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Google Voice didn’t receive a single consumer-facing feature update in 2024 and that should tell you something. From 9to5Google’s newsletter:

“However, it does mean that consumers should be clear-eyed when it comes to feature requests. What Google Voice users want is RCS and the current enterprise state means that is less of a priority. Voice as a “Business Phone System” very much caters to phone calls rather than messaging, with features like supported desk phones, call forwarding, and ring groups."

I’ve been telling everyone that I know that use Voice for personal reasons (2 people), to pack your bags and go elsewhere, even if that means getting an iPhone, because they aren’t the target audience and most likely won’t get any feature updates like RCS. I hear a lot of people online use Google Voice manage using multiple different smartphones without needing to swap eSIM or SIMs, but that is an incredibly niche group and not the intended target audience or use case for Voice. Its unfortunate, but it’s the harsh truth. 

I’d rather be wrong than right, but it’s long overdue to bite the bullet.