It's been a long back-and-forth battle between two of the world's tech giants, but finally, Google has emerged victorious. After Apple rejected Google's Voice application, Google decided to bring similar functionality to iPhone users via the power of HTML5 in the web browser. Unfortunately, this solution isn't nearly the same as what Android users have become accustomed to, as it lacks seamless integration with the operating system.
However, times have changed. Via their Google Voice Blog, the Mountain View tech giant has announced the official Google Voice app for the iPhone. Available now in the App Store, the long awaited app will give iPhone users access to the following features:
- Cheap rates for international calls
- Free text messaging to U.S. numbers
- Voicemail transcription
- Display your Google Voice number as caller ID when making calls
In addition, Google notes that the overall experience will be much better:
- With push notifications, the app will alert you instantly when you receive a new voicemail or text message
- Most of your calls will be placed via Direct Access Numbers, making them connect just as quickly as regular phone calls
In order to take advantage of Google Voice on the iPhone, you will need to sign up at google.com/voice. The service is free, unless you're making calls outside of the US or Canada. In that case, be sure to load some cash into your account after setting it up.
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