Since the official Google Voice app landed in the iOS App Store, there hasn’t been a lot of chatter from developers of third-party apps, which had long been the only way to use the service on your iPhone. One of the original Google Voice apps has returned after a lengthy hiatus with GV Mobile+ 2.0.
Developer Sean Kovacs has quietly released a major new 2.0 update to his popular GV Mobile+ app. You may recall that GV Mobile was one of the first Google Voice apps to hit the App Store, then got caught up in the crossfire between Apple and Google when the search giant’s official app got rejected. Dropped from the App Store, Kovacs went underground to offer GV Mobile via the jailbreak Cydia app, only to triumphantly return with GV Mobile+ last September.
Since then, Google has released their own official (and free) Google Voice app, and the $2.99 GV Mobile+ languished without further updates. Meanwhile, the competing GV Connect has continued to get frequent updates, leading many loyal GV Mobile+ users to wonder if developer Kovacs had simply abandoned the app.
That has proved to not be the case, with a major new 2.0 (technically 2.0.031811) release which brings a slick new user interface and a host of user-requested features including push notifications and more. Among the features included are picture messaging, multiple recipient texting (up to five people), support for all GV folders, search, pull to load older data, an option to turn key tones on or off, default contacts action and more call methods.
Kovacs has also brought back some features users missed from earlier versions, including favorites and spell check (we’re quite thankful for that last one!), and niceties such highlighting of voicemail transcriptions during playback.
All in all, GV Mobile+ 2.0 appears to more than make up for the absence of updates in recent months. The 3.2MB download is free for existing users and $2.99 for new users, compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (though it’s not a universal app) and requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.
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usmc2k3
March 25, 2011 at 2:34pm
The official GV app has freeze issues. Sometimes I just go straight to the web instead and keep the app running in the background just for push notifications.
chriss
March 25, 2011 at 1:55pm
You guys (Maclife) should do a comparison between GV Mobile+2.0 and the official Google Voice app. Considering the price difference, GV Mobile+2.0 better have some significant advantages over the official app before I'd use it.
