Google Adds New Voicemail Service

If you are interested in taking advantage of some of the cool new features of Google Voice but aren’t very excited about the idea of getting a new phone number, Google’s latest offering may be of interest to you. Google recently introduced a lighter version of Google Voice that can answer calls to users’ cell phones.

Google Voice offers a number of cool features, including the ability to route calls to different phones and voicemail that can transcribe messages. In order to take advantage of these features however, you must get a new number from Google Voice.

Since not all users are ready to make that leap and deal with an additional phone number, Google came up with a way to tie existing mobile phone numbers to its voicemail service. If you already have a Google Voice account, see Google’s instructions for adding Google voicemail to your current mobile forwarding phone. For users who don’t yet have a Google Voice account, you can request an invite or ask a friend with an account to send you an invitation.

"We see this as a perfect step for getting familiar with Google Voice without a lot of change," said Vincent Paquet, a senior product manager.

Of course, if you stick with your current phone number, you won’t be able to take advantage of all of the Google Voice calling features, such as the ability to direct calls to a home or office number. But the new voicemail option will provide more features than what you’d get from a typical mobile phone carrier, including transcribed phone messages and customized greetings. Check out some of the features of Google voicemail in the video below.