Sprint Integrates Google Voice Support

Google Voice and Sprint team up to provide deeper integration and added functionality. Sprint will be allowing customers to use their current Sprint mobile numbers as their Google Voice number. No longer will there be a need to tell everyone that you’ve got a new number when switching to Google Voice. This will benefit users of all phone types. Google Voice is not by any means limited to Android or even smartphones, you only need a Google account to start using the features of Google Voice.

Looking over the announcement, there doesn’t seem to be anything else that is Sprint specific. All other “additional features” or “benefits” are already available to current Google Voice users on all networks. These features including having outbound calls from your phone display your Google Voice number instead of your actual mobile number, as well as the ability to have Google Voice replace your default voicemail service. With Google Voice all voicemails can be transcribed for you and sent to you via email or SMS. I personally don’t enjoy using Google Voice’s transcribed voicemail service as it tends to make a lot of mistakes. The mistakes are hit and miss though, sometimes it gets an entire message correct with zero errors and other times it gets over 70% wrong. 

Even though I wouldn’t say it’s a huge announcement, but it’s nice to see someone push Google Voice. The convenience of using Google voice is simply amazing. I would love to be able to port my own number to Google Voice. I hope other carriers follow suit, although I doubt Verizon and AT&T will follow anything Sprint does now that Sprint is a distant third in the US carrier race.