How Does Google Voice WebApp on iPhone Compare to Native Android App?
Earlier today Google unveiled their new Google Voice WebApp for iPhone. Sure you can place calls, send text messages, get your voice mail, and access all of your account settings but TiPb was curious how it would stack up to the real-deal native app on Google’s own Android platform.
For the full scoop and screenshots, follow me after the break!
If you are a Google Voice user, the first thing you will want to do is add Google’s crafty little icons for each part of Google Voice directly to your iPhone Home Screen. Doing so gives you quick access to contacts, the dialer, the voicemail/SMS inbox, and create new SMS pages. Once you select the icon of your choice, Safari pulls up the iPhone optimized WebApp and you’re good to go. So, for example, tapping the Google Voice icon will bring you straight to the dialer just as you’d expect — fast and simple.
Next up we have contacts and that too is laid out very nicely. You get your top called or messaged contacts along with your complete contact list and a search button to search through your contacts. It is important to note you must have your contacts in your Gmail account to access them as this WebApp can not access the contacts stored on your phone.
Going into the inbox you will see not only your SMS messages but your voice mail as well. When you select a voice mail it shows a transcript of the message that was left for you (or I should say it tries it’s best to do so). You have three choices for voice mail — have a transcript sent to via email, via SMS, or open it directly in the WebApp.
So what we have here is a very good effort on Google’s part to work with their hands tied behind their back due to Apple rejecting the Google Voice App Store application. Is it as good as the native Android Google Voice app? Not even close.
At the end of the day even though it is a great WebApp, it’s still just a WebApp. It can’t access your local iPhone contacts, only your online Google Contacts. The bigger issue, however — and one even a native App Store Google Voice app would suffer from — is that’s it is not integrated into the OS the way it is on Android.
If it was, you could receive calls and SMS from your Google Voice number right on your iPhone. On Android, your Google Voice number can become your phone number. No WebApp, or iPhone app, can currently provide that level of integration and there’s no sign Apple has any interest in ever allowing one to.
So, on the bright side, the Google Voice WebApp is close to as good as an App Store app could be.
Below are some screen shots of the native Android Google Voice application.
January 26th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Is that any surprise?
It’s GOOGLE voice on a GOOGLE device.
That’s like setting up a test to see if iPhone sync works better on another device compared to the iPhone…
January 26th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
first!
January 26th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Thanks, Rene. I’m switching to Android!
January 26th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
I’ve used the GV app from the Cydia store and have not been successful in using it as a second line, I am unable to make offline calls. But when it comes down to it, it’s the only app out there and will continue using it. Google v Apple, only the consumers hurt…
January 26th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Google will sync your contacts with your google voice account so there is really no need to access your phone contacts.
January 26th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
In your Google Voice settings, choose to forward your Google Voice SMS to your email & forward your Google Voice calls to your cell phone number. You can reply to Google Voice SMS via email (it’ll be received as a regular SMS by the recipient) and you won’t have to pay AT&T any of those outrageous $0.20 per sent (or received!) SMS charges. (You still have to use your plan minutes to make/receive Google Voice calls.)
January 26th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Export your Address book contacts–File–Export—Export Group vCard.
Then go into your Google Voice homepage and on the Contacts page there is an option to import the vCard data you just exported from Apple’s address book.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
How you get the SMS desktop icon that is shown in the screenshot in this post? i have the google voice icon, but cant figure out the others.
Thanks
January 26th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Better than the old website but I do miss the address book access
January 26th, 2010 at 10:29 pm
I love google’s aesthetic for web apps. It looks so clean and cute. I think Android apps are really ugly. I don’t understand why they make them look like that.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
Just go here and sync learn to sync everything.
http://www.google.com/mobile/sync/
It wasn’t as easy as it says but after you get things to sync the first time it will continue syncing.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
If I’m right you should be able to go to any of the different features within the webapp and from there save them as homepage icons.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:59 am
So lots of fuss for nothing. Google should have just done this originally. As if Apple/AT&T were ever going to encourage a complete takeover of their software & network…
January 27th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Can someone please send me an invite. I really need a google number_Thanks
January 27th, 2010 at 11:07 am
@frog
They went native because native is a better experience, duh. As for complete takover — wow, FUD much? This would be just another app on the phone, that a person could choose to use, or not. Apple is afraid to have their phone and messaging apps compete on even terms, so they blocked the app — oh, sorry, Mr FCC, it is still just “under review.” Google changed to a webapp, which gets the job done, but which is less convenient.
Apple is well within their rights here, but the deserve a big raspberry, and this sort of childishness is the about the only complaint and long-term fear I have for my iPhone. While the webapp nature is less convenient, there are several features of Google Voice that are simply better than the built-in apps. By blocking Google Voice, Apple is sheltering their own products from the competition, and removing their own motivation to improve. As Paul Graham wrote:
“An organization that wins by exercising power starts to lose the ability to win by doing better work.”
January 27th, 2010 at 11:07 am
Dennis, if you have Gmail already, just go to google.com/voice and request an invite. It should come within a month. That’s what most of us did.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
30 second review of Google Voice and the webapp…
Jeremy is spot on. Even without free SMS, the feature set of GV, especially the grouping and voice mail management, is second to none.
That said, as a webapp outgoing operations (e.g. calling somebody making it look like it comes from the GV number) are cumbersome. That is more Apple’s fault than Google’s, but it is a pain — not quite enough to make me jump ship to Android all by itself, but definitely enough to make me give Android a good, long look if the 2010 iphone update is not overwhelming.
February 7th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
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