Install the Google Voice application if you use that text number

I like Google Voice. The day Google decides that, like Google Photos, it’s worth paying for, I could pull the trigger; having a secondary phone number that you can send to the real one, thus hiding the latter, is incredibly useful. And the day Google Voice disappears – it should ever appear – I will be very sad.

How easy it is to use Google Voice, in the sense that you simply enter its settings and choose the option redirects calls and / or text messages to your real number, Google makes a change, which means you’ll now need to download the app to your device if you want to make the most of the service’s capabilities. According to a recent Android Police report, Google will soon remove the ability to forward text messages from your Google Voice number to your real phone number.

As Michael Crider writes:

This is particularly bad news for those of us who have used Google Voice just as effectively as our only phone number, redirecting it to new SIMs and devices as we receive them. Phones tend to rely on their default text messaging application for integration with many other services. Google Voice usually covers them, but isn’t particularly friendly with the rest of Android outside of the basics for notifications.

However, before blaming Google for making this change, you know it’s not actually Google fault around this hour. Apparently, a number of carriers are starting to block these forwarded text messages“Maybe incorrectly assuming I’m spam.” My guess is that Google would rather have an easy-to-manage experience (in this case, no features at all), rather than an inconsistent one.

So if you want to view and reply to text messages that are sent to your Google Voice number, you’ll probably want to install the Google Voice application (iOS, Android). If you do not feel this option for any reason, you can access your Google Voice settings and forward every message you receive to your email address. Then you can reply to the email to reply to the text – a a heavier method, especially if your friends are talking, but still an option.