Google has released a set of Python and Java libraries that help developers who use Google App Engine integrate text messaging and voice communications into their apps.

Google App Engine is Google's cloud-based development platform, which lets developers build and host applications in Google data centers. The new Python and Java libraries for App Engine add easy access to SMS and voice capabilities by working with the APIs offered by Twilio, another cloud development platform that focuses on communication-heavy applications for mobile devices, desktops, and the Web.

"Twilio Voice enables your application to make and receive phone calls," Google notes in a description of the new integration. "Twilio SMS enables your application to send and receive text messages. Twilio Client allows you to make VoIP calls from any phone, tablet, or browser and supports WebRTC."

Twilio is the first voice and messaging platform to be integrated with Google App Engine, and it's offering 2,000 free text messages or voice minutes to new users. "Five years ago, if you told your IT department you needed to build and scale a communications app in a week, they’d laugh—maybe even quit," Twilio said in a blog post announcing the Google App Engine integration yesterday.

Google offers sample code and guides demonstrating the types of apps developers might build with both Google App Engine and Twilio at their disposal. Examples include a group messaging application, an app that sends voicemails and text messages to PagerDuty, and an app that sends business cards via SMS.