Just a friendly reminder that if you rely on a third-party app's use of Google Voice services, it's time to start looking for alternatives. Google announced late last year that it would be shutting down "unauthorized" third-party Google Voice use as part of Google's transition away from the XMPP communications protocol. The shutdown happens on May 15, 2014, which means you have 20 days to find something else.

In the announcement, Google+ Product Manager Nikhyl Singhal said:

We want to make Google Voice as secure as possible. There are a few third-party applications that provide calling and SMS services by making unauthorized use of Google Voice. These apps violate our Terms of Service and pose a threat to your security, so we’re notifying these app developers that they must stop making unauthorized use of Google Voice to run their services and transition users by May 15, 2014.

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Google is killing Google Cloud Print View more stories The shutdown looks to still be on, and vendors are scrambling to deal with the hole this move is leaving in the VoIP market. Popular mobile VoIP solution GrooveIP pretty much stopped development the day after the announcement. Talkatone, another VoIP service, recommends that users switch to its in house service, while Obihai, the makers of a home and business VoIP products, announced some services that can replace Google's offering (though plans start at around $40 a year).

Google's Voice's flexibility is the best thing about the service; after May 15, that aspect of Voice will take a major hit. The shutdown was supposed to be part of the Google Voice's transition to Google Hangouts, which the same announcement said would happen "early" this year, but we're rapidly approaching May and Google Voice Hangout integration still isn't done. Of course, all of this was part of the Google+ strategy, which is now in question after the head of Google+, Vic Gundotra left the company.

If you're using an third party Google Voice client, how will the shutdown affect you? What's your post-shutdown solution?