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Google will soon update a number of its Android services with support for an “OK Google” command specifically designed for sending text messages via Google Voice numbers. The existence of the upcoming feature was confirmed by Google Phone and Google Voice Product Manager Jan Jedrzejowicz who responded to one of the company’s customers on Twitter earlier today. The user linked to a Google Product Forums thread started by another individual who was complaining about the messaging feature of Google Voice in the context of Android Auto, stating that their device was sourcing text messages from their smartphone number instead of the Google Voice one when instructed to send a message. The problem was initially reported in November 2016 and one of Google’s representatives acknowledged it within the next 24 hours, noting how the bug wasn’t exclusive to the combination of Google Voice and Android Auto but appeared in a wider variety of contexts.
The issue has yet to be addressed to this date, which is what Mr. Jedrzejowicz now promised that the Mountain View, California-based tech giant will do shortly, stating that the aforementioned Google Voice command for texting is “coming soon.” The official didn’t attach a more specific time frame to that promise but did reveal the exact contents of the command – “OK Google, send a Google Voice message.” This particular wording indicates that the firm is now not only planning to address the issue of inconsistent Google Voice support for text messages but will do so in a manner that will provide its end users with more options when they tell the service to text someone. Once the functionality is enabled by the firm, Google Voice will presumably support it across all of the company’s popular solutions including Google Search, Android Wear, Google Assistant, and Android Auto. It’s still unclear why Google is taking so long to address the issue at hand and it’s unlikely that the situation will be clarified in the future.
The inconsistent Google Voice support for messages is just one of the several known issues that are currently troubling the telephony service. Another recently discovered problem is preventing some users from receiving messages and reportedly only affects a minor portion of the app’s user base, though its actual cause has yet to be disclosed by the Internet giant who recently acknowledged the bug and said it’s working on a fix which is due to be distributed in the still-unspecified future.