3 ms·

Why my friends hate Google Voice

14 points by kevruger 16y ago

KeithMajhor 16y ago
During the brief period in which I used Google Voice on my Samsung Epic 4G, I noticed poor audio quality.
- erikpukinskis 16y ago
  Yeah, the audio quality when using the VOIP on wifi (which I think you need an old gizmo5 account to do?) is terrible. But I haven't noticed any difference using the standard callback method. As far as I know, it shouldn't really be any different, as Google isn't brokering the actual audio... they're just connecting you using your existing network. I've certainly never noticed any difference on Verizon.
  - sabat 16y ago
    which I think you need an old gizmo5 account to do? Not anymore. You can do VOIP calls through a browser, and I do them with my iPhone using the Talkatone app (free). (Ironic that this is through GV but Google's GV app doesn't support VOIP calls; someone else had to implement that.)
- stcredzero 16y ago
  I've noticed poorer audio quality when using callbacks through GV, which immediately improved when I called direct from the same phone.
nollidge 16y ago
Sounds like Google Voice isn't the problem, so much as her switching between various phones a lot. If she wasn't, they'd have, at most, two numbers to contend with: the GV number, and the carrier number.
- Semiapies 16y ago
  She specifically tries to deny that, but that seems to be exactly the issue.
- glenjamin 16y ago
  The main issue seems to be that the people she talks to have no way to identify which of the various numbers she contacts them from is the Google Voice number.
  - stcredzero 16y ago
    I have the same difficulty she desribes. It would help if Google Voice was consistent about how it presented caller ID numbers to people I called. It should be the case, that if I call through Google Voice, I get presented as calling from my GV number. That would make it easy for my friends, as they could just hit my call on their Recent Calls list like they do for everyone else. Google Voice doesn't present caller ID consistently. Sometimes, it comes across as "Unknown." To reach some of my friends who won't answer an "Unknown" call, this means I am forced to call directly from another number of mine, which creates a habitually attractive call-back option (Recent calls) what won't have my Google Voice number. In short: Google Voice still has a long way to go!
mdonahoe 16y ago
What does the supply of phone numbers look like? Imagine if Google assigned Google Voice numbers for all of my contacts, even if that person wasn't on Google Voice yet. Then I can program that number into my normal phone to reach that contact. Google gets a call from my phone to that number, and initiates a call from my google voice number to my friend's actual number. Does that make sense?
- ydant 16y ago
  They sort of do already - http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/07/faster-dialing-with-google-voice-on.html http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/07/faster-dialing-with...
busted 16y ago
Her friends don't hate Google Voice, they hate that she doesn't use it enough. Google Voice is the exact solution to her problem, but since she only SOMETIMES uses it for outgoing calls and texts, it completely loses its purpose. This she blames on the tediousness of using the GV app. Sorry but at the moment that's the price you have to pay if you want to test 10 smartphones and be able to be reached on one number (for free!).
wh-uws 16y ago
Why does it take so long for Google Voice messages to come to your phone? I've waited all the way from 30 minutes to 4 hours to receive one message.
- peterwwillis 16y ago
  That, and the dependence on a stable data connection to initiate a call, and sometimes DTMF (dialpad) doesn't work with automated systems (reproducible, so i'm not crazy). To alleviate the slow messaging sometimes i'll use GV's SMS gateway which for some reason is faster than texting with the GV app itself.
robinhowlett 16y ago
I've used GV with my iPhone 4, HTC EVO 4G and HTC Hero. Also with SkypeIn/Out numbers. Mirrors my experience, especially on iPhone: freezes often, messages can be delayed, unreliable voice service, voicemail transcription is rarely accurate. As soon as there is a problem and I have to switch to my carrier number, and confusion exists again. I also run into the problem stcredzero describes; showing up as "Unknown", forcing me to move back to carrier number. In short the biggest benefit I get from GV is actually the Chrome extension where I can send SMS messages very quickly and play voicemails (the transcription is usually useless) - really wish Apple would acknowledge that tying your phone to a browser is really powerful. I've switched to giving out my GV number professionally and using my carrier number for close friends and family. That vanity number is just not worth it. Disclaimer: I am not an idiot and I understand how GV works.
smokey_the_bear 16y ago
My fiance and I write mobile apps together, so we have a pile of iphones and androids, and one Google Voice number that rings them all. It's like a throwback to when a family just had one household line. Except sometimes we're not together so we both have to guess who should answer based on the caller ID. Even worse, all of our text messages go only to my email inbox. Luckily, we get fewer than five a month. It does really annoy our friends, but most have figured it out after two years of this setup. Mostly we just communicate via email and gchat. It is pretty crazy when the phone rings at home though, Gizmo goes off on both our computers, the landline and two extensions start ringing, and the three mobile phones.
andrenotgiant 16y ago
I was lucky to adopt Google Voice when I was coming back to live in the US after a long stint in the UK. I had abandoned my old phone number, and now no one even knows my new Carrier-assigned phone number, I LOVE it because there is never any information that is ONLY available on my phone. For example, if I left my phone somewhere, I can still see all my missed calls and texts.

14 points by kevruger 16y ago

KeithMajhor 16y ago

During the brief period in which I used Google Voice on my Samsung Epic 4G, I noticed poor audio quality.

erikpukinskis 16y ago
Yeah, the audio quality when using the VOIP on wifi (which I think you need an old gizmo5 account to do?) is terrible. But I haven't noticed any difference using the standard callback method. As far as I know, it shouldn't really be any different, as Google isn't brokering the actual audio... they're just connecting you using your existing network. I've certainly never noticed any difference on Verizon.
- sabat 16y ago
  which I think you need an old gizmo5 account to do? Not anymore. You can do VOIP calls through a browser, and I do them with my iPhone using the Talkatone app (free). (Ironic that this is through GV but Google's GV app doesn't support VOIP calls; someone else had to implement that.)
stcredzero 16y ago
I've noticed poorer audio quality when using callbacks through GV, which immediately improved when I called direct from the same phone.

nollidge 16y ago

Sounds like Google Voice isn't the problem, so much as her switching between various phones a lot. If she wasn't, they'd have, at most, two numbers to contend with: the GV number, and the carrier number.

Semiapies 16y ago
She specifically tries to deny that, but that seems to be exactly the issue.
glenjamin 16y ago
The main issue seems to be that the people she talks to have no way to identify which of the various numbers she contacts them from is the Google Voice number.
- stcredzero 16y ago
  I have the same difficulty she desribes. It would help if Google Voice was consistent about how it presented caller ID numbers to people I called. It should be the case, that if I call through Google Voice, I get presented as calling from my GV number. That would make it easy for my friends, as they could just hit my call on their Recent Calls list like they do for everyone else. Google Voice doesn't present caller ID consistently. Sometimes, it comes across as "Unknown." To reach some of my friends who won't answer an "Unknown" call, this means I am forced to call directly from another number of mine, which creates a habitually attractive call-back option (Recent calls) what won't have my Google Voice number. In short: Google Voice still has a long way to go!

mdonahoe 16y ago

What does the supply of phone numbers look like? Imagine if Google assigned Google Voice numbers for all of my contacts, even if that person wasn't on Google Voice yet. Then I can program that number into my normal phone to reach that contact. Google gets a call from my phone to that number, and initiates a call from my google voice number to my friend's actual number. Does that make sense?

ydant 16y ago
They sort of do already - http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/07/faster-dialing-with-google-voice-on.html http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/07/faster-dialing-with...

busted 16y ago

Her friends don't hate Google Voice, they hate that she doesn't use it enough. Google Voice is the exact solution to her problem, but since she only SOMETIMES uses it for outgoing calls and texts, it completely loses its purpose. This she blames on the tediousness of using the GV app. Sorry but at the moment that's the price you have to pay if you want to test 10 smartphones and be able to be reached on one number (for free!).

wh-uws 16y ago

Why does it take so long for Google Voice messages to come to your phone? I've waited all the way from 30 minutes to 4 hours to receive one message.

peterwwillis 16y ago
That, and the dependence on a stable data connection to initiate a call, and sometimes DTMF (dialpad) doesn't work with automated systems (reproducible, so i'm not crazy). To alleviate the slow messaging sometimes i'll use GV's SMS gateway which for some reason is faster than texting with the GV app itself.

robinhowlett 16y ago

I've used GV with my iPhone 4, HTC EVO 4G and HTC Hero. Also with SkypeIn/Out numbers. Mirrors my experience, especially on iPhone: freezes often, messages can be delayed, unreliable voice service, voicemail transcription is rarely accurate. As soon as there is a problem and I have to switch to my carrier number, and confusion exists again. I also run into the problem stcredzero describes; showing up as "Unknown", forcing me to move back to carrier number. In short the biggest benefit I get from GV is actually the Chrome extension where I can send SMS messages very quickly and play voicemails (the transcription is usually useless) - really wish Apple would acknowledge that tying your phone to a browser is really powerful. I've switched to giving out my GV number professionally and using my carrier number for close friends and family. That vanity number is just not worth it. Disclaimer: I am not an idiot and I understand how GV works.

smokey_the_bear 16y ago

My fiance and I write mobile apps together, so we have a pile of iphones and androids, and one Google Voice number that rings them all. It's like a throwback to when a family just had one household line. Except sometimes we're not together so we both have to guess who should answer based on the caller ID. Even worse, all of our text messages go only to my email inbox. Luckily, we get fewer than five a month. It does really annoy our friends, but most have figured it out after two years of this setup. Mostly we just communicate via email and gchat. It is pretty crazy when the phone rings at home though, Gizmo goes off on both our computers, the landline and two extensions start ringing, and the three mobile phones.

andrenotgiant 16y ago

I was lucky to adopt Google Voice when I was coming back to live in the US after a long stint in the UK. I had abandoned my old phone number, and now no one even knows my new Carrier-assigned phone number, I LOVE it because there is never any information that is ONLY available on my phone. For example, if I left my phone somewhere, I can still see all my missed calls and texts.