a help for folks still using older phones - but I'm not holding my breath waiting for such a kind blessing.

Why would this be better than how GV worked till now?

Do you have full calling abilities via the GV app on a smartphone right now ??
(I have it on 2 wifi-only devices & they do not have such abilities.)

Like "Hangouts", which may be going away soon, GV now has Voip abilities that it didn't have in the past. I have also heard that its voice quality has been improved. People who have bad cell reception in their homes or wherever can benefit from the integrated GV app, assuming they have a good wifi connection.

"The Google Voice app has never supported VoIP. Hangouts has but Google is repurposing Hangouts as a G-Suite enterprise IM app. This Beta suggests that Google plans to move Google Voice VoIP calling out of Hangouts and into Voice.

The Hangouts Dialer for making VoIP calls using your Google Voice number has been available to everyone since 2014.

What's new is that the Google Voice app will be getting the ability to make VoIP calls too." ---Dennis Bournique

I do not like Google Voice because it was not able to let me do group SMS. It would split the message into multiple separate SMS, which makes group discussions impossible.

I don't think so in that the option to choose "prefer calls over wifi and data" doesn't show up on my phone yet. But then I still have my GV app connected to my Hangouts app. I believe the article mentioned that many will not receive the voip capability for about a week. Given the tons of data Google has collected from users over the year, when it comes to announcing new features, etc., they provide very little data of their own about their plans. But what phones will work with the new GV voip app remains to be seen, yet it will be nice to set up a phone with no calling plan and use it with the full GV voip features for free. And I suppose one could keep a cheap data only sim in the phone for emergencies with no wifi at hand.

Google's "Messages" attempts to cover your need.

So now it takes 2 apps to get the same features?

I believe GV does group SMS.

Gv does mms. I use pics all time

I am confused. Gv has had a dial pad for a while now. How is this new?

GV app calls can now be placed over cellular data or Wifi, instead of cellular voice. This was possible via Hangouts app, but I imagine bringing this functionality to GV app provides a better user experience.

As a whole - GV made for a huge blessing in my own life when I could no longer afford ANY phone during a time of extreme illness & zero earning capacity - for that alone I will always be grateful.

Add to the above the ability to get all call info & SMS delivered via email - it gets 'wow' status altogether.

Now, if I can add this new version to existing h/w when it arrives, and be able to easily fire that up to make and get calls via my 'home phone line' anyplace at all with wifi - that will be the icing on the already very yummy cake.

Yes, I can easily call in to that account now via cellular and make calls from that number, but this will be direct with its own dialer which will make it very easy to use as a cellular alternative.

Though I'm not a huge fan of the data collection underneath all of this stuff, the 'free services' which the big G has been providing with excellent reliability (I.E.=> the BEST spam filtering of all via gmail...) make using an open, public network even better for those of us who appreciate just how well run these services truly are.

Definitely look forward to hopefully see Google make GV better than Hangouts.

I think I have the update. Rang on my phone via WiFi despite phone being on airplane mode. :slight_smile:

I have been using the google voice beta and I have to say that the voice quality is so much more improved than hangouts which was unusable for me.

That's good news. I have read the updated GV voip app has a different and improved chassis or foundation compared to Hangouts, resulting in much improved voice quality, a quality better than most cellular voice. Let's hope so.

Would be great to also have the feature to recall SMS... occasionally we accidentally send text to wrong ppl. And sometimes our Samsung phone send it without our knowledge. :0

How can you tell if your GV app already updated to the new data calling feature?

You will be able to choose "Prefer Wi-Fi and mobile data" or "Use carrier only" in app settings.

More info: Make Google Voice calls over the internet - Computer - Google Voice Help