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Even more frustrating, reading this just reminds me how much better the google voice solution to this problem is and it predated iMessage by several years. Goo

Even more frustrating, reading this just reminds me how much better the google voice solution to this problem is and it predated iMessage by several years. Google has just let it atrophy - then they introduced hangouts late (relative to other chat apps in the market) and still have not integrated the google voice features or pushed them with android. Does anyone who works at/worked at Google know why this happened? Were they trying to turn the telecoms into dumb pipes with the original Nexus and gizmo5 purchase, but when that failed just abandoned the idea? You'd think the success of whatsapp and facebook chat would make chat a priority. If people communicate using your platform they're more likely to use your account for other things.

ccozan 13y ago
To be honest, Hangouts of Google does a pretty nice job of SMS integration and multidevice communication. First: if a person has SMS and also a google account, they are just put toghether under the same hood, but they don't get mixed, just get sorted. An SMS goes associated with the number so I would not receive a SMS as a talk message or what ever. Second: if I am getting a message ( over Gtalk or Hangouts ) all my devices ( including Chrome) are receiving it in the same (relative) time. No stealing around, all my conversations are sync'd everywhere.
- voltagex_ 13y ago
  Not quite. I have a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 5. If I turn my 4 on, I'll get notifications (and sound/vibration) only on the 4, until I start using the 5 again. Strangely this doesn't seem to hold true if I use Hangouts on my computer (messages alert all devices)
w1ntermute 13y ago
Word on the street is that they're going to kill Google Voice soon and integrate its functionality into Hangouts. They've taken the first step by integrating regular SMS into Hangouts, so it can't be hard now. I hope it happens soon, but until then there are client-side hacks (such as XVoice+) that you can use to achieve the same functionality.

ccozan 13y ago

To be honest, Hangouts of Google does a pretty nice job of SMS integration and multidevice communication. First: if a person has SMS and also a google account, they are just put toghether under the same hood, but they don't get mixed, just get sorted. An SMS goes associated with the number so I would not receive a SMS as a talk message or what ever. Second: if I am getting a message ( over Gtalk or Hangouts ) all my devices ( including Chrome) are receiving it in the same (relative) time. No stealing around, all my conversations are sync'd everywhere.

voltagex_ 13y ago
Not quite. I have a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 5. If I turn my 4 on, I'll get notifications (and sound/vibration) only on the 4, until I start using the 5 again. Strangely this doesn't seem to hold true if I use Hangouts on my computer (messages alert all devices)

w1ntermute 13y ago

Word on the street is that they're going to kill Google Voice soon and integrate its functionality into Hangouts. They've taken the first step by integrating regular SMS into Hangouts, so it can't be hard now. I hope it happens soon, but until then there are client-side hacks (such as XVoice+) that you can use to achieve the same functionality.