Remember Google Voice? Google's first stab at a voice-over-IP system is still up and running, though much of its functionality has been absorbed or augmented by the SMS and calling functions of Hangouts. It's a bit dusty in the Voice closet - the desktop web version of the service looks like a relic, and the Android app has only received a couple of maintenance updates in the last year and a half. But users who still rely on Google Voice as their primary phone number (like me!) have reason to be hopeful that the service hasn't been completely abandoned.

Earlier today a few users noticed a new text banner on the Voice website. It seems to be live for some users and not others. The banner reads "The new Google Voice is here. TRY NOW," with a link on the all-caps text. Unfortunately, clicking on the link simply returns users to the default Google Voice interface - the same one they were looking at a second ago, with the same "TRY NOW" banner. If Google is indeed giving Voice a much-needed update, it doesn't look like it's ready yet.

We haven't seen any notable changes to the Android version of Google Voice, and no one seems to have seen a new web version hanging around. We've asked our contacts at Google for an explanation, but have yet to hear back from them. Assuming that something new is indeed coming (and that the banner isn't a bug or a mistake, which honestly seems just as likely), we're completely in the dark. Here's hoping that Google Voice users will have something to celebrate soon.

Source: Google Voice

Thanks: Brian