Google said Sprint switched on its
integration of Google Voice, which will allow Sprint customers to use their
existing Sprint number as their Google Voice number to ring any phones when
people call their mobile phone.
Users may also choose to replace their existing Sprint
number with their mobile Google Voice number. This means all calls and
texts sent from a user's Sprint smartphone will display their Google Voice
number to recipients of calls and messages. Google offers complete details of the
steps on this Web page.
Sprint phone users will also enjoy the VOIP service's feature
for checking messages by phone, email or on the Web, and create personalized
voicemail greetings, block unwanted callers and make cheap international
calls.
Sprint's embrace of Google Voice came one day after
AT&T's
bid to purchase T-Mobile for $39 billion in cash and stock. The move could sway
some of the 2 million or so Google Voice users who were weighing several
Android smartphones to go with Sprint.
Whether users opt to keep their existing Sprint number or
replace it with their Google Voice number, Google Voice will replace Sprint
voicemail. Also, all international calls made from the Sprint phone will always
be connected by Google Voice.
Sprint's integration with Google Voice will also come
preinstalled on the Samsung Nexus S 4G smartphone
launching May 8 with Google's Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" operating
system.
This is part of the "pure Google experience"
Sprint touts as an advantage of picking a Nexus S 4G, which means customers
will receive Android software upgrades and new Google mobile apps before owners
of other Android smartphones.
Google Voice on Sprint smartphones is available only to
Sprint customers in the United States, as the VOIP service is only available in the U.S.
and Canada to date.
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