Google Voice has been around for years, and also for that long time the company has not given it any updates. In terms of technology, it's like forever never.
But when people started to think that Google has forgotten about the product, the company finally gave it a new look and features.
Voice service allows users to use telephony features like voicemail transcription with a single phone number. On January 23rd, 2017, the VoIP calling service for mobile and the web is now tasting its first meaningful update after five long years.
The first and the biggest change is the design. Across its web, Android and iOS apps, Google Voice has been revamped with a design that is in line the more modern look-and-feel the company is promoting across its products. Embracing its colorful design language, the Material Design, Voice is looking more like its other siblings in Google's product lineup.
The relaunch also includes several new features, such as support for photo-sharing, group conversation and more. The app's inbox is now having separate tabs for text messages, calls and voicemail. Voice is also allowing threaded conversations with each having their own separate tabs.
Google is also working with mobile operators to bring rich messaging through RCS to its users. Recently rolled out to Android Phones on several carrier, it allows users to take the advantages of the next-generation of SMS technology that includes enhanced messaging experience similar to Apple's iMessage.
The updated Google Voice is launching in a phased rollout. Android is receiving the update first, followed by iOS. The web version is available to those who have updated their mobile app first in order to make experience consistent across devices.
The update for Voice has been teased from a few weeks before its release. With the visual refresh, Google is bringing Voice in line with Google's other apps. Besides the aesthetic redesign and new features, Google has also invested its resources to improve Voice's underlying infrastructure.
What this means is that the app should offer better voice transcription, better call quality and better reliability among other improvements.
However, Voice is just another app among lots and lots of other apps that are available for a similar purpose.
While the update, as Google claims, is committed to prevent Voice from falling into the neglected state, it needs more convincing to do. First of all, Google needs to make up those time Voice has lost.
While the new Voice feels like a more viable alternative to the default messaging client on smartphones and the web, Google is also maintaining Hangouts, another Google product that is pretty much the same. It also has the messaging app Allo and FaceTime rival Duo. Even without including how the many apps in the market that can do similar things, Google's own products are having a lot of overlap, and that can be confusing for users.
Updating Voice is only Google's hope for giving it another shot.
Despite all that, for the many Google Voice users had been disappointed to see the simple but useful app ignored, but didn't want to shift to Hangouts. Google's update is giving them a chance to stay on the app.