GV Mobile Preview: Google Voice for your iPhone

Google recently announced Grand Central will be folded into Google Voice, an ambitious plan to do what GMail did for email with your phones.  From voicemail transcription to multiple phones ringing at your will, the service has been well received so far by those of us lucky enough to have old GrandCentral numbers that were grandfathered in.  The problem: how to control the service via your iPhone.

Google, we’ve got a problem.

GV Mobile is one 3rd party app that aims to solve this problem.  Developer Sean Kovacs created the app to take over where the old GrandDialer left off.  GrandDialer was an app that allowed users to have GrandCentral phone them on a number of their choice, then connect the call to your intended recipient.  The service used VOIP so if you were using a landline, you’d accrue no long distance charges.  When the change was made to Google Voice, GrandDialer died.

Google, the sleeping giant?

So Kovacs created GV Mobile to fill this gap.  Before we look at the app, let’s get the big elephant in the room out of the way: won’t Google make their own app for this service?

Kovacs’ answer: That is a very good question. While Google does have a couple apps on the App Store, I don’t imagine them creating something specific to Google Voice or incorporating it into an existing app. I see them focusing more on the Google Voice service and web sites (normal and mobile). I’ve very competitive, so if Google or any developer wishes to create a similar app, they will have some stiff competition.

Fair enough, you’ve got to applaud that kind of can-do attitude.   This app was submitted to Apple’s App Store and eagerly waits for approval.   Now, on with the preview:

The app at work

Upon first glance, it would seem GV Mobile would be a carbon copy of GrandDialer: a keypad for telling Google Voice to phone you and then connect you to your party and a history of calls.  GV Mobile accesses the iPhone’s contacts just as GrandDialer did and replicates GrandDialer with equal functionality.

But there is more, way more.  GV Mobile goes beyond old functionality and takes advantage of Google Voice’s newest features.  You can SMS right from the app,  listen to voicemails left to you on Google Voice and you can change your Google Voice settings on the fly oh-so-easily.  The functionality is awesome.

The SMS feature is pretty great as it allows you to send SMS with absolutely no fee from Google or AT&T.  Simple click on the SMS tab at the bottom, type in a number or hit the “+” to access your contacts.  It couldn’t be much easier and your Google Voice number is displayed as the sender.  The only downsides are SMS’s sent to you are not accessed by the app; instead GV forwards them to your cell number, where you’ll pick up the charge.

Changing settings requires nothing more than a tap to change phone numbers to forward calls to numbers to call from, adding phones and changing log in info.  It is all very slick and well done.  Having this ability is quite handy when you are on the go.

More from the developer

Here is a bit from my Q&A with Kovacs:

I understand you’ll have two versions of the app.  What features add in to the $2.99?

Kovacs: You have the $2.99 version – the free version is a GrandDialer close – you have the keypad and settings.

In voicemail, Google Voice transcribes the messages and displays that info on their website in your inbox, do you plan to show the transcribed message if available?

Kovacs: I can’t discuss future plans at this time.

I’ve been playing with the Skype app, do you see Google creating an over WiFi skype-like app?  Is that something you would pursue?

Kovacs: See above comment.

And finally, what will background notifications do for GV Mobile in the 3.0 software?

Kovacs: I get this a lot – in order for me to setup some kind of background notification, I would need to create a program to run on a server that would monitor user accounts realtime, sending out notifications when they come in. I would need access to your account information – while it would be unknown to me, not sure how that would go over with people. This would be something Google would implement in some kind of app they make. Would cost me too much to run…maybe I could do this with a per month cost to offset the cost of the servers it would run on.

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