Leo's comment about Google Hangouts

Leo,
You have talked about Google’s Hangouts and your vacations. I believe you can still continue to use Google Voice app and get your sms there if you were receiving your GVoice sms in Hangouts .
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-voice/id318698524

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I didn’t hear Leo’s comments on the subject, but I can confirm the Voice app will work as an SMS messenger. Before Google started rumbling about killing Hangouts, I used the Hangouts app as my primary SMS messenger with GVoice service. Now I’ve switched over to the Voice app.

Yeah I just tried Google Voice, but for some reason Android won’t allow it as the default messages app. Otherwise it’s a great choice!

You can’t set it as default app, but it can run along side if your number is different than the phone number. You will still get notifications an can reply there as well as on the web, if you want to . It Also allows you to make calls using your GV number.

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I saw the writing on the wall. Back when unlimited data had disappeared, I signed up for Fi. I kept my Verizon line and just forwarded the number. When I upgraded from my Nexus 6P to a Pixel 2, Fi auto loaded itself on the eSim, so I just put a Verizon SIM in and was able to switch back and forth. Once Verizon reintroduced unlimited data, I ended up moving my Fi number to GV and just keeping Verizon.

I used hangouts for GV and Messages for Verizon. Once I determined that my Pixel 4 could be dual SIM active, I switched the GV back to Fi and now have both lines active using Messages.

However, I’m not sure how this would help an IOS user trying to get their Fi messages on IOS, as they could do previously with Hangouts.

If the user has Fi, i would suspect they can reach out to Fi support . Messages as mentioned can support both in the same client on Android, but I don’t think on IOS. I know it is a different client , but I think Voice app should work. The other choice is to use web shortcut. I remember when they first announced GV and Iphone was only on AT&T , Apple blocked GV app from the store, however the solution was to go to GV on the web and make that a shortcut on the phone , and it worked fine. I am not sure if Leo has FI or GV number… You can have both.

I appreciate the suggestions. Unfortunately, Voice doesn’t work as I’d like it to. I am looking for something that can:

  1. Use my Google Fi phone number as my “public” number
  2. Receive texts on my Pixel using default messaging program
  3. Read and respond to those texts on all platforms simultaneously (Win, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android) - points for desktop apps plus Firefox extensions

Pulse does all of this but uses a PWA on iOS that doesn’t work well and it’s not free. E2E but not open source.

Google Voice fails #2.

Signal only works on one phone at a time.

I might end up porting my Fi number to something (jmp.chat or the like) but I feel like there should be something I can use on my Pixel that works everywhere. Like Hangouts did. Dang you Goog.

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Leo, another solution might be messages on the web. Only issue is that you’d need to check it, as I don’t believe it would push to the device. I use messages on my PC devices so I can text with a real keyboard.

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Seriously. Voice has only been around for like 12 years.

This is true. But the issue is the number Leo is using is tied to Google Fi, not Voice. Very big difference. With hangouts, it didn’t matter the device. Now that the only option for Fi is Messages (or whichever native text messaging app you use) it restricts what he is doing.

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I don’t have FI, but in messages on Android, there is a place to add Google FI in settings ( Settings->Advanced->Google Fi Settings).
@Leo ,
assuming you are a FI customer , see what Google has to say, I know they support Iphone for FI, but not sure to what degree. Messages , has a Web interface , similar to Whatsapp and for what they had for Allo. You can add multiple browsers, but only allows one session at any given time. Of course if you want to port the number and go to something else… that could be another solution.