Google Voice Future?

[rich_halvorson]

I've only been using Android since Gingerbread and on three devices, but in that time there have been big changes with Android and the Google apps that I use. That is with the exception of Google Voice.
I have used GV since my first Android Phone and for the most part it has worked well from the beginning, but at the same time it would be nice to have some basic missing features like MMS, and I thought with Hangouts developed that maybe the two would be merged.
Prior to I/O I read rumors seemed to point to that, but as is often the case with rumors they don't appear to have been accurate.

With all that said does someone have any accurate rumors?
I'm hoping that I won't get a letter from Google one day telling me I have to port my number, but with the lack of activity around GV I wonder more about this every day.

 

[zedorda]

I doubt Google has any plans of getting out of the voice services. But with all the flak that Google got from the announcement to merge GV with Hangouts has caused them to rethink their method. I would still expect some changes because their still pushing to getting off the standard phone number format of connecting voice services.

 

[zorak950]

At this point I wouldn't bet on anything. Voice chat from Google will doubtless survive in some form, but whether that will be like Voice, I have no idea.

 

[CoolBeit]

I think the last word from google on this was last November, saying they were working on incorporating it into hangouts but it was going to take time. The strange part is that they have been completely silent on the topic since then.

The reason I think there is hope is that google has not stopped people from porting their numbers to GV. I would think if google was really thinking of killing GV, they would take away the link as they don't want to have even MORE customers pissed off after paying $20 only to lose their phone numbers a few months later. I have no idea what google's plans are here, but the situation is really, really strange.

 

[vdubbmax]

Google Voice future are bright.
It is the one of the best feature of Google that's why i always prefer Google.

 

[cgardnervt]

I like VM but its just not supported much. But it also could be great! I like it for VM and backup for when my cell phone us down or if I don't have it for some strange reason. Would be bad *** for travel over seas!