I was helping someone get started with Google Voice in a thread, and thought a little tutorial might help people out, so I wrote one. I'd like input if you guys think I got something wrong, or left something out. I hope this can help someone.
The pdf has been updated as of 2/16/2010 with more info:
http://i0v.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Google-Voice-for-Noobs.pdf
But I figured some people might like plain text, so I'll paste it too.
I probably won't update the plain text here because it will just be getting longer and longer
(that is, unless someone requests it)
Google Voice for Noobs
Transitioning to Google Voice, on a Sprint HTC Hero
First Revision 2/14/10
What Is Google Voice?
First off, I think it helps to think of Google Voice like a switch box of some sort. You can feed telephone calls in and feed them back out, in whatever direction you’d like. The original intended functionality of GV was to allow you give people one number (your GV number) and then it would ring all of your phones when someone calls that number.
Now this might be helpful for some people, but I know the majority of people here probably don’t have more than one phone. But this setup can still be useful for people who want to use their Google Voice number as the number they give out to people. This setup is really the easiest, because once you’ve entered your cell phone in Google Voice under Settings > Phones, you’re pretty much done. The other advantage to this route is that you can have GV ask callers for their name before it rings your phone (call screening), and some other cool features. If you still want to use your Sprint phone number and just use GV for voicemail, see the next section.
Note: Now when you now first set up Google Voice, it asks if you want to set it up as strictly voicemail and then steps you through steps similar to the following section. It then gives you a more limited feature set for just the options that apply to when you’re using it as voicemail. If that’s all you want to do, then that might be the route to go. If at some point, you want to use a scenario similar to the one above Go to Settings >’Phones’ tab > Get a Google number (thanks to Jon at Hebb Networks for clarifying this)
Google Voice as Voicemail
(This is basically an explanation of what Google walks you through when you go to Settings > “Activate Google voicemail for this phone” on the GV website)
Note that sometime around November 2009, Sprint decided to make CONDITIONAL call forwarding free, so we’re going to configure it like this:
In this situation what you’ll do is dial *285555555555 (replace the 5’s with your GV number) and then press talk. You should hear some beeps to let you know everything is working alright. Then you can hang up. (To undo this feature dial *38)
Next, you want to let GV know that these calls that are being forwarded should go to voicemail. You can do this by going into your settings page in Google Voice on your computer, and clicking “Activate Google voicemail for this phone”
Another thing to note, is that there is a big difference between CONDITIONAL and UNCONDITIONAL call forwarding. CONDITIONAL forwards a call after some (you guessed it) conditions are met - i.e. Busy, or no answer. You can read more about CONDITIONAL call forwarding here: http://bit.ly/9KvT2L
On the other hand, UNCONDITIONAL call forwarding takes all calls to your sprint number, and forwards them ALL to a different number without ever ringing your cell phone. This is not typically an option that anyone would want to use, and Sprint still charges 20 cents/minute for every call that uses this. Read more here: http://bit.ly/apyfAs
Accessing Google Voice from your Hero
Now on your CDMA Hero, you’re definitely going to want to download the Google Voice app from the Market. This will currently do two functions.
1. Allow you to see and play all of your voicemail.
2. Route your outgoing calls back through Google Voice, if you want to. (This makes more sense, I think, if you’re giving out your Google Voice number to people, because then your calls will be all forwarded through GV, both incoming and outgoing. I don’t give out my GV number, so I have mine set to only make outgoing calls through GV for international calls.)
Another option is to call Google Voice from your cell phone, just like the old days with Sprint Voicemail. Be sure to go Settings > Call Settings > Voicemail and then type in your GV number. Then when you hold 1 from the dial pad, you’ll call GV and be able to access it that way too.
Yet another option is to just visit the Google Voice Mobile Page in the browser.
Notification Options
With a fresh setup of Google Voice Voicemail, you’ll probably quickly notice that you’ll bombarded with email and SMS notifications about a new message. You can turn these off, and if you’re using the Android app, you’ll probably want to. On the Google Voice site, visit Settings > Voicemail & SMS > Voicemail Notifications to turn these on or off.
I have one question about using GV. I have free mobile to mobile calling. When someone calls my GV number, which is then forwarded to my cell phone, is this still a mobile to mobile call, or will I be charged?
wjtrawick said:
I have one question about using GV. I have free mobile to mobile calling. When someone calls my GV number, which is then forwarded to my cell phone, is this still a mobile to mobile call, or will I be charged?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just did a reverse telephone lookup, and it lists my google voice number type as a landline. So, no, I don't believe it counts as a mobile number.
Edit: Just checked my Sprint bill. I've got Any Mobile, Anytime. It is charged as a land line.
(On a side note, we just switched to the free mobile to mobile a few months ago, damn I love it: "Your account used 9,346 minutes of Any Mobile, Anytime(sm) calling last month.")
According to GV surport forum. If somebody(cellphone) calls ur GV number and transfer to ur sprint number. It should be counted as Mobile to Mobile. However, if you called somebody else through ur GV number, it will be conted as you call a landline.
link is here.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/voice/thread?tid=75630cc990ea5c98&hl=en
laufine said:
According to GV surport forum. If somebody(cellphone) calls ur GV number and transfer to ur sprint number. It should be counted as Mobile to Mobile. However, if you called somebody else through ur GV number, it will be conted as you call a landline.
link is here.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/voice/thread?tid=75630cc990ea5c98&hl=en
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yupp, thats how it is, I have the bills to prove it. Also, for the person calling you it counts as a landline call for them, so if they are on Sprint it is not using mobile2mobile.
If there was a way to convince google to have gvoice lines as mobile lines it would be set....to bad...
Interestingly, the Voice app for Android doesn't do push notifications of new VMs. I get my email notifications long before the Voice app picks the VMs up. (I think it's set to check every 5 minutes?)
Any ideas on that one?
Is_907 said:
Interestingly, the Voice app for Android doesn't do push notifications of new VMs. I get my email notifications long before the Voice app picks the VMs up. (I think it's set to check every 5 minutes?)
Any ideas on that one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I go to settings > refresh and notification > refresh inbox,, and there are options there for refresh rate. 5 minutes is the lowest setting. I heard somewhere that there is a 3rd party app that checks more frequently, but I haven't tried it. I wouldn't want to drain my battery with an interval shorter than 5 minutes. Maybe you'd be better off making a gmail label to sort the notifications if the delay is a problem.
I've just been setting GV to send me SMS notifications, and then when I have a VM, I just hit refresh, and look at it. I don't want it constantly refreshing because I hardly get VM's.
Is_907 said:
Interestingly, the Voice app for Android doesn't do push notifications of new VMs. I get my email notifications long before the Voice app picks the VMs up. (I think it's set to check every 5 minutes?)
Any ideas on that one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the one thing that keeps me from becoming a heavy Google Voice user. I read on the Google support forums that they're working on push notifications but they said it was difficult and didn't have an ETA.
I don't know how it would be more difficult than Gmail.
Hey, thanks a lot for this guide! I've had "setting up google voicemail" on my to-do list for a while now, and your easy to understand guide motivated me to get it set up. Thanks a lot!
Just wanted to add a little something (feel free to put it in your guide if you want, to avoid questions in the forum later) for people who are on Cricket Wireless...
If you try to set this up for Cricket, the code you dial to activate Google Voicemail is slightly different.
For Cricket, dial *74xxxxxxx.
If you get an error after dialing it, something like "Cricket does not currently offer this service", then the problem isn't that Cricket doesn't offer it, but that your account does not have Call Forwarding enabled.
So, if you use Cricket and you get an error after dialing the code, go to your My Account on the Cricket Website and double check/add the Call Forwarding feature to your account. Once you do this, the code will work and GVoicemail can be activated.
Thanks again!
raynda said:
Hey, thanks a lot for this guide! I've had "setting up google voicemail" on my to-do list for a while now, and your easy to understand guide motivated me to get it set up. Thanks a lot!
Just wanted to add a little something (feel free to put it in your guide if you want, to avoid questions in the forum later) for people who are on Cricket Wireless...
If you try to set this up for Cricket, the code you dial to activate Google Voicemail is slightly different.
For Cricket, dial *74xxxxxxx.
If you get an error after dialing it, something like "Cricket does not currently offer this service", then the problem isn't that Cricket doesn't offer it, but that your account does not have Call Forwarding enabled.
So, if you use Cricket and you get an error after dialing the code, go to your My Account on the Cricket Website and double check/add the Call Forwarding feature to your account. Once you do this, the code will work and GVoicemail can be activated.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent, and thanks; I'm glad this is being helpful to some people. I will definitely add that to at least the PDF guide today after I finish some school work. I look at this guide as a work in progress, and I'd like to eventually make it a fairly comprehensive users-guide to GV.
My one comment is:
*28 on Sprint forwards BOTH busy line, and no answer. From reading the cricket site, it seems that you'd both need to do *73 and *74 codes, so that when you're busy, it also sends calls to GV. On sprint you can do this too, as it would be the same as doing *28. Actually when I first activated mine, I had to do it that way because the exchange I was using was having some problems with the *28. Basically *28 is just a shortcut (on sprint, not cricket) for forwarding both.
So I'll add this explanation to the guide too. (along with undo codes) I totally forgot I had that problem. But I'm pretty sure you want to also do *73.
--------------------
To the people with billing comments:
So basicially everyone is saying:
1) All GV calls out are charged as calls to a land line. (which I have experienced too)
2) All GV incoming calls are charged as if you were receiving the call directly. (i.e. [Mobile call -> GV -> your phone] is charged as mobile... OR ... [landline call -> GV -> your phone] is charged as landline]
Am I right here? If so, I'll add this in today, too.
what am i missing?
* I have google voice setup correctly
* I have the application from the market installed
* I am receiving notifications in the form of text, and through the notification bar in android.
What I cannot figure out is how to opened the darn program when i want to get back into google voice to look at the messages in the inbox. i can get in when a message icon is in the tray (i just click on it and google voice comes up), but later on when i think "what was that message again?" and I go to go back to the program I cannot find a way to get in.
* There is no program in the "all programs" page (accessed by the arrow)
* There is no widget (other than the one to change how i want google voice to make calls for me)
What am I missing? I cannot figure out how to get into the program.
I could go to the mobile site, but that just seems silly when i know that the program is on my phone. I just can't find an icon to access it.
Please tell me I'm blind, and missing something obvious.
-AndyS-
realmrealm said:
* I have google voice setup correctly
* I have the application from the market installed
* I am receiving notifications in the form of text, and through the notification bar in android.
What I cannot figure out is how to opened the darn program when i want to get back into google voice to look at the messages in the inbox. i can get in when a message icon is in the tray (i just click on it and google voice comes up), but later on when i think "what was that message again?" and I go to go back to the program I cannot find a way to get in.
* There is no program in the "all programs" page (accessed by the arrow)
* There is no widget (other than the one to change how i want google voice to make calls for me)
What am I missing? I cannot figure out how to get into the program.
I could go to the mobile site, but that just seems silly when i know that the program is on my phone. I just can't find an icon to access it.
Please tell me I'm blind, and missing something obvious.
-AndyS-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only guess that you're looking for an icon that says "Google Voice" when actually the icon just says "Voice"
yikes!
@thematrixkid17 - see, I asked for something obvious and you gave it to me
I'm really pretty embarrassed considering the time that I was trying to figure this out, and that it was in front of me the whole time.
Thanks for the quick reply.
-AndyS-
laufine said:
According to GV surport forum. If somebody(cellphone) calls ur GV number and transfer to ur sprint number. It should be counted as Mobile to Mobile. However, if you called somebody else through ur GV number, it will be conted as you call a landline.
link is here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint has a feature called "Sprint to Home" for $5 /month. If you add that to your plan ALL calls going to and from google voice are free. I use my phone ALL the time and only manage to rack up a 20-30 minutes a month .
realmrealm said:
@thematrixkid17 - see, I asked for something obvious and you gave it to me
I'm really pretty embarrassed considering the time that I was trying to figure this out, and that it was in front of me the whole time.
Thanks for the quick reply.
-AndyS-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. I knew that was probably your problem, because I had to do a double-take the first time I installed it too. Voice sounds really generic and has a pretty generic looking icon, so its not hard to overlook. I should add a picture of the icon to my guide
biggoan said:
Sprint has a feature called "Sprint to Home" for $5 /month. If you add that to your plan ALL calls going to and from google voice are free. I use my phone ALL the time and only manage to rack up a 20-30 minutes a month .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard about that. So you use google voice to dial to everybody? Cause I have 300 mins/month(Family plan,1500mins, 5ppl), if next month I use more than 300 mins, I'll call sprint to add this service.
anyone happen to happen an invite
[email protected]
so could i use this as my primary voicemail with my sprint number or would i have use the gv one? which i would see no point in if you don't use the gv number? thanks to whoever can clear this up for me
ko0pa11 said:
anyone happen to happen an invite
[email protected]
so could i use this as my primary voicemail with my sprint number or would i have use the gv one? which i would see no point in if you don't use the gv number? thanks to whoever can clear this up for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can use it as primary voicemail, while still using your Sprint number. That's how I primarily use mine, since I'm on a 1500 minute 5 line family plan with free mobile to mobile any network, and we barely use 200 anytime minutes COMBINED. So it doesn't make sense for me to use GV for calls, when everyone already has my Sprint number. just follow the section in the guide "google voice as voicemail" or the setup instructions on GV.
What is nice about GV for voicemail is that you get visual voicemail via the GV android app, access to voicemail on your pc, its easy to archive messages, custom greetings for different groups of callers, and a bunch of other stuff. Voicemail transcription isn't great yet, but makes it nice to get an idea of what callers are saying if you can't listen (class, meeting, etc)
Invites are pretty sparse. I only ever got three, which I've used for my close friends, or i'd hand them out.
Again, i'll be updating the guide semi-daily based on questions in this thread
laufine said:
I've heard about that. So you use google voice to dial to everybody? Cause I have 300 mins/month(Family plan,1500mins, 5ppl), if next month I use more than 300 mins, I'll call sprint to add this service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of the family plans now have the free mobile to mobile any network, so if you mainly make mobile calls, you might take a look at that as an option too. (sorry if I keep bringing this up, but it did really do a killing on my plan; my sister used almost 9000 free minutes last month because of this)
So I keep getting calls from auto-dialers coming as "Unknown" on Caller ID.. I answer and it's that 5 second delay then someone in a foreign country asking me to sign up for a newspaper or refinance. I want to ELIMINATE these calls. I have a block list that works good in Android, but it doesn't allow me to ass Unknown to blocked calls... I saw some posts from several years back, but nothing recent. Is there anything good out there today that I can install to block unknown\unavailable calls from coming through to my phone?
Thanks!
Mr. Number, available in the market for free
works every time
gray bishop said:
Mr. Number, available in the market for free
works every time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I saw that but the screen still flashes on and shows the missed call, even when I click delete it from call log. I wish there was one what didn't even process the call, like the built in blocker.
This should be an advanced feature of Google Voice as well. Anyone been getting calls from 0000123456 recently? Haven't been able to pick up yet, but I have missed two calls from this number now. Saw somewhere it might be skype caller. Wonder what could be done by porting Asterik into the Android kernel and having some nifty virtual PBX features built in!
ThePitboss said:
This should be an advanced feature of Google Voice as well. Anyone been getting calls from 0000123456 recently? Haven't been able to pick up yet, but I have missed two calls from this number now. Saw somewhere it might be skype caller. Wonder what could be done by porting Asterik into the Android kernel and having some nifty virtual PBX features built in!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one that drives me nuts is the calls from Indian telemarketers.... US telemarketers are required by law to send ANI with their calls, but calls coming from outside the US don't have to comply, or aren't able to be enforced. I say if someone doesn't present their #, I ought to be able to reject them from getting through to my phone.
We in India are also facing major trouble with telemarketing calls & after being put to notice by the supreme court they have now started sending text sms, the best defense I have found against this is "Extreme Call Blocker Droid" this can block all private numbers or you can specify a list of starting numbers eg. block all numbers starting with 800
*Hangup mode block voice mail
*Block anonymous/private/unknown/blacklist calls
*Block unknown/blacklist SMS,
*Built-in private SMS mail box hide private txt msg
*Schedule on Google calendar to decide when to block.
*Hide private number calls in/out, no call log.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/extreme-call-blocker-droid/com.greythinker.punchback
You can customize it to your hearts content & have a peace full day.
To trace the callers we have a site in India which you can use for tracking all kinds of numbers & text IDs.
http://www.indiatrace.com/index.php
then there are free apps too like blacklist-free & many other with similar features.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/blacklist-free/vc.software.blacklist
The one I use is called Easy Filter Call blocker. It can block calls and sms messages, including unknown numbers. You can set it to block them without notifying you if you want it to.
Sent from my I9000T
Telecom New Zealand
Block unknown Callers
You can block unknown callers by using some advanced phones.
in these phones you can either blacklist some selected numbers or reject all unknown mobile numbers (numbers which are not added in your SIM / phone's phonebook will get rejected).
Root call blocker pro. Its in the market.. Works great and doesnt show the caller, it just rejects it right away in the background and you can have notification of when calls are blocked. Also has sms block
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
I'm using droid blocker
Sent from my Dream/Sapphire using Tapatalk
I am coming from a Dx and a DX2, wherein I could "block" or "screen" callers (i.e. send them directly to voicemail by selecting a setting in contacts).
Any way to do this on the charge? I don't see the option in contacts.
carbonwhiskey said:
I am coming from a Dx and a DX2, wherein I could "block" or "screen" callers (i.e. send them directly to voicemail by selecting a setting in contacts).
Any way to do this on the charge? I don't see the option in contacts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, not ATM.. Once we get AOSP we will be able to do that with cytown Phone and wycontacts, which is included with CM... Which also happens to be the apps that I ported to GummyJAR / Liberty on the DX, which gave you those options
Other than that the only way I am aware of is hand out your google voice number and block callers from within the Gvoice app.
You can also download an app called blacklist that might do what you need
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
You could call Verizon and have them block a number. It won't send them to voicemail though, it'll seem like your number's been disconnected to them.
I use Extreme Call Blocker Droid from the Market. Works great.
Sent from my SCH-I510
Try root call blocker or Mr number both free from the market.
Typed with my thumbs via XDA premium app
I use the free app Call Control. Probably does the same thing as the ones recommended above.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.flexaspect.android.everycallcontrol
Google Voice
You could use Google Voice. Set it up as your Voice mail. When set up it transfers all calls to your Google Voice but still rings through your regular number. I set up a Spam/Block contact. Once i Add the number to it, i have it set to block call.
Works great for me
My question is how can I get a feature-rich phone/voicemail app for my new Samsung? My new flip was bought through Google Fi and the phone dialer and voicemail apps are vastly inferior to the app on my previous two phones also from Fi where these functions were integrated into one app. The old app or one very similar is in the play store as "Phone by Google" but when installed on the Flip the voicemail features are disabled and the option to turn them on in settings is greyed out. I interpret this to mean that Samsung has placed some kind of lock on this feature. Right now I can get transcription but it requires an awkward workaround that sends the voicemail to the text messaging app.
I would be happy if I could either get the Google app to work or another app with similar capabilities. When I speak of capabilities I would include transcription of voicemails and the ability to take actions on a phone number from the voicemail without having to memorize the number, navigate to the separate phone app, manually find the number, and finally take whatever actions such as blocking the number. As it stands I can't get the Google app to work and I do not see any viable alternatives in the play store and even if there were alternatives I would probably have the same problem with the voicemail blocked.
Cubeology said:
My question is how can I get a feature-rich phone/voicemail app for my new Samsung? My new flip was bought through Google Fi and the phone dialer and voicemail apps are vastly inferior to the app on my previous two phones also from Fi where these functions were integrated into one app. The old app or one very similar is in the play store as "Phone by Google" but when installed on the Flip the voicemail features are disabled and the option to turn them on in settings is greyed out. I interpret this to mean that Samsung has placed some kind of lock on this feature. Right now I can get transcription but it requires an awkward workaround that sends the voicemail to the text messaging app.
I would be happy if I could either get the Google app to work or another app with similar capabilities. When I speak of capabilities I would include transcription of voicemails and the ability to take actions on a phone number from the voicemail without having to memorize the number, navigate to the separate phone app, manually find the number, and finally take whatever actions such as blocking the number. As it stands I can't get the Google app to work and I do not see any viable alternatives in the play store and even if there were alternatives I would probably have the same problem with the voicemail blocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that the Samsung dialer is inferior to the google dialer. I switched to the google dialer but the back screen doesn't work properly with calls. I switched back to the Samsung dialer which seems 10 years old.
I use Google phone dialer, haven't noticed any issues. When I was with Verizon, messages showed up fine as VM, but no transcription as wasn't supported on the plan I had. Switched to Tmobile, VM stopped working, they made me download their VM app, so I'm guessing service you are on dictates which app and how VM works. Because of this I've gone back to forwarding all VM to Google Voice and now get my transcripts and ability to archive VM, as well as forward and many other svs. Only negative I've had is if I call back the caller from GV, it uses their number, not the carrier number. Most of the time the caller leaves a different number to call back anyway, so I have to copy past from the transcription. So, if I can one click to call back, I just go back to the dialer, look for missed call, and call them back from there if the call back number js the same. I keep GV set on do not disturb so I'm never bothered with calls to that number, and still use GV to make all calls to people I don't want to have my cell, and when they call me it goes to VM automatically. Google Phone Dialer has also done an excellent job keeping spam from reaching me, I can't use the Google call intercept to verify caller, Pixel feature only, but the spam blocker seems to still work great.