The New Google Voice: Love or Hate? - Comments Page 1

Thank You for the tip about legacy voice. I was not liking the new Google Voice very much after being slammed into it. I like the ability to ease into changes so my workflow isn't impacted. This helps a lot.

Thanks for the write up. It seems the BEST improvement for the NEW version is being able to go back to the OLD version :-)

Thank you very helpful article as always.

Thank you Bob for pointing out, how to get to the Legacy Google voice. I spent time on the 'New" voice to figure out to call new numbers. Well, with your help it is solved and hopefully Google will put that feature in the new Voice. I usually call International numbers ( I use mobile for US calls). So, Google will get money for the call as International is charged, but their rate is great ! Keep up the Good work, Bob! Best wishes ~ Hira

Was hoping the long-overdue update would make Google Voice my GoTo for voice calls, so I could finally dump that convoluted Hangouts app. But from your review, that's clearly not the case... yet, anyway. And their history suggests that since they don't understand the concepts of simple, intuitive design, it's not likely to be anytime soon. Tanx for your thoughts on the app. It would be great if a few folks over at Google would take some of it to heart...

What's happening at Google? They screw up Voice and Google Maps also changed for the worse.

You can't permanently delete without legacy as well.

Jumped to use Google Voice when first offered and even dropped my landline. I do not use a cell phone so Voice kept me connected. Then Hangouts; I never got the 'hang' of it. Now with the new Google Voice its best option IS the Legacy Google Voice. If Google is working on reducing their market share, they are headed in the right direct.

I have used GV for years, living in a foreign country when it was 1¢/minute, it was great! Then it went Free! I have not had the "New" GV installed... yet, but I have noticed during the past month that 98% of calls from the computer just don't go thru.. no ring, no message, just dumps the no-call after 45 seconds. I call a lot of different numbers (mostly to elected officials) but I notice that if the name/number isn't in my Contact List, it doesn't seem to save a record of that number called. GV was great and I hope it continues to be.... even if they put the 1¢/minute back on.

I think it's amusing and sad to watch companies get large and then wander towards entropy. I'm not seeing Google immune.
They have great products initially and then they collectively lose their mind. Products get complicated, opaque and head towards irrelevance. Android is much more complicated and harder to use - at least as a phone than the earlier releases. They drop Picasa in favor of some cloud based confusion. An as OP noted, Google Maps and now Google Voice. They need to hire ordinary people to Beta their products and listen to them.

The sole use I make of the new Voice is to transfer to Legacy.
I am grateful to Google for the service, and they have a right to destroy it, though the cost to a large number of users would be embarrassing.

Bob,

I cannot seem to find the "Legacy" button on my Googlevoice. After I hit the three dots, the only options that show up are: "People and Options; Archive; Mark as Spam; Block Number;" and "Delete." No "Legacy" shows up. As a result, I cannot call out to any new numbers, only the ones I already have.

What am I doing wrong?

DanD

Unfortunately, the feature to "send photos via SMS message" can only be achieved if the file resides on the cloud. I am finding out that such image files cannot be pasted from local device memory or drive.

Bob,

I found the Legacy function.

DanD

Correction: 3rd paragraph from bottom:
"Overall, this update appear pretty slap-dash..."
should be:
"Overall, this update appearS pretty slap-dash..."

Hate it. You best summarized it as "Overall, this update appear pretty slap-dash." Google must be taking lessons from the Windows 10 designers.

One function "old" Voice replaced by 3 functions: "new" Voice, Contacts, Hangout.

Fortunately I found the Legacy Voice.

There must have been a great hue and outcry about this update 'cause this morning (Mar09) I find that my link to the "new" Voice directs me to the "old" Voice.

Good article, Bob, but a couple of things seem different in my iPhone version of the app. (1) I can't find any legacy option. Maybe this is an Android-only ability? (2) Tapping the dialer icon on the bottom row calls up a number keypad with which I can dial any number, including numbers I've never called before. Weird that this is in the iOS app but not Android, since Google owns the latter. But I just tried it to make sure, and it definitely works.

Maybe this is a new update that rolled out just add you were paying your article. It does seem like a bug, not a feature.

Google began as a song and went to pot.
Looks like a case of bard to voice.

I HATE the new Google Voice. They took something that was already a challenge to use and made it worse. I am searching for a new app to use that doesn't involve switching between new and old and different apps just to make a call.
Any suggestions?

Thankfully I navigated to Legacy in 30 seconds on day one of the new Google
voice. The new voice: an abomination.