It looks like Google is finally ready to roll out its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) on its Google Voice app.
This report came in the form of a tweet sent by Google Voice’s Realtime Communications product lead, Scott Johnston. After the feature ran on beta test for over a year, it seems that it is finally ready to be disseminated to the app. The tweet confirms the rollout is expected to be completed by next week.
With the update, Google Voice users will be able to make and accept calls over mobile data and Wi-Fi connection. During its testing stage, users were able to use mobile carrier forwarding as well. In September 2018, some users reported that they were able to see the new feature even though they were not part of the beta test. The update, however, was never widely available across other users.
This new feature is a great alternative for customers who find themselves outside their carrier’s coverage area. As long as there is a good Wi-Fi connection, they can make calls over Wi-Fi. There are some MVNOs who are already prioritizing Wi-Fi hotspot connections over a carrier’s network. One such example is Project Fi, which runs on T-Mobile and Sprint’s networks.
Once the update rolls out next week, the VoIP feature should be available to both Android and iOS devices.