Google may finally be adding VoIP to Google Voice

By on Mar 8, 2011 at 9:07 AM
Services March 8, 2011

Google is taking its sweet time adding new features to Google Voice, but it looks like some big pieces of the puzzle are finally starting to fall into place. Google finished rolling out incoming number portability to all users this past January, and now it looks as though it may soon begin tying in VoIP services. Last week, Gizmo5 users began receiving notification emails saying that the service will soon be shut down. Now, VoIP blog Disruptive Telephony has discovered that VoIP calls can be placed to a Google Voice voice number by appending “@sip.voice.google.com” to create a SIP URI. BGR tested the service earlier today and we could not get it to work, suggesting that Google may currently be rolling out the functionality quietly. This is just the first step in creating a full-fledged VoIP service for Google Voice, but it’s an important first step and one that users have been waiting for since Google acquired GrandCentral in 2007.

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  • Anonymous

    What a useless service. With Cell phones and plans as cheap as they are, who wants/needs this? I can see old people; they need that old phone, and dial-tone. It’s important to them. Google VoIP = FAIL.

    • Anonymous

      You must have a Krackberry and couldn’t get Google Voice to work correctly?

      • Anonymous

        Nope…no Crackberry here…

        Just don’t see the need or relevance of such a service. Hard for you to understand that? Or do you live in a 3rd world country that needs a service like this?

      • Anonymous

        Siiiiii, I live in New Jorque! Wayyyyyy………..

        By the vay’, it really sounds like your projecting bitter feelings of a mid-life crisis; if my calculations are correct, you’ll be turning 46 this year??? Hellloooooo… 50!

        Ay caramba!!

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=25001493 Hank Godwin

        Just stop. You’re acting more and more like a half used douche.

      • http://foxpacific.myopenid.com/ James

        You won’t until you go to a place where the data signal is stronger than your cell phone signal. Then it makes all the difference in the world.

      • Chut Pata

        Nah. I think he is on a landline with a rotary phone, surfing on company computer.

      • Anonymous

        Nope…again, no need for it. Don’t have a landline. Haven’t had one for years. However, based on your knowledge of them, you must have one…?

        As for Papyinc…nope…not in my 40′s, nor am I having a “mid-life” crisis. But good try…

      • Chut Pata

        @nefan65: I agree. There is no need for a landline as well. You are probably doing very well with your messenger pigeons who deliver your message correctly most of the time.

      • Anonymous

        uhhh i have a “krackberry” and i love my google voice. it works perfectly fine on my Curve.c

    • Generatione

      It’s Only worthless now because it’s not VoIP. Who would turn down free minutes? I have been waiting for this for a long time.

    • Anonymous

      um, then don’t use it

    • Moose

      The cell reception is less than ideal in my house (although, it’s perfectly fine at the entrance of my complex so go figure) and my voice calls are often referred to being quiet or weak. If I can just hop onto my wifi network and place calls there through a much stronger signal, well.. maybe I can start talking to people on the phone again.

    • http://twitter.com/smartphone_info Smartphone Report

      Well, if they continue to offer it for FREE, you wouldn’t need a voice plan to use your phone – just a data plan. For a carrier like Verizon Wireless, this means you get unlimited everything via Google Voice for 44.99 a month – for any smartphone. Compare that to the $59.99 (voice/text) and $29.99 (data) and you can see how quickly the savings rack up.

    • Anonymous

      When LTE becomes nationwide, there will be Data only plans. VOIP google voice means you won’t have to pay for voice. I use MAYBE 200 minutes a month, but I have to pay $40/mo for the minimum voice plan. With a VOIP client, I could JUST pay for the data.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=545634778 Alan Paone

      Dude, this is for cell phones. It’ll mean you never have to pay for plan minutes or texts again, it just uses your cheaper data connection to send calls. And it’ll be integrated straight into android. This service will be amazing, the opposite of useless.

    • Anonymous

      Good grief, @nefan65 must be a top executive for a cell phone company. His post sure sounds like an ad for one — “With Cell phones and plans as cheap as they are …” WTF???? I’m switching to VoIP because of the looming AT&T monopoly that almost guarantees skyrocketing prices. They’re already quite high. Excuse me! I think the $3 per month for an unlimited plan with Skype or $10 per month with other VoIP providers is a FAR CRY from $139 per month for unlimited cell minutes. Simple math!!!

  • Anonymous

    ‘Winning!!!’

  • http://twitter.com/jonesdavide David Jones

    Using my gv number and Sipdroid Im able to make and receive calls on my G2 without a sim card as long as im on wifi. Depending on a person’s situation and wifi availability, you wouldn’t need a carrier.

    • Anonymous

      What did you put for server and port?

      And for username did you put +1 before the area code and number?

  • excido

    how is it not VoIP? if it’s not VoIP then what is it? SIP URI does not make it VoIP, skype doesn’t have an open network and you can’t call it via a SIP URI, however it’s still VoIP. Google voice is a SIP based voice service that allows you to both make and receive calls using a data IP connection, it is VoIP.

    • Suckit

      It uses your phone minutes because it calls your phone you douche. That’s not full VoIP in my opinion.

      • Chris

        He’s probably thinking of Gmail, which uses your Google Voice number and already lets you make free calls on your computer. Can’t do it on phones yet though.

      • Disgustipated

        you can, i can make and receive calls over my wifi using my google voice number and the gtalk over my phone set up in pbxes. no cell reception, hell, turn airplane mode on then switch wifi on and i can talk on my phone.

    • Anonymous

      I’ll try for a nicer response. VoIP is specifically voice communications over internet protocol where your calls utilize service on the hosting servers and for lack of a better description establish a three way call between you, the person you are calling and the server. Google Voice was just a call forwarding service. The call comes in to google and google redials your number. you gain some of the advantages of being able to record calls, set permissions and such, but google does not host the call. the line carriers still host the actual call service. it’s a bastardized description but that’s the biggest thing, hosting services.

  • Chut Pata

    Yay. Skype needs some competition. With Gizmo5 not available, Google owed this to us.

    With this and Skype, we are seeing the begining of the end of voice plans. While I do not expect this from big 4, I am pretty sure small timers like Metro PCS would soon come up with Data Only plans, and we can talk over Skype or GV.

  • Anonymous

    @ PAPINYC: “P.S. Even if you don’t use the service, in the larger scheme of things, this will only help bring down your own mobile voice plan. Economics 101: ‘Supply and Demand’ = competitive pricing, which translates into lower rates across the board.”

    Not true. Maybe against other VoIP plans, such as cable carriers, etc. but not wireless. The total number of free VoIP services to force wireless carriers to lower prices would have to be huge, and it just won’t happen. Not in the US at least…but since you seem to like to play the “Rican” it may do well in your native land. I still chuckle when I hear about how cow’s just die in the middle of the road, and no one moves them..lol..silly Puerto Rican’s…

    • Anonymous

      Actually, it’s Mejicooooooo….. waaaay ….! There are no cows in P.R., just gorgeous sun (although, I’ve not been there personally; can’t stand Jennifer and Marc).

      I do think you’re wrong, however, just look at how landlines have come down in pricing since, just about everyone [and, their grandmother & grandfather (YOU)] has a cell phone.

      MOOOOOOOOO ……..

    • Booboolala2000

      Domestic calls will be no charge. For at least the first year. Just like the rest of 2011 for making calls from Gmail.

  • Milad Arouni

    I wonder if they would start charging for the service, cuz there are existing services that port your gv into a sip url. I use mine as my home phone

    • http://foxpacific.myopenid.com/ James

      They might, but judging by the price of their other services, I doubt it will be a significant amount.

  • http://www.davidafenton.com/ DavidAFenton

    a little late…but still a big deal.

  • http://ran.myopenid.com/ RAN

    Can someone explain to me how this is new? I can already make computer to computer, computer to phone, phone to computer calls with google voice. What would this add to these existing functionalities?

    • http://twitter.com/AngstKeiner AngstKeiner

      While what you can do what you said you can do – what you can’t (Currently) do is make non-cellular usage calls to another phone or to a computer using only Google voice.

      Effectively if Google Voice does the VoIP Sip deal you can use a Wifi Connection and make a call from your phone (Or computer too for that matter) to another phone, or a computer.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=545634778 Alan Paone

      you would never have to pay for phone minutes and could just make calls over wifi or your 3g data connection. A phone call is only 12kb/s, so you don’t use a heck of a lot of data, Its way cheaper. you can also crank up the quality/clarity on wifi calls.

  • Booboolala2000

    This would be awesome. Carrier’s be damned. They have made billions from android.

  • Anonymous

    They need to open up to more Canadian users. Until then, GV is useless.

  • El Marko

    Google VOIP? I’m not sure that’s so important. In my case, the feature I’d like is the one that will replace services such as eFax. Make it possible for folks to fax me, at my Google Voice number, and have Google convert the fax to a file it sends to either my phone or as an attachment to email. Now, that would be a feature I could use!

  • http://twitter.com/matokira Mato Kira

    To-do: Get data-only plan; port existing number to Google Voice; never pay for voice or text messaging again.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6JY2VJKKMJKTQCQOMFAIXZMBME Kotto

      Until google starts charging for this service from next year

  • Bob

    Related questions I’ve never fully understood – if I’m in an area with no cellular coverage but I’m connected to a wireless hotspot, can I make a voice call? Isn’t this call then considered VoIP? Also would your carrier charge you minutes for this call?

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