Another Promising Google Voice Update, Another Buggy Google Experience
December 23, 2011
Google Voice for iPhone has received an update to version 1.4.0.2372, and--despite the small numerical bump--it's a pretty significant jump. In addition to offering full Sprint integration with native dialer routing, users can finally take advantage of one-touch copy and paste, multi-line text entry, word counts, contact auto-complete, and group texting.
Unfortunately, the release does little to alter Google's buggy iOS reputation, bringing with it a number of potentially crippling flaws. According to Sean Ludwig of MobileBeat,
The biggest single issue being complained about is that when you call someone through Google Voice, it now shows your phone’s number on other people’s Caller ID rather than your GV number... Other issues reviewers have include the following: Sprint users no longer being able to make U.S. calls, one user said he could no longer make international calls, another said voice dictation no longer works and a few users said the app no longer works because they cannot log in.The Verge's David Pierce reports that, while Google engineers have isolated the problem and expect to issue an update shortly, it can be circumvented thusly:
[A]fter you update, you should open the app, then close it and re-open it. That will ensure that your calls get routed properly...Easy, but ugly. Of course, Google's flagship apps are nothing if not janky. [gallery]
