Extension Features:
– Lets you initiate calls by just typing any number or contact name.
– Makes phone numbers on websites callable via Google Voice by just clicking on them.
– If a phone number doesn’t turn into a link on any website (ex: Google Calendar), you can select the text with your mouse and the click to call popup will automatically display (note: might not work with all numbers).
Info:
– If you don’t like the extension turning numbers into click to call links then you can turn it off in the extension options.
Known issues:
– Incompatible with the Skype extension. If the Skype extension is installed then the Voice extension will not turn numbers into call links.
– Sometimes your forwarding phone list will be empty. If this happens make sure you are logged in to http://voice.google.com and then wait ~30 minutes. The problem should fix itself automatically within 30 minutes and work from then on.
Warning explained:
When installing the extension it says “This extension will have access to all browsing history and private data on all websites” This is the default warning for any extension that needs content script access to all websites. This access is needed for detecting phone
Forced onto the Google Voice platform because Hangouts is being disabled, but found out that the extension no longer has any notification capability and instead acts just as a link to the Google Voice website. Developers have noted that this is intentional behavior. It appears Google is finally trying to remove its Voice services?
It worked okay for a while, but now Google has done something to Chrome so that bookmarks and addons and such are so tiny you can barely see them (I’ve already tried changing Windows settings, including Scalability, and it’s clearly NOT a Windows problem, it’s a Chrome problem). The weird behavior of texting from the app is annoying but livable, but the font issue is a deal breaker.
Update March 2021. I just noticed that this extension was updated. But it still does not work. So please explain to me what was updated? More “features” taken away? I don’t get it. Please explain.
I used to love using this extension when it actually showed my text/voicemail messages. Now it’s been completely crippled to only be a semi-customizable link to google voice. Removing it after using it for many years.
The extension used to be a great way to talk and communicate with people, now the call feature doesn’t work.
This extension no longer provides notifications when you have a call or a message, which is particularly unfortunate because Google disconnected Voice from Hangouts, so this is the only way to get notifications on my laptop.
Doesn’t seem to do anything. No notification when I get a text or phone call. What’s the point?
It’s now completely useless. Literally does nothing. It’s basically just a link to GV now. No notifications, no inbox, no messaging…nothing. May as well delete it. It’s pretty sad what Google has been doing since 2018. This used to be a great extension.
It serves very little use other than a shortcut to the Google Voice page. Cannot accept calls from extension meaning you still need the page open. If I need the page to remain open then why even have the extension in the first place. Dialing just redirects to the main page. Completely useless.
What happened to SMS…? Having to go through the extension for *another service* to use a feature of *this* service is a TERRIBLE idea.
needs an update.
Always a step backwards with Google. Hangouts extension is perfectly designed. Why wouldn’t they do a similar thing for Voice? Sigh.
I have been using Google Voice since the beginning when it was GrandCentral. It’s evolution is strange. This extension is worthless. I just install the (PWA) site as an app on my Windows machine and leave it running. I did the same on my MacBook. I get all notifications for calls and texts and it works fine. Why this extension still exists is a mystery since Google removed all of the useful functionality.
It doesn’t work when there are many tabs open.
Pretty much useless. At the very least, I should be able to read text messages from the extension itself instead of opening a new tab. What’s the point of an extension if it just opens a new tab?
Doesn’t notify you of messages like Hangouts did. What’s the point?
this extension is just a shortcut to the google voice website. Please make it similar to the hangout app where you can text, answer call, and making call within the extension.
Does absolutely nothing. Completely useless.
Very little functionality other than having a button that takes you to the website.Very disappointing as this extension historically loaded messages & allowed for initiating calls from the drop down. The extension does not even notify of new text messages or calls.
The old Hangouts app used to be great, but this is a dog. Not on the top bar, need to open a new tab any time to do anything, way more clicks than it used to be. Thumbs down, but it’s worth exactly what it cost.
If you want the click to call links to work then uninstall the GV extension and install it again. Restart chrome browser.
I had issues where i could not use the click to call links even though my extension had a current version installed.
Being forced to revert from Hangouts to the voice app due to Google’s continued Messaging Merry Go-Round is not a welcome option. I’ve been using Hangouts on the Desktop for years because my desk at work has little to no reception and it’s my primary method of staying in contact with my family during the day. The Hangouts extension was independent of any browser tabs, while the Voice “extension” is simply another tab in the browser, which makes it harder to work with. You can’t copy/paste a screen shot to the Voice app to send as an MMS. You have to open something like Paint, paste it there, save as a JPG, and then send it via the voice client. It adds several steps and takes up drive space.
Google needs to STOP changing messaging clients and just improve the features and functionalities of what they have. In this case, they’re actually switching BACK to a client they pretty much abandoned almost a decade ago and have rarely updated.
I mean, why? Just why? First they killed off phone SMS integration with Hangouts, now Google kills off Hangouts – I used it for two things for YEARS: Phone calls and SMS. It stayed open on my desktop EVERY DAY. Then they expect me to replace it with this… It can’t answer a call, it can’t text, it can’t receive texts, but it can turn links into a way to call with Google Voice (whoopity do!). I mean, the notification badge doesn’t even work, because OF COURSE IT DOESN’T. Silly me, thinking that Google would be able to create a product that could integrate with one of its own products.
I’m trying to build a little Voice interface extension to get back some of the functionality I lost, and that’s an absolute nightmare, because the way they did the website made me think it was Microsoft that built it. You make the website small, and the menu stops working. Nah – get this… The HAMBURGER MENU that they champion on all their devices DOESN’T WORK in a small window. Mobile first, or did we forget? I’m not railing on a mom and pop shop, I’m railing on a company with how many developers that are supposed to be “the best of the best?”
On top of that, getting permissions to the mic to work across the iframe in an extension is a nightmare, because apparently getting permissions to the mic in an extension was an afterthought, with Chrome, but I digress…
Google ruins EVERYTHING. I have no idea why they are so self destructive. They build a great product, get you hooked, and then tear it down, and eventually kill it off. It’s obnoxious. Next they should delete chrome, and offer you a separate product to browse 1/4 of the internet, and split it into 4 different products, depending on what fourth of the internet you’re looking at, where all the replacement products are completely inferior? Just a thought, Google! I’m helping you stay fresh here…
Google Music? Nah, we’ll give you YouTube Music with half the features, higher price, more bugs, and less functionality (especially for offline music).
Google Auto? Works sometimes. For years it’s been hit or miss with something as simple as sending a text. And with Google Music revamp, now I have to mess with the phone to get things to work. Kind of defeats the purpose of hands free driving, when everything that’s meant to keep your eyes on the road screws up while you’re driving, right? I pay $1k for a phone, so you’d THINK the software would be geared for the high end, but maybe not… Maybe it’s bulletproof on Pixels?
If everything else is an indication, probably not… I’m surprised you don’t have to buy a half dozen Pixels to do the job of one normal smart phone. Hands down, you probably would, if it weren’t for the fact that their competitors would dominate.
I’ve been anti-Apple for decades, but all this has really been making me think. Maybe if tech companies spent less time on dreaming up innovative AI censorship, and more time focused on existing product stability and progressive development of new and existing products….
I know – my rant, but come on, man!
There is no notification when new messages arrive. Just an ambiguous question mark on the extension icon. I have missed so many messages. I really miss having calls and texts in Hangouts. This is a very poor substitue.
What is wrong with Google recently? They’re taking good, stable products and castrating them to the point of being useless.
I’ve loved GV…but then disconnecting it from Hangouts has made it mostly useless. It’s almost impossible to use GV in the browser now due to lack of notifications.
They’ve ruined other things – like Google Play Music by forcing us into the primitive and featureless YouTube Music. I figure Google is just falling apart internally or something.
It works. Somewhat… What does not work is the pop-up so you gotta have a tab dedicated to GV constantly open otherwise you don’t get calls or notifications. I was using Google Hangouts and that worked well as it had a popup that was always ready to receive messages, no matter what I was doing. But now apparently Hangouts will not longer support calls so I had to go back to this. The GV extension does not even show if there are messages on the icon it just shows a question mark. Clearly something is not working. When I searched for the broken pop-up problem they just told the OP they will look into it and that was two years ago. Clearly it’s still not working. If hangouts is no longer supported then make this work!