Mountain View, California — Search engine giant Google Inc. on Tuesday made it more alluring for people to try its nascent Google Voice service that now allows users to retain their existing phone numbers, removing a barrier that potentially expands the appeal of the emerging, and controversial, service but with limited features. This means that even if you do not get a new Google number, you can still get Google Voicemail.
Earlier, if you created a Google Voice account, you would have to avail a unique Google number to function as a single point of communication for multiple gadgets, said Craig Walker, group product manager. The new version only works with one mobile-phone line but does not include as many features.
“This allowed us to offer features like call forwarding, screening, and recording,” explains Google Voice Product Manager Pierre Lebeau. “But we know not everyone wants to start using a new phone number, so we have been working on another option for people who are willing to trade some features for the ability to keep their existing number.”
“It is a big deal,” Walker said in an interview. The service “addresses the segment of the market that does not want to get a new number, only uses one number already — and they can now get the benefits of Google Voice without having to give out a new number.”
An analyst said Google Voice is relaxing up years of monopoly “craziness.” Users who accept a new Google phone number get all the Google Voice features. Google Voice, a service that lets users consolidate and simplify the ways in which they make and receive phone calls, has taken a step to alleviate what many observers saw as a key problem.
Google Voice offers an assortment of voicemail management features, including unlimited storage and text transcription of voicemail messages. The service also enables consumers to make low-priced international calls by routing portions of the call over Google’s infrastructure and the Internet.
Users who sign up for Google Voice with their own number get:
If users elect to get a new Google number, they will get that stuff as well as:
- One number that reaches you on all your phones
- SMS via email
- Call screening
- Listen In
- Call recording
- Conference calling
- Call blocking
Walker said the call-forwarding feature did not require striking special deals with the phone carriers.
“Virtually all the carriers already allow this,” said Walker.
In any case, if you adopts Google Voice with your existing mobile phone number, you can take your Google Voicemail with you if you change carrier at some point.
“If you already have a Google number, this new feature should also help with the transition to your new number, as you can now forward unanswered calls to your mobile phone to your Google Voice account,” says Lebeau. “This way, people who still call your old number will reach the same voicemail as people who call your Google Voice number.”
Google Voice is available on an invitation-only test mode in the United States. Invitations can be requested online here. Or if you know someone who is already using the service, you can ask them to send you an invitation.
“Google Voice is about giving you more control over your communications,” Walker, Paquet, and Lebeau said. “We hope this new option makes it easier for you to manage your messages and personalize your voicemail experience.”