Google launches click-to-call with Voice

Google has given users another reason to switch to its Chrome browser

Google has launched the second version of its Google Voice extension for Chrome that includes new click-to-call functionality and easier access to voicemail messages.

The Google Voice extension, released on Friday, adds a button to the toolbar that displays the number of unread messages in a user's Google Voice inbox, speeding access to voicemails which have been transcribed by Google's speech recognition engine.

The button will also tell users if they have any recent messages, and will allow users to make a call, check messages or send a free text message with a click, according to Google.

However, one of the most useful features will be the click-to-call functionality that allows users to simply click on any number viewed in the browser to call that number directly from within the browser, if required.

The calls will be made from whichever phones the user has already set up on Google Voice.

Users can download the new extension from the Google Chrome Extensions page, and the voice icon will appear to the right of the search bar without the need for a restart.

Google said that it is working on voicemail playback functionality, which will be coming in the near future.

The web giant also noted that the extension on Macs still has some bugs, while switching between tabs in the extension pop up will cause a few problems because the popup does not automatically resize to fit at present. Both issues are being addressed.