Google has announced that it has expanded Google Voice MMS support to T-Mobile users sending MMS messages to Google Voice numbers.
We’re happy to announce this week another step towards improving MMS support for Google Voice. T-Mobile has allowed MMS messages from their users to be sent to Google Voice users. Similar to MMS messages from Sprint users, these messages will appear in Gmail, and you can be notified of the message via SMS.
Previously, incoming MMS support for Voice numbers was limited to Sprint customers, though Google notes that the capability is being expanded as the Google Hangouts update with full MMS support is rolling out, both as a native component of KitKat and as an updated component to the Android app in the Play Store, while full SMS/MMS support for Google Voice regardless of carrier will be rolling out on May 15th, 2014 through the Hangouts app.
While today’s change doesn’t mean that Google Voice numbers will be able to send MMS directly (yet) Google is slowly expanding MMS support for Voice ahead of of its full messaging support rollout next May. Eventually, the idea lies in allowing Google Voice users to send SMS/MMS messages directly through Google Voice and Hangouts using Google Voice numbers without having to sign individual deals with carriers, which has been the biggest impediment to the international expansion of Voice service in general.
Google Voice also continues to be quietly developed in the background despite the constant and equally incorrect refrain that Google will shut down Voice as a service in the future, as the recent updates to Voice apps have allowed mobile short code support along with SMS support for emergency services where available, albeit with warnings built-in to avoid erroneous messages.
