'Google Voice' Gets Fresh Update With New Features After 5 Years!

Five years after their last noteworthy update to Google Voice, the company has finally rolled out again another meaningful update for the virtual phone-number service - adding new features and fully redesigning the app.

Google Voice was Google's effort to combine a single number with your account back in 2009 - "one number for life" as the company said. But it was forgotten by the Google in favor of other projects with its last update that came in 2011, reports TechnoBuffalo.

The major update was released yesterday, January 23, and brings major remodeling that is inspired by Google's Material Design that also brings new features. Its new UI (user interface) now has a simplified look with just three tabs for phone calls, text messages and voicemail.  Now, user's conversations will stay in one endless thread which makes it easier to keep up with messages from the user's contacts in a single place.

Sending MMS was one of the biggest issues with the Google Voice since its announcement in 2009. But with the latest update, users can now send photo messages via MMS, with the help of many phone service carriers, reports CNET. Sending picture messages in the Google Voice app is just like any other messaging apps. While in the conversation thread, or composing a new message, users just have to tap on the "photo" button, select an image to send, and there it goes.

Group messaging has also been added to Google Voice without Hangouts required. Users can now add friends and workmates in a group conversation seamlessly. With the latest update, group conversations are now labeled clearly and should work perfectly. The latest update also introduces voicemail transcriptions for Spanish, better call quality and reliability, and many other improvements for the essential groundwork.

The Google Voice updates launched first on Android, and will be followed closely by iOS in a few days. It is expected that in a few weeks, 100% of Android users will be getting the latest update.