Skip to main content

Google accidentally disabled text forwarding for some Google Voice users last month

Back in July, Google Voice joined the G Suite family of enterprise apps and was more recently redesigned with a new icon, Contacts tab, and other business features. Following renewed attention in 2017, the service has greatly improved, but suffered a slight stumble last month when it accidentally disabled a key capability.

Google this evening alerted Voice customers that on Monday, September 17th it “accidentally turned off text message (SMS/MMS) forwarding.” This is one of the service’s marquee features and allows users to easily switch between phones regardless of number.

This means that any messages that were sent to your Google Voice phone number after September 16th may not have been sent to your forwarding number(s).

Only a “small subset of Google Voice users” were impacted, but the company is sending out emails to accounts that had the feature enabled for at least one number. Messages were not deleted or lost in anyway and are still accessible through the Voice app.

Users who rely on forwarding are advised to check the web, Android, or iOS client for any missed messages during the two week period and turn on the feature if it was disabled. Google apologizes for “any inconvenience this many have caused.”

Recommend actions

  1. Please check your Google Voice inbox to ensure that you have not missed any messages since September 16th.
  2. Consider re-enabling text message forwarding to forward messages sent to your Google Voice number.

Thanks tipster!


Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
Please wait...processing
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
Please wait...processing