Their advertising says it's digital:
https://www.ooma.com/home-phone/digital-phone-service/
I'm another person who would love to get texts on my ooma line.
Receive Text Messages
Re: Receive Text Messages
Ooma handset to Ooma handset is digital.
Any call that leaves the Ooma server and enters the legacy phone systems is analog.
Any call that leaves the Ooma server and enters the legacy phone systems is analog.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx
Re: Receive Text Messages
Given the increasing use of multi-factor authentication on the web, it is increasingly important for Ooma users to be able to get texts containing authentication code numbers, since many companies that require multi-factor authentication do not provide a voice call option--they are only willing to send code numbers by text.
It should not be so complicated to use Ooma to receive and send text messages, especially on a cell phone tied to the Ooma account.
Incoming text messages addressed to an Ooma number should go through to the Ooma app on a cell phone as texts. These messages should simultaneously be transcribed to voice by Ooma and sent as voicemails to Ooma handsets. No need to get Google involved.
Outgoing text messages could at least be written and sent using the Ooma app on a cell phone (or tablet), regardless of the carrier used by that phone. Cell phones, unlike Ooma handsets, have on screen keyboards as well as the capability of transcribing voice to text.
Using an Ooma handset to do this is harder, since it would require Ooma to listen to the proposed text, and transcribe it to text without that text appearing on a screen. Since that transcription could easily go wrong, before the outgoing transcription is sent to the recipient, the Ooma system should transcribe it back to voice and tell the sender what the outgoing text will say.
So, Ooma are you listening? I know one of your VOIP competitors has features something along these lines.
It should not be so complicated to use Ooma to receive and send text messages, especially on a cell phone tied to the Ooma account.
Incoming text messages addressed to an Ooma number should go through to the Ooma app on a cell phone as texts. These messages should simultaneously be transcribed to voice by Ooma and sent as voicemails to Ooma handsets. No need to get Google involved.
Outgoing text messages could at least be written and sent using the Ooma app on a cell phone (or tablet), regardless of the carrier used by that phone. Cell phones, unlike Ooma handsets, have on screen keyboards as well as the capability of transcribing voice to text.
Using an Ooma handset to do this is harder, since it would require Ooma to listen to the proposed text, and transcribe it to text without that text appearing on a screen. Since that transcription could easily go wrong, before the outgoing transcription is sent to the recipient, the Ooma system should transcribe it back to voice and tell the sender what the outgoing text will say.
So, Ooma are you listening? I know one of your VOIP competitors has features something along these lines.
Re: Receive Text Messages
SMS is not secure. Nobody should use it for multi-factor authentication (or password resets). Voice call options aren't much better, but at least landlines aren't vulnerable to SIM swapping. Texting may be more convenient, (for both the online account providers and their users), but other options, (such as an authentication app, or a hardware key) are much more secure.
Websites, third party services, and apps may also have their own security policies, such as only sending texts to phone numbers registered with cell phone providers, (and refusing to send any to landline or VoIP phone numbers). In that case, multi-factor authentication wouldn't work anyway, no matter what Ooma does.
Nevertheless, a quick internet search shows plenty of companies promising to enable texting for landline numbers, (using the internet instead of the landline network). Users could keep their existing Ooma service as-is, and just pay a different provider to send/receive texts with their current phone number. Prices start at less than $20 per month.
If Ooma offered the same thing for residential users, then it probably wouldn't be any cheaper. Maybe that's why they don't. Either way, landline texting is not tied to the voice service, so it looks like anybody who really wants it could get it separately from another provider.
Websites, third party services, and apps may also have their own security policies, such as only sending texts to phone numbers registered with cell phone providers, (and refusing to send any to landline or VoIP phone numbers). In that case, multi-factor authentication wouldn't work anyway, no matter what Ooma does.
Nevertheless, a quick internet search shows plenty of companies promising to enable texting for landline numbers, (using the internet instead of the landline network). Users could keep their existing Ooma service as-is, and just pay a different provider to send/receive texts with their current phone number. Prices start at less than $20 per month.
If Ooma offered the same thing for residential users, then it probably wouldn't be any cheaper. Maybe that's why they don't. Either way, landline texting is not tied to the voice service, so it looks like anybody who really wants it could get it separately from another provider.