14 DAY TRIAL // Google never said it would drop support for its Voice application, but it didn't focus on its development either, especially in the last year or so. Google Voice remained behind competition, but the search giant is determined to change that.
Google Voice has been resurrected this year, as the developers have announced a new version is now available for both the Android and iOS platforms. On top of that, the desktop application has been updated as well.
“It’s been several years since we’ve made significant updates to the Google Voice apps (and by several, we mean around five ?), but today we’re bringing a fresh set of features to Google Voice,” states Jan Jedrzejowicz, Product Manager, Google Voice.
The most obvious change is the new, clean UI. Google Voice has a more intuitive design, which should allow users to keep everything organized much more easily. For example, the inbox now features separate tabs for text messages, calls and voicemails.
In addition, Google confirms that conversations will remain in one continuous thread, so users can see all their messages from each of their contacts in one place.
Moreover, the latest update upgrades some messaging-related features by adding support for group and photo MMS, along with in-notification replies.
But there's more, as Google has announced that its Voice app will soon feature voicemail transcription for Spanish and better accuracy over time.
Although these are all the new features and improvements included in the new Google Voice application, the developers promise they will keep adding new stuff through timely updates.
According to Google, those who currently use Hangouts for Google Voice communication won't need to change to the new apps. Still, the search giant does recommend users to try them out since they are constantly updated with new features and improvements.
It's also worth noting that all the changes that we reported about will be rolled out starting today, and they will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.