GV Connect

ProTip: If you’re receiving errors when making changes to your profiles, remove your Google login and add it back again. GV Connect was among the first apps I excitedly purchased upon acquiring my iPhone 3GS (yes, that long ago). Since then, while many competing apps became abandonware, GV has stood the test of time and adapted to Google’s API changes. The only limitation is a delay in push messaging which can be worked around in different ways. (Another reviewer expressed interest in Push API on a subscription basis, and I second that request.) I have an ObiTalk device and use Google Voice for my “home phone”. My favorite feature of GV Connect is the ability to have multiple location-specific profiles that engage automatically. This enables me to forward the GV number to Obi (and all house phones) when I’m home (and not annoyingly ring my cell simultaneously). When I leave home a default profile engages that rings my cell and disengages the Obi. When I’m at work I use a profile that GV on DND (do not disturb), save for a family call group. This app is truly magical. I never expected Google to support GV for as long as they have. This app adds tremendous value to me and to ensure it remains sustainable for the developer, I would support a subscription model if that would help ensure it’s long term availability. Ive also used the tip jar time to time :)

I’ve been a user for about ten years I believe and there has been no let up in development throughout that entire time. Nor, incredibly, has there been a change to a subscription model. This developer puts users first in a way that is very refreshing. I was compelled to write a review because I hadn’t been on his website in many years. Doing so tonight I discovered even more clever ways to optimize my phone calls. In particular how to manage multiple gvoice accounts from the app when I only have a single cell phone number, making it difficult to switch between gvoice accounts to, say, call in a pizza order without giving up my primary gvoice number. I’ve also become very sensitive to app data use disclosures and when comparing GV’s app disclosures in the App Store to goggle’s Voice app I thought to myself, “why would anyone use anything else?” Thank you for all you do GV team. Contributing to tip jar.

This app has been in active development for a very long time. Very dedicated developer that has worked hard to improve usability and squash bugs when they presented themselves. The only issue I find is that I get all my notifications about missed calls a while after they happen. I might happen to look at my phone and see a missed call in the phone app. Then I head over to GV Connect to see if they left a message and GV connect will just be refreshing to let me know of the missed call. I have missed a lot of calls that way. I’ve had to enable email notification because of it. I don’t know what other setting to check but notifications just don’t happen in real time consistently and I can’t find a reason why unless iOS itself is doing something in the background. Otherwise it’s the perfect phone dialed app. I wish Apple let us replace the phone dialer with this one.