Google is not making a Google Voice app for WM6.x, period. I don't think anyone can argue with that fact. After seeing how beautiful GV integrates with my wife's Samsung Galaxy phone, I decide to find ways to integrate GV with WM6.x. Here is what I have:
1. Make sure the contacts and email are synchronized with GV account. It actually saves major headache.
2. For dialing out using GV, I highly recommend iDialer + iContact. They can both be found under "Windows Mobile Apps" at http://www.supware.net/. The combination allows to dial any contact number using GV directly. And it's free.
Personally I use the "calling card" setup, which my phone calls my GV number first, then "2", then destination phone number (it's all done automatically using iDialer). It takes about 30 seconds before I hear it rings the destination phone so it's actually pretty quick, and almost guaranteed to always work as it doesn't depend on Google's server.
3. For SMS, there are many ways. EasySMS (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=604699) is pretty cool but I don't want to load another app. Here is what I have found out. Since I asked GV to forward all SMS to my Gmail as Email, I paid attention to the sender. It's always like this:
15551234567.16661234567.&#&#&#&#&#@txt.voice.google.com
15551234567 is my GV number, 16661234567 is the number where the SMS is coming from, &#&#&#&#&# is a unique ID for each phone number. I noticed this unique ID is always the same for that particular phone number no matter when the SMS was sent. Now things are simple, I save this email as the primary email address in the contact info. When I need to SMS someone, I just send an email from my Outlook to that Email address, and the other person will receive the body of the message as SMS (info in subject line is discarded automatically). In iContact, this is very convenient.
When they text me back, since my Gmail is "push" synchronized with my phone I get the message as an email immediately, and I may reply the message by reply that email.
4. For those contacts that did not SMS me in the past so I don't have this Email address available. So what do I do? Like the iPhone Google Voice interface? You can do it too from WM6.5! I use Iris browser:
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-iris-browser.html
I know it's discontinued but it still works well since it's HTML5 supported. After installing that browser, navigate to:
https://www.google.com/voice/m?uipref=1
Notice that "uipref=1" is the magic part. Without it, you see the old DOS style GV interface. With it, you have this full dialpad and everything iPhone browser would show you. Wait a minute, why do I still need iDialer if I have this? Well, the "Call" function actually is not recognized by Iris browser Besides it's 100 times faster to load iDialer on any device I owned. But the SMS function works very well. Again, once you receive the first SMS from your friend to your GV number then you may save the Email address to the contact info so you only use this occasionally.
If you don't care about the UI, you may use any other browser, just navigate to:
https://www.google.com/voice/m
Don't include the "uipref=1" part as those non-HTML5 browser won't render the page correctly.
The only reason I need the fancy UI is because that's the only mobile UI that would allow me to actually *delete* a voicemail or a text, instead of just archiving it.
I know there are many WM6.x users out there that would like to use Google Voice on a daily basis. Hope this helps someone down the line.
a small change since I posted this last time: I got rid of Iris. First I don't use the fancy dial pad since I dial from iDialer anyways, second Iris keeps crash with the slightest browsing and accumulate cache file very quickly (couple of min browsing could end up with a cache file of more than 30 Mb).
Here is the modified plan:
I still use www.google.com/voice/m in opera mini to access most of the important functions of google voice quickly. When I need to delete a voicemail, I use this address:
www.google.com/voice/m?uipref=1#~voice:s=inbox&l=inbox
Alternatively you may navigate to:
www.google.com/voice/m?uipref=1 then click "inbox"
Since I have opera mini memorized my login credentials it's easy to access the inbox thru the "fancy" interface and perform a delete. However since opera mini is not an HTML5 browser this becomes pretty much the only function it's good at.
This way I don't need to install a pretty much dead browser (Iris) on my phone and also have my password remembered by yet another browser. It's also very convenient too.
Related
I have the new official Google Voice (GV), which allows dialing out (GO GOOGLE!) and have setup with pbxes method. So now its perfect, though my inside geek wants to see how far it can be pushed. Thats why i wanted to start a thread about extras, and overall cool things now available.
I found that, with Google Chrome browser, there is a new G Voice extension. You can place calls, send texts to contacts, and see your overall Inbox with a click;a list pops down shows latest activity, with contacts photo and all. Small sound and animation on the upper-right GV icon alerts you when a new Voice mail or SMS hits either your GV # or any forwarding phone you've set up. I really enjoy it. Greatest for me is that you just click on the icon and reply to text while your working at something on your pc. When you call you can select SipGate and put in whatever number, it will call my nexus one and then the other party. Doubles for a phone finder too i guess, my Nexus One hasn't left my sight since I open that lovely white box so I wouldn't know;-)
Calling numbers like links. When you search for ex. pizza in google/maps. There are several numbers like pizza hut 864-123-1234. You can just click on the number select call with google voice and viola, it calls your phone then when you answer and it auto connects you to said crappy pizza place(sry i like true NY style)
I want to check into pbxes having a setting for on-hold music. Everyone and their mom has the music while you're calling but I believe we would be the only ones that could do this!i! I might upload a kenny-G song just for kicks, then call companies and show em how it feels.
Well I hope you guys know of more. Please add if you come across anything kew. I know I will...
So, Ive made an Android App called SMS Forward. It enables forwarding of SMS to either another phone number or an email. What would be cool is if I could somehow make it so that you could reply to text messages through email. For this to work I reckon I need to use some kind of SMS Gateway. I know there are solutions out there you have to pay for, which is fine.. Does anyone have any suggestions?
you have to check 2-WaySMS for sms sending/receiving
My app PhoneLeash (tinyurl.com/phoneleashfree) does SMS forwarding to email and SMS. Its possible to reply to incoming SMS from your email account, provided the Reply-To address is your phone's email-to-SMS address. The phone then sends out your reply, so no gateway needed, and it looks more natural to the recepient.
These email-SMS addresses are completely non-standard unfortunately so I had to create a database by hand, at least for US and Canadian carriers. And I can only hope they don't change too soon.
There are also some online services that help you determine who the carrier is for a phone number. You could use those and come up with a valid Reply-To based on the number of the incoming SMS (most of the time hopefully!)
Hope this helps, I know its been a while!
You're replying to an almost 6 year old thread, there have been many options introduced since this thread was created.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
It is quite easy to find out the options in order to send bulk SMS to the audience. The real estate text marketing app that I am using is absolutely great. We are super impressed with the results. The interface is easy to understand. I am totally impressed with it. Would surely be suggesting this to others as well.
Ive seen MS chose to combine IM and SMS and to me this looks really messy.
First of all the integration of IM is quite nice but I wish it was kept seperate from SMS conversations since these are to the majority of people still different than IMs and used on different devices or apps. I dont want to continue a conversation automatically on a different app or something. This will be very annoying to the other user.
Certainly if somebody just left his/her pc on or IM on accidently....
They should have added facebook private messaging as well and IM/SMS seperated like it was and just added a chat pivot in the messaging hub.
to me an sms is still something every user has always with him her, like when u send somebody an address or something it should be on their phones and not deliverd trough IM and its annoying having to switch first.
Its kind of short sighted implementation, the idea is good but the reality will be very annoying the way it works now.
you will get a ton of sms like notifications for every IM which can be annoying since on a chat conversation people send much more messages per minute than trough sms. Having to toggle online offline all the time will be a pita
am i the only one who thinks this will be garbage? Instead they should have allowed third party apps like whatsapp to use this on user permission. I hope I can switch off the live messenger. Or just revert back to the original sms screen
I like the idea to have an overview of my messages regardlessly whether they come via SMS, Windows Live or Facebook. Although I agree that getting notifications for all those messages shown on the SMS tile would be kind of overwhelming. But I can imagine Microsoft changes the way the tile works. So it still shows the number of SMS, but in addition to that shows an icon or something when you recieve a chat message from Facebook or Windows Live.
In my opinion.. the best feauture ever, of every OS. Loved that!
I love it as well, and think its nice not to have to go to 4 different places for my facebook, text, wlm & (eventually skype).
While I hope they either have a toggle setting for separate 'rows', or add it soon after Mango for those who really don't like it, I honestly doubt they want to mess it up by having too many places for messages. It fits in pretty perfectly with their vision for the overall UI design imo.
For me,M$ thread is not a new idea,it just copying the messaging app in the HP webos...however HP webos messaging is better,they can download apps that support HP connect and integrate into the messaging app(so,this means they can have more than 1 im clients in 1 messaging app).
Feel so sorry to HP webos,always being copied by others,even the UI design of playbook has been copied
Marvin_S said:
First of all the integration of IM is quite nice but I wish it was kept seperate from SMS conversations since these are to the majority of people still different than IMs and used on different devices or apps. I dont want to continue a conversation automatically on a different app or something. This will be very annoying to the other user.
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Threading will be the beginning of the end for SMS IMNSHO. Most people still use SMS because it's what they know and are used to.
My wife is a great example, she keeps sending me SMSes while I'm out because that's what she's used to. Even though I've had email (and to some extent IM) on my phones since forever. With a "messaging hub" it takes all the guesswork out of the equation - she'll write the message as she normally does and the phone will decide whether it should deliver via FB, Messenger, Skype or SMS.
Now, if you don't want to continue the conversation if the user has moved to a different device you don't have to. The phone will tell you how the message was sent as well as what services the recipient is currently logged on to.
Marvin_S said:
to me an sms is still something every user has always with him her, like when u send somebody an address or something it should be on their phones and not deliverd trough IM and its annoying having to switch first.
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This just proves my point - you're used to SMS. And again, you can choose whether to send as SMS or IM.
Personally I find this feature great. Two things should be done to make it even better though;
1. Implement a industry-wide protocol so it doesn't matter if you're on a crackberry, iphone or windows phone. Sure, Skype and Messenger goes a long way towards achieving this but there are still people who use smaller IM services only.
2. Allow third-party apps to hook in to the messaging hub - there's a few apps out there today that are not chat apps as such but still implement messaging. Being able to receive (and reply to) these messages from the same place would be great. It would also make it easier for other IM services to integrate with the OS.
dkp1977 said:
Although I agree that getting notifications for all those messages shown on the SMS tile would be kind of overwhelming.
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But why? Are you less likely to want to read a message coming in thru Messenger than one delivered via SMS? I for one don't care how my messages are delivered, I just want to be notified. It's a bit like having three post boxes outside your house - one for deliveries by DHL only, another for Deutsche Post and a third for everyone else - i.e. pointless
I really like this new feature as well. I am confident that any replies you send to someone will use the same service they used to "text" you, unless you choose to change it. People on non-WP7 phones won't suddenly need to be jumping all over the place.
On the other hand, when other people send you messages from multiple sources (SMS, FB, WLM, etc), you will be able to get all of the messages in one convenient place. I like that.
I use Google Voice exclusively because of savings on text messaging. Because of this, I need to have my phone dial out with my GV number as the outgoing number.
Android has seamless integration with GV (obviously because both are made by Google); iOS seems to have two system extensions that seamlessly integrate GV into its native dialer and messaging app.
From what I understand, WP7 doesn't have anything like this yet because there are OS limitations as to how tightly Google Voice could be integrated with the native dialer (though I don't mind if I could use a different text messaging app for my GV SMS). With the coming Apollo update and its promised Skype integration into the native dialer, do you think that Microsoft will open the APIs required to achieve a similar seamless integration of Google Voice like in iOS?
I use GoVoice app, which is an app (not integrated into the system), but it does the work. After going into the app, you can call or text someone without any hassle from your GV account.
Give it a try.
I've played around with the app in an AT&T store but obviously I can't get a proper experience unless I had a week or so with it.
I've heard some complaints are that the lack of integration is annoying, such that if you click a phone number that points to a text message, you will be sent to the default message app (which won't work if you rely exclusively on GV). Also, some people have said that it's not particularly consistent and is slow to turn on when you want to check an incoming message.
Do you use it exclusively as opposed to the native dialer?
i got rid of google voice, only because of the battery drain on android.
i just use google talk and beep.
google voice was easier though with my own number that could be texted like any other phone, but man it killed my battery.
Hy there,
I hope I posted where I should and if I didn't please tell me the correct section where I should do this. Also, I am not a developer, I do not have root on my phone. I do not want solutions that require changing XML files or anything. I am just asking about an app that I could find in the Play Store, or, maybe, and apk to download (this being the second option)
I have a problem with the messaging app since I left my HTC One S for the Nexus 5X in June 2016 and I did not find an app to replace that, not even on my current Oneplus 5T.
So, I have a contact in my phonebook saved with multiple numbers - work / mobile / home etc. and she texts SMS from either of the numbers (doesn't really matter because they are included in the carrier plan as unlimited). But my messaging app is sorting those SMS as different entries by phone number, and not by contact. So if we start a conversation in a chat window based on the home number, the answer may end up in a different chat windows (she has a dual sim phone so it depends on the settings on which is right now, and because the SMSs are "free", she tends to not look at which carrier is using, because, why would you if they are all free?), but this actually disrupts the logical flow of the conversation.
I know that a such app exists because I used it on HTC One S in 2012 and I was able to send SMS to which number I wanted to select (home / mobile / work of the same contact from the phonebook) and I had all the conversation in only one place, but after I changed on Nexus 5X and now on OnePlus 5T I can not find this feature in the installed app messenger (Google's or Oneplus's), neither on Google searches or specialized websites. I have tested some of the SMS apps, looked for settings, but all of them seem to show the SMSs based on the phone number, and not based on the contact entries.
Can someone suggest an app that could do that? Maybe I didn't search good enough.
P.S. The MMS option to send grouped messages is not an option because this means I will send the same SMS to multiple numbers, but those numbers are of the same person so there is no need to do that ...
Thank you very much for Your answer.