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You Can Now Call Into Google+ From Regular Phones

disruptivetelephony.com

64 pointsdanyork40 comments

It's been this way with Talk and GMail for a long time. Someone calls my GV number and if GMail is open, it rings in GMail.

You are absolutely right. I've been using GV as my general number since 2009 and I do not recall this feature not being there. It is quite handy for me when I'm overseas - not paying any roaming charges to make/receive calls - but there is nothing new or disruptive in this.

If I'm not mistaken the conversion of Talk to Hangouts last week dropped this feature, and it's only now rolling back out as part of Hangouts.

I answered multiple calls last week in a Hangout that opened itself from my Gmail when the call came in.

This has never been the case for me, and I leave my Gmail open always. Do you have to opt in?

Just saw this checkbox in the Voice settings. It definitely wasn't there when I first started using Voice back in the beta.

Interesting ... I almost never have had GMail open in a window so I didn't pay attention to this integration. Thanks for pointing this out.

I don't know about others, but I don't know I like this change over previous Google Talk implementation receiving a phone call.

Being able to receive a call on Hangouts is great, but having a somewhat underpowered machine, it takes me about 10 to 15 seconds loading up full Hangouts session. (presuming, with everything including video chat components) By the time the session is loaded, the call is often already sent to voice mail, or caller would have given up on me.

I think Hangout is a great system in the situation where you are actually setting up to have one -- but not so great for responding to unexpected calls.

It wouldn't be so bad if responding to the call would actually answer a call immediately, but the way it is currently implemented, I don't think it's usable...

I have the same problem.

Also, the call notification window disappears after about 10 seconds. I was signed into the old Google Talk too, and it range for a full 30 seconds on that one.

Yes, I wish there was a way to turn OFF the video component of Hangouts when receiving a call via Google Voice. On one of my systems the launch of Hangouts does take a few seconds - and that seems to be largely related to bringing up the video component.

Hack: You can still make outgoing calls using Google Voice/Hangouts

1. In Gmail type in your name into the "start a hangout" box 2. In Hangout window click on "add telephone". 3. type in phone number you want to call. 4. Call.

I tried it, but I didn't see "add telephone" in the hangout window. I also had to use my gmail address to start a hangout with myself.

oops.I forgot a step. Step 3: Click "Invite people". Step 4: "add a phone number".

Or,

1. Use the Google Voice extension. Enter number. Press 'dial'. Your Hangout is now ringing, huzzah

Or just click on the "Call Phone" button next to the "Start Hangout" button in Gmail? That's still there for me, is it not for other people?

> Or just click on the "Call Phone" button next to the "Start Hangout" button in Gmail? That's still there for me, is it not for other people?

Its not there for me, and Google has acknowledged that the outbound call functionality is missing with Hangouts and that that is why the legacy Talk interface is still available and you can freely switch between them, saying that they will retain that interface until the calling features have been integrated into Hangouts. [1] So I don't know why you're special.

[1] http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/20/4348256/hangouts-is-future...

So some conjecture:

I can't understand why Google doesn't do SIP or even a full telecom play. The only answer I can come up with is that they don't think the business is worth the extra regulatory scrutiny.

Sidenote: Dan is awesome. If you're into Telephony and you don't read his stuff you're making a mistake.

I'd suspect they don't want to get AT&T'd

a lá http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_System_divestiture

How is that relevant? They don't own the entire network and it wouldn't make them a monopoly natural or otherwise.

brain fart. I was thinking monopolies and came up with att when microsoft (re IE) would be a better example.

I think I understand why Google doesn't do it. They're relatively comfortable with the telephony status quo. Via Chrome on the desktop and Android on mobile, they've ensured that no one is in a position to "deal out" their services on any connected device, mobile or not. At this point, Google has little to gain (and much to lose) by antagonizing operators with a serious IP telephony play, especially since any mobile component would still depend on the data networks of the incumbent carriers. It's worth noting that Google is making a move in an area where they aren't as content - home internet access.

What I can't understand is why Microsoft doesn't do it. Unlike Google, they clearly aren't satisfied with the status quo and, now that they've acquired Skype, they also have a better starting position than Google does. I keep thinking Microsoft should launch a SkypePhone, but, so far, they haven't.

I had this happen to me twice, and in both instances the call did not ring my telephone.

Clearly some kinks to work out.

Did you answer in Hangouts?

I find it rings my computer a bit before it rings my phone. I'm not sure if my phone ring had the same latency it would have if I were not logged in on my computer.

I just tried it and it only rang my computer.

When I quit hangouts from my computer it did not ring my phone and directed me to the voice mail after a couple of dial tones.

A normal hangout call from someone else using hangouts rings both at just about the same time (sometimes a lag on the phone).

In subsequent testing, I've noticed, too, that the Hangouts ring before the other devices.

Do you have your cell phone tied into Google Voice...?

I mean, if what you're saying is true, they just broke all Google Voice incoming calls for all users (hint, they didn't).

> Do you have your cell phone tied into Google Voice...?

Only for the past few years or so.

> I mean, if what you're saying is true, they just broke all Google Voice incoming calls for all users (hint, they didn't).

Or, if what I'm saying is true, they just broke Google Voice for a small subset of users for whom certain changes have rolled out or for users that meet certain criteria (hint, I'm one of them).

They have not made any changes to Google Voice or GV integration since the rollout of Hangouts. Period.

> They have not made any changes to Google Voice or GV integration since the rollout of Hangouts.

If you have upgraded from Talk to Hangouts, outbound calling via Gmail no longer works (there is no longer even an icon for it) since the introduction of Hangouts. So that's a change (though, a reversible one, since you can switch back to the old GTalk Chat interface in Gmail.)

Google's stated that they intend to fully integrate outbound calling via Hangouts (in fact, it sounds like their intent is to replace the entire distinct Voice functionality, including the UI, by integrating Voice fully as a subfeature of Hangouts), but they haven't done it yet.

1. If you have upgraded from Talk to Hangouts, outbound calling via Gmail no longer works (there is no longer even an icon for it) since the introduction of Hangouts. So that's a change (though, a reversible one, since you can switch back to the old GTalk Chat interface in Gmail.)

It works just fine, there simply isn't an icon for it. Use the Google Voice extension. This is noted all up and down this thread. The actual process of GV calls being handed off to Talk/Hangouts is the same it's been for years. A tiny icon went away until they flesh out the rest of GV into Hangouts (I have very bold predictions about why they took away the call button temporarily, but I'm keeping that to myself for now)

2. but they haven't done it yet.

Look, I'm willing to take back everything I said, but quite frankly, Google Voice hasn't improved since I started using it 4 years ago and I'm not holding my breath.

> It works just fine, there simply isn't an icon for it.

No, "it" (as I specifically was referring to the integration of outbound calling into the Gmail UI) doesn't work at all.

> Use the Google Voice extension.

Yes, there is another way to make browser-based outgoing GVoice calls which can be used since the Gmail UI integration is broken with Hangouts, but that doesn't make the Gmail UI integration any less broken.

> (I have very bold predictions about why they took away the call button temporarily, but I'm keeping that to myself for now)

I'm not shy about it; I figure that, given their stated intention of fully integrating Voice into Hangouts its for exactly that purpose -- as Apple does with iMessage and SMS, the plan it to integrate some kind of availability-based preferred channel determination (possibly retaining an option to manually select the communication mechanism, given that the options with Hangouts are more involved than just which channel to send text over) and are working out the UI for that.

A mobile phone that can do local voicemail and with that avoid the Telco's getting paid twice for a call would be an area I'd like to see fixed first.

Still awaiting google voice for the UK, one day maybe.

I wonder if this will work with hangouts on phones. For instance if I call someone who also has GV, would I be able to hop into a video call seamlessly.

That might be why Hangouts requires confirming your phone number on installation.

What's new about this? Prior to Hangouts, calls to my Google Voice number always was routed to my cell phones and Google Talk.

> What's new about this? Prior to Hangouts, calls to my Google Voice number always was routed to my cell phones and Google Talk.

As I understand, both inbound and outbound calling via the Gmail interface were nonfunctional initially for users who upgraded to Hangouts, so the "new" thing is that the inbound call functionality was restored; outbound is still pending (and it sounds like they are planning, ultimately, much deeper integration than just restoring what the old Gmail Talk interface had.)

No, you've been able to do this.... for years. And yes, it's worked consistently since they launched Hangouts. I often answer calls in Gmail and they have since simply began opening in Hangouts through Gmail.

Works perfectly, no idea why "the dialer went away" means "incoming calls no longer work", but hey, it's Google and it's FUD, should I bother trying to be surprised?

Don't get me wrong, Google fucked their one big chance to integrate Voice, Video, SMS and IM. With Hangouts, I should be able to "Call Someone" and have it negotiate video if we both have and want video, or it should use the next available medium. If both users use Hangouts, then send a Hangout IM. And if not, finally fall back to Google Voice/VoIp/SMS.

The users shouldn't have to ask themselves, "wait, does Bobby have Hangouts?" ever. That is literally the number one issue with G+!

Bothers me to no end that Apple does this same shit with FaceTime, presumably to appease the carriers. They already bypass SMS when both are iMessage users - why the hell are they not doing video calls by default when both have cameras?

> Bothers me to no end that Apple does this same shit with FaceTime, presumably to appease the carriers. They already bypass SMS when both are iMessage users - why the hell are they not doing video calls by default when both have cameras?

Because, first, most people don't prefer video calls in many circumstances (leaving aside cost issues), and second because of cost/performance issues, since voice calls use voice minutes and video calls would use data, and most users are more likely to face data overages (or, if on quasi-unlimited plans, hit the point of data slowdowns) than they are to run out of plan voice minutes.

If there were any doubt, I just called my father after leaving my phone in his hotel. Quite, quite convenient!

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