iOS 13 has a lot going for it, as far as features are concerned. One of them is making Siri a bit more friendly with third-party apps. And Google Voice is ready to take full advantage of that change.
Up until the latest iOS update, Google Voice users had to load the app itself to get anything done. That meant if you wanted to send a message or make a call you’d have to open the app directly and get it done that way. However, with the app’s latest update that roadblock is getting removed, as iOS users can now use Siri to start a phone call or send a message.
It works in a similar way to using a third-party service like Spotify to play music, which means you’ll need to make sure Siri knows you want to use the service to send a message or start a call. Users will need to say something like, “Hey Siri, call Jake on Google Voice”, and a similar line to send a message.
As noted by VentureBeat, this feature will only work if you go through the steps to actually activate it — it’s not on by default. Users will need to open the app and navigate to the in-app settings menu, where they can set up a default account. Once that is done, you’ll need to open the standard iOS Settings app and find the “Use with Siri” option. Users will then be able to enable Google Voice.
This won’t set Google Voice as a default Phone or Messages app, because while Apple is making Siri a bit more flexible, it’s not ready to go that far with iOS just yet.
This is all just the beginning, too. Apple has confirmed that it will be making Siri a bit more flexible with third-party messaging apps. The software will learn the user’s preferred app to get something done, like sending a message to a specific contact. As it does, when the user asks to send a message to that person Siri will automatically register which app to use, even if it’s a third-party messaging app like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, and send the message through that app.
It’s a nice change, and a welcomed one at that.
For Google Voice users, this latest update is available now. Are you excited that you can finally use Siri to start a call or send a message?