iMessage a step Backwards for Google Voice users?

[takeshi74]

Anyone else having a similar 1 step forward and 2 back now with iMessage & Google Voice?

No but I don't use the stock Message app. I use the GV app.

You need an app that rarely works as it should to use it....

Works consistently for me. I use it all the time as I don't give out my carrier # to anyone.

VM transcription is a joke.

Depends on your callers.

90% of the time I have to listen to it because I can't understand what the hell its trying to say.

90% of the time I don't listen to my voicemail messages thanks to transcription. Obviously, YMMV.

When you're in a building with a bad signal, that gets annoying rather quickly.

I use the GV extension with Chrome which seems like it would be handy in an office building with poor coverage. No coverage issues in my building though so I haven't had to count on it.

It's also free for the other party..

How?

If you send me a message from Google Voice to my iPhone, how do I get it? I'm apparently not understanding how this works.

Read OneMike's post again. You quoted that sentence out of context. OneMike was referring to iMessage, not GV.

 

[shanezam203]

Anyone else using iMessage & google voice both? I find myself having 2 threads with contacts often. (If I create or respond to a text on google.com/voice it uses GV and then if I start on my device it uses iMessage if they are an iPhone customer.

anyone else have that same problem?

 

[MacManTexas56]

That is how I understand it too, iMessage is free SMS and picture mail; so I can understand it's value. But GV in a way is free SMS too + some advantages pointed out in this thread that only recently are available on iDevices (thanks to iOs5).

My problem is my friends having 2 conversation threads for me on their iPhone. One for my GV and one for iMessage; the point of Google Voice is 1 #...

Your GV number isn't attached to a device. So when iMessage detects if it's an iPhone it can't tell so sends as a text message. When you text your friend from your actual carrier number with iPhone plan it will detect an iPhone and send everything as iMessage as long as its turned on.

The reason it's not attached to a device is bc it's used in the app/used on gmail email calling/can be used with obi100 with a home phone. Think of it as a forwarding number that isn't attached to a real device like an iPhone etc.

iMessage and GV don't play well together.

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Anyone else using iMessage & google voice both? I find myself having 2 threads with contacts often. (If I create or respond to a text on google.com/voice it uses GV and then if I start on my device it uses iMessage if they are an iPhone customer.

anyone else have that same problem?

Give u an example. My wife and I ported our cell numbers we had for years and are now our GV numbers. We have random numbers on our actual iPhones that we have GV forward to. If I have iMessage on and text my wife to the random iPhone number from the carrier...it detects its an iPhone and sends as iMessage.

If I message her on her GV number it doesn't have a way to detect that it's an iPhone since that number isn't attached to a device..does that make sense?

When they text u via iMessage it's going straight to your iPhone via data. When they text via your GV number it gets forwarded as a text to your number...so since it is forwarded it can't detect the iPhone and sends as a text.

 

[jdastas]

I like GV, I use the number to give out to people I really don't want to contact me often, like when I sell things on Craigslist.

Just wish it could support MMS...

 

[sharpycl]

I use google voice for Work/Buisness contacts as well as a junk mail/caller number. When I don't want to be bothered by that number I just turn off Google Voice.

Do I think Google Voice is a step back? It all depends on what you use it for. iMessage can even be a benefit for those who only use there google voice number and never had the ability to send pics/vids until now.

 

[shanezam203]

Do I think Google Voice is a step back? It all depends on what you use it for. iMessage can even be a benefit for those who only use there google voice number and never had the ability to send pics/vids until now.

Sending pics is nice to another iDevice, I agree. My issue is it uses my apple registered email address or carrier cell so its not my GV # I wanted people to start only using before iOS5.

 

[MacManTexas56]

Sending pics is nice to another iDevice, I agree. My issue is it uses my apple registered email address or carrier cell so its not my GV # I wanted people to start only using before iOS5.

fyi-i replied to your PM...for some reason it sent it 3 times so ignore that lol.

it's kind of a pain, but just what i do is either email the pics or send as an MMS with my carrier. I just told my friends to save both numbers and if they really want to send an MMS send it to number 1 and texts only to number 2. They tend to do emails more..but some still send MMS.

Of course, then peeps don't understand why you have 2 numbers so i know it can be a pain haha

i'm not really a fan of iMessage so we don't use it anymore

 

[shanezam203]

Of course, then peeps don't understand why you have 2 numbers so i know it can be a pain haha

i'm not really a fan of iMessage so we don't use it anymore

Same here. iMessage is nice because its free picture mail and chat, but it doesn't do 100% of what GV does for me. (replying on a PC, 1 # for friends to save)

 

[iceterminal]

google voice is just epic! Especially when you are overseas and text back or even calling for free with GV connect without any international charge.

I was under the impression that GV was NOT voip. Thus using GV to call someone from overseas would in fact use cellular. And that would destroy you with roaming charges.
Am I incorrect in this? But I'm also not sure about GV texting. Is that data/wifi or not? How does that work from/to overseas?

 

[MacManTexas56]

I was under the impression that GV was NOT voip. Thus using GV to call someone from overseas would in fact use cellular. And that would destroy you with roaming charges.
Am I incorrect in this? But I'm also not sure about GV texting. Is that data/wifi or not? How does that work from/to overseas?

It depends on how you use GV. There are some apps like Talkatone or GrooveIP (android) where it's a VOIP and uses your GV number so you can talk on data kinda like how skype works. Then, if you sign into gmail.com you can make calls for free or super cheap to other countries if you are dialing a number in the other country. If someone in the other country uses GV it would all be free. But it's all over VOIP though.

to do VOIP you have to use those apps or talk through the gmail online website. The standard GV way is not capable it's just a forwarding service if that makes sense.

you can also setup VOIP at your house with a little box called an OBI100 or OBI110. You then connect that to ethernet and can send all your GV calls to that and it's free no monthly fee. GV is awesome..you can do so many things.

 

[xraydoc]

I had an Android 2.x device at one point (before the iPhone 4 came out on Verizon) and the Google Voice experience on Android is way better than on the iPhone. While it seems obvious, I think it's worth noting.

The dialer, the SMS app and other core Android features integrate much, much better in to Google Voice than is possible on iOS (without a jailbreak and much hacking). Quite seamless on Android; clearly a bolt-on with iOS.

 

[shanezam203]

I had an Android 2.x device at one point (before the iPhone 4 came out on Verizon) and the Google Voice experience on Android is way better than on the iPhone. While it seems obvious, I think it's worth noting.

The dialer, the SMS app and other core Android features integrate much, much better in to Google Voice than is possible on iOS (without a jailbreak and much hacking). Quite seamless on Android; clearly a bolt-on with iOS.

yeah my girlfriends Evo 3d integrates with GV on Sprint much better than the iPhone.

 

[endless17]

GV's convenience for me is the ease at responding to and sending SMS messages. At work I'm not one to check my phone every minute, so having Chrome with the GV extension lets me handle my texts with minimal downtime on my workstation.

I also appreciate having all my conversations stored on Google's servers - it allows me to pick up the conversation and its history regardless of what device i'm using - be it my Mac, PC, iPad or iPhone.

iMessage is only superior when it comes to embedding picture in images, a feature that GV does not have on iOS yet.

 

[shanezam203]

Also I'm not getting all iMessages on my iPad, only my iPhone.

any idea why?

 

[icupcake]

To get iMessages on your iPad they have to be sending them to your registered email address, not your phone number. I've had a heck of a time trying to make sure my contacts all use my email instead of my phone number (they just don't get it). I want to get my messages on both devices and don't want to be charged for receiving texts. Kind of a frustrating / confusing way for apple to have set it up IMHO.

I'm also a big fan of GV but I very often picture message so iMessage works better with my iDevice toting friends. I give my GV number out to everyone else. I wish there was a great app out there for GV. I think I've tried them all and while a few are ok, none are even close to the stock apple app for ease and reliability. And until GV opens up fully in Canada, I won't be switching everything entirely anyway. Guess it will be two numbers for me for the time being.

 

[shanezam203]

It will be nice once GV integrates picture messaging 100%, once that is done I won't need iMessage either.

I am having great luck with Google Voice and the 2 extensions GV SMS and Phone Extension in cydia and I can send SMS's from Apple interface and they come from my GV #. So all is well in that front, issue comes in when I go to another iPhone user it sends from my carrier phone # and not GV so it causes confusion.

 

[willpower101]

Gv SMS extension lets you use the native app.

The biggest benifit of iMessage is that you can send or receive txt messages out in the middle of nowhere on a bad edge connection because it uses less data. This is harder with normal text And often I'll get a bunch at once when getting back to 3G.

I agree thy it integrates poorly though. I'd like to be able to toogle between iMessage and gv SMS within the native app more easily. Like turning hdr on and off in the photo app.

 

[BiggAW]

I have GV, but I found it a lackluster replacement for SMS, so I just kept on using regular SMS.

iMessage is nicer than SMS, but it is not at all disruptive, as you're still going to have people on Android who can't use it (in my case probably 80% of my texts) so it doesn't cut the cord on carrier SMS.

What I would like is the computer aspect of GV, but I haven't found a solution that works well yet to do that. If Apple would use iMessage to synchronize my whole iMessage and SMS inbox to iChat, it would be great, as I could SMS on my MBP's keyboard.

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Anyone else using iMessage & google voice both? I find myself having 2 threads with contacts often. (If I create or respond to a text on google.com/voice it uses GV and then if I start on my device it uses iMessage if they are an iPhone customer.

anyone else have that same problem?

I don't get why you're using both. If you want to use GV, just use GV, and don't use iMessage. You wouldn't ever touch the stock phone or messaging apps if you used GV all the time...

 

[Primejimbo]

I hate GV app. I answer a text and the badge still shows I have an unread message, so I have to go back and "refresh" the messages. Why can't the badge go away when I replay?

 

[rocknblogger]

Now that GV for iPhone works with Sprint better I may have to give it a try again.

 

[shanezam203]

I have GV, but I found it a lackluster replacement for SMS, so I just kept on using regular SMS.

iMessage is nicer than SMS, but it is not at all disruptive, as you're still going to have people on Android who can't use it (in my case probably 80% of my texts) so it doesn't cut the cord on carrier SMS.

What I would like is the computer aspect of GV, but I haven't found a solution that works well yet to do that. If Apple would use iMessage to synchronize my whole iMessage and SMS inbox to iChat, it would be great, as I could SMS on my MBP's keyboard.

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I don't get why you're using both. If you want to use GV, just use GV, and don't use iMessage. You wouldn't ever touch the stock phone or messaging apps if you used GV all the time...

I use both because google voice doesn't have picture mail, so between iPhone devices I use iMessage. others I use GV on my iPhone or PC and I am fine.

 

[BiggAW]

I use both because google voice doesn't have picture mail, so between iPhone devices I use iMessage. others I use GV on my iPhone or PC and I am fine.

Oh ok, that makes sense I guess. I forgot all about MMS, since it isn't exactly popular in the US market at least.

 

[ericrwalker]

Oh ok, that makes sense I guess. I forgot all about MMS, since it isn't exactly popular in the US market at least.

Really? Nearly everyone I know sends pictures and videos through text message(MMS). Usually jokes, or holiday text.

This is the only reason I haven't ported my cellphone number to GV yet, is because I would miss out on those.

 

[takeshi74]

Oh ok, that makes sense I guess. I forgot all about MMS, since it isn't exactly popular in the US market at least.

Don't mistake you preference for a general trend. MMS is definitely used quite a bit in the US.

Really? Nearly everyone I know sends pictures and videos through text message(MMS). Usually jokes, or holiday text.

This is the only reason I haven't ported my cellphone number to GV yet, is because I would miss out on those.

I happily use GV and don't miss those myself. Obviously, YMMV.

 

[Tinmania]

The biggest benifit of iMessage is that you can send or receive txt messages out in the middle of nowhere on a bad edge connection because it uses less data. This is harder with normal text And often I'll get a bunch at once when getting back to 3G.

Harder for normal text?

In the middle of nowhere you might not have any data connection at all--only voice. SMS will still work. iMessage or any other service that requires internet access will not.

Living in the desert I often am driving "in the middle of nowhere" and have been able to send and receive SMS yet had no data. This happens to me all the time on I-40 between the CA/AZ border and Barstow, CA.

In fact in these situations I have seen iMessage fail at sending then resent as text 5 minutes later. That would not be possible with GV or any other texting app.

So I see the advantage of iMessage. But not because it uses data--rather because it can revert to text and therefor will not need data.



Michael

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Really? Nearly everyone I know sends pictures and videos through text message(MMS). Usually jokes, or holiday text.

I agree... and it is increasing.

The lame forwarded jokes and pics that you have already seen 100 times and could blissfully ignore in email now come through on MMS. Yay!



Michael