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taking a serious look at gmail apps for my business. does anyone have any practical use and knowledge of google voicemail? please share.
thanks
mark
User Google voice, forward your number to your gv number, and then get your voicemails transcribed. It's pretty fool proof
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What I know is not much..but here goes.
I personally use google voice for my voicemail and have for over a year.
@work I am an operations manager in a drycleaners and we use a custom gmail address.
Both of these have never broke or failed. In other words it works better and is very dependable. More dependable than the software that runs our operation.
Not sure if this will help or not
I too, use google voice, and while the transcriptions usually aren't the best, it is really convenient to have all of your voicemails stored online and then you can play them all back. In terms of on a smartphone, you'll need a data connection, not only a cell connection to listen to voicemails
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Google Voice is like having a firewall in front of your real number. There are many benefits but I'll focus on the ability to block persistent telemarketers. You can block a number so it goes straight to voicemail or play the "this number is no longer in service". It also does free texting so you can forego the texting plan and save money.
I personally like it for the free visual voicemail and transcribing options, plus an email alert when I do receive a voicemail.
Also, cheap international rates compared to Verizon Wireless.
I use it for my voicemail (though still haven't switched to it for my actual number that people call). Works great!
I've been using Google Voice since Google first opened the service after purchasing GrandCentral.
My GV number is my business cell number. I also have my vzw # fwd to it for voicemail. The transcription and other features of this product make it a must have
i have been using google voice for my voicemail since it came out. the transcription of the messages is extremely convenient.
I tried it and hated it, I now us youmail, no issues so far. A lot of people to use and love Gvoice though, try it see if you like it.
I've never had an issue, and I have been using it for 6-8 months now. Works great for free visual vmail. It transcribes the message, but you can never read them. so that part is about useless. It is nice being able to delete a message without having to listen to it, and it's also nice being able to not have to dial into VM. But those are just personal preferences.
I love Google voice, I use it for my business and personal call needs all with one number. I put customers in there own contact group and assign them their own Voice mail message. Same goes for friends, family, telemarketers, etc. You can even have calls forwarded from an office phone to your cell to a home phone before it goes to voice mail. It's awesome I highly recommend it.
We use GV for several purposes, but I could see many more potentials for small businesses and startups. The company that I work for has 80 employees and provide technical services and support to government clients. I have one of my GV numbers programmed into my PBX at the office to route after hours tech support calls to blast the cell phones of on call technicians. When somebody calls in and dials "9" (for after hours tech support), it immediately rings all of the phones on the list for the on call techs. If they don't pick up, it plays a recorded message about after hours tech support, to leave a message, and a technician will be paged and will call back.
The transcript of the message is then sent out via text and email to the 3 techs and supervisors to ensure that somebody calls our clients back. It has been a great (and free service).
For somebody starting a new business, a GV number gives you a layer of separation between your hardware and your incoming calls. If, when starting up, you only have your private cell phone and don't want to give that number out, you can forward your GV number to your cell. If you change cell phone numbers or providers, none of your friends or business contacts have to change their number for you, you just change the call forwarding settings on GV.
As your business grows and you add phones, you can forward incoming calls to your cell AND/OR your office number. If your office changes locations, you can move and change the call forwarding info in GV so your number remains the same.
Our business moved a few years ago and have to pay our local Telco to forward our old DID from our old location to the new one. Due to some message up small Telco laws, we can't even port the numbers to a VoIP account. If we originally had set up a GV account for our office, we would be paying much less.
Great service, free, and the transcriptions, while not perfect, can often give you at least some of the info about the message. All in all, I highly recommend it!
Seth
I've used it and it works great!
I tried to use it but it said it doesnt support verizon. Is there a way around this?
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I have used it since it was in beta and I love it transcripts can be a little off but you can play it back. But for a free service it definitely beats vm and you can arcive your messages to. I like it my wife hates it . Just give it a run and see.
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I echo many of the comments above. Keep in mind that you can get the Google Voice for visual and transcribed voice mail without having to sign up for your own Google Voice phone number. You can also sign up for your own Google Voice phone number and keep your existing mobile number. The entire system is very flexible and the integration of phone services into your computer via your Google voice account on the web is pretty fantastic.
I had to fiddle with it to get it to work. Had to manually forward phone to gv number then set my voicemailmservice to google. Like a couple of people mentioned using the installation wizard willnfail with a message that it does not support it.
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google voice
google voice is awesome and its free..transcribe barely ever woorks rite.. but other than that its flawless.
I use GV for my primary line voicemail..
as others have said, transcription is almost useless, I like the ability to listen without having to sit through automated prompts.
Hi everyone. I am planning on getting the Nexus 5 and I am planning to get the $30 a month plan from T-Mobile which allows for 100 minutes of talk, unlimited texts, and 5 GB of 4G Data. I was planning on using the Google Talk app with Groove IP or talkatone to call because I already have my Google Voice number and I just want to use my data to call people (In other words, I want to use VOIP so I can call with Google Voice over my data). With the integration of Google voice and hangouts will I still be able to do that? Please someone reply because I am ordering the Nexus 5 in a few days (I am waiting for reviews first).
maxell505 said:
Hi everyone. I am planning on getting the Nexus 5 and I am planning to get the $30 a month plan from T-Mobile which allows for 100 minutes of talk, unlimited texts, and 5 GB of 4G Data. I was planning on using the Google Talk app with Groove IP or talkatone to call because I already have my Google Voice number and I just want to use my data to call people (In other words, I want to use VOIP so I can call with Google Voice over my data). With the integration of Google voice and hangouts will I still be able to do that? Please someone reply because I am ordering the Nexus 5 in a few days (I am waiting for reviews first).
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On the same boat, I'm sure you will for now, keep in mind Google has announced they are killing 3rd party access to GV next year so u will have that VoIP capability for so long. I'm on ST now but do plan on porting over to TMO next month and do plan on milking VoIP Talkatone for as long as I can till they completely kill it. Google I believe may fully offer a full VoIP solution which would in fact be great to have.
I don't know about Groove but Talkatone has announced they r working on a new product that mirrors it's current capabilities (sans GV), looking forward to what they r cooking up.
miamidesigner said:
On the same boat, I'm sure you will for now, keep in mind Google has announced they are killing 3rd party access to GV next year so u will have that VoIP capability for so long. I'm on ST now but do plan on porting over to TMO next month and do plan on milking VoIP Talkatone for as long as I can till they completely kill it. Google I believe may fully offer a full VoIP solution which would in fact be great to have.
I don't know about Groove but Talkatone has announced they r working on a new product that mirrors it's current capabilities (sans GV), looking forward to what they r cooking up.
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So if Google offers full VOIP, then there is no need for third party apps right? And you are saying that Talkatone is working on something just like Google Voice?? But the only thing is, with talkatone, you will most likely get another number, and then you have to go through the process of switching numbers like telling everybody about your new number and making sure htye change it and........its just a big hassle. I hope Google extends the deadline or I might have to switch to the $45 plan from straight talk. How is the HSPA+ on their network? Is it close to 4G. I am fine if it is not as fast as 4G but I want it more faster than 3G for sure and I know it is that. I am still debating on using Google Voice still or just switching to Straight Talk.
The Walmart plan does not allow for call forwarding or conditional forwarding so you will never be able to setup Google voice to be your voice mail system... Just a heads up..
Sent from another Nexus..
7 LTE...
maxell505 said:
So if Google offers full VOIP, then there is no need for third party apps right? And you are saying that Talkatone is working on something just like Google Voice?? But the only thing is, with talkatone, you will most likely get another number, and then you have to go through the process of switching numbers like telling everybody about your new number and making sure htye change it and........its just a big hassle. I hope Google extends the deadline or I might have to switch to the $45 plan from straight talk. How is the HSPA+ on their network? Is it close to 4G. I am fine if it is not as fast as 4G but I want it more faster than 3G for sure and I know it is that. I am still debating on using Google Voice still or just switching to Straight Talk.
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Correct, no more 3rd party apps needed. No idea on how/what Talkatone would offer but my guess is yes a new # would be needed. Gotta wait and see.
On ST I actually have LTE, pre LTE days my internet was horrible, since they launched LTE everything has been really smooth, haven't experienced any throttling yet *knock on wood*. Honestly I'm happy with ST but wouldn't mind saving the extra 15 bucks a month and getting 2x the limit. My only worry is service, here in Miami I have heard a lot of dead spots for TMO, whereas ATT I was with them for like 15 yrs and never have a problem. I'm still gonna try TMO, benefits of having my main number on GV I could cancel and just get any new carrier # whenever I want.
miamidesigner said:
Correct, no more 3rd party apps needed. No idea on how/what Talkatone would offer but my guess is yes a new # would be needed. Gotta wait and see.
On ST I actually have LTE, pre LTE days my internet was horrible, since they launched LTE everything has been really smooth, haven't experienced any throttling yet *knock on wood*. Honestly I'm happy with ST but wouldn't mind saving the extra 15 bucks a month and getting 2x the limit. My only worry is service, here in Miami I have heard a lot of dead spots for TMO, whereas ATT I was with them for like 15 yrs and never have a problem. I'm still gonna try TMO, benefits of having my main number on GV I could cancel and just get any new carrier # whenever I want.
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Oh ok I didn't know ST ever switched. I heard that ST throttles after 2.5 GB of data which really, isn't all that bad. I think I am going to stick with TMO for right now or atleast until Google stops their third-party app service.
maconsultant said:
The Walmart plan does not allow for call forwarding or conditional forwarding so you will never be able to setup Google voice to be your voice mail system... Just a heads up..
Sent from another Nexus..
7 LTE...
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Google Voice has its own voicemail service that will notifiy you of a voicemail via the Google Voice app or through the GV web interface. When I was on Straight Talk I checked all my voicemails through the Google Voice app.
Sent from my SGH-I747
stelv said:
Google Voice has its own voicemail service that will notifiy you of a voicemail via the Google Voice app or through the GV web interface. When I was on Straight Talk I checked all my voicemails through the Google Voice app.
Sent from my SGH-I747
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Click to collapse
But when you setup the google voice app it tries to set that option (conditional call forwarding to google voice's voicemail).. Which it cant as the Walmart plan does not support this feature, But yes you can do it through the app thats correct, but i rather full integration.. But if you don't have the finances or the credit to get a post paid account (THE ONLY PLANS THAT SUPPORTS THE FORWARDING FEATURE) and you need to opt for the Walmart plan i guess you have to do what you have to do.
Either way gets it done...
Yea it's all good to me either way. You will still get a GV Voicemail notification. There are some downsides to pre paid. I had straight talk for a year and then went to att. But kind of regret having a contract now. I am going to try aio wireless before too long here.
Sent from my SGH-I747
I am planning on using a tablet sim card and using it in addition to a Verizon dumb phone. T-Mobile has terrible coverage in my area, and I need to make calls.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 4
stelv said:
Yea it's all good to me either way. You will still get a GV Voicemail notification. There are some downsides to pre paid. I had straight talk for a year and then went to att. But kind of regret having a contract now. I am going to try aio wireless before too long here.
Sent from my SGH-I747
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So if i just go to the ST website and get a sim card from there, can i transfer my google number to a straight talk number? Like is that possible to do?
maxell505 said:
So if i just go to the ST website and get a sim card from there, can i transfer my google number to a straight talk number? Like is that possible to do?
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You don't transfer your Google Voice number to Straight Talk. Straight Talk will give you a Straight Talk number. Then you download the Google Voice app. When you first open the Google Voice app on your android device it will take you through configuration. I set mine to " use Google voice to make all calls" and I don't even use my carriers number at all.
So you will have 2 phone numbers. You give out which ever one you want to. The GV number will work only if you have the Google Voice app installed. You can also send/receive text only texts and receive voicemail via the Google Voice app. Google Voice also works on a desktop computer through its web interface. You can also block numbers via Google Voice.
stelv said:
You don't transfer your Google Voice number to Straight Talk. Straight Talk will give you a Straight Talk number. Then you download the Google Voice app. When you first open the Google Voice app on your android device it will take you through configuration. I set mine to " use Google voice to make all calls" and I don't even use my carriers number at all.
So you will have 2 phone numbers. You give out which ever one you want to. The GV number will work only if you have the Google Voice app installed. You can also send/receive text only texts and receive voicemail via the Google Voice app. Google Voice also works on a desktop computer through its web interface. You can also block numbers via Google Voice.
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Ok, so after I do that, I can just install an app likek Groove IP or Talkatone and then just make and recieve calls too right? I am just going to give out my Google Voice number to everyone so when they call me, I will receive the call through Google voice on the native dialer app on Android or am I going to receive the call through an app like Groove IP or Talkatone
maxell505 said:
Ok, so after I do that, I can just install an app likek Groove IP or Talkatone and then just make and recieve calls too right? I am just going to give out my Google Voice number to everyone so when they call me, I will receive the call through Google voice on the native dialer app on Android or am I going to receive the call through an app like Groove IP or Talkatone
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It gets kind of tricky when you want to use a VoIP like GrooveIP to make and receive calls over data/wifi instead of your carriers phone service. You can set your phone to natively use your Google Voice number to make/receive all calls, but it will use your plans minutes instead of data if you do not have GrooveIp or Talkatone setup correctly (it will come through your native android dialer and use your tmobile minutes by default).
I have attached a link for a guide that was originally written in the Galaxy Nexus forum. It has a guide to Google Voice + VoIP calling. I have used GrooveIP on my wifi only tablet to make calls over wifi, but have never tried bypassing carrier phone service on my cellphone using GrooveIP. It can be done though.
*Also be aware Google has said they will eventually disable access to Google Voice from third party apps so this may mess things up in the future. Have a backup plan ready just incase they do this. We may be only abel to ue the Hangouts app in the future. Also you cannot send or receive pic and vid messages via Google Voice, just text only messages.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1646755
stelv said:
It gets kind of tricky when you want to use a VoIP like GrooveIP to make and receive calls over data/wifi instead of your carriers phone service. You can set your phone to natively use your Google Voice number to make/receive all calls, but it will use your plans minutes instead of data if you do not have GrooveIp or Talkatone setup correctly (it will come through your native android dialer and use your tmobile minutes by default).
I have attached a link for a guide that was originally written in the Galaxy Nexus forum. It has a guide to Google Voice + VoIP calling. I have used GrooveIP on my wifi only tablet to make calls over wifi, but have never tried bypassing carrier phone service on my cellphone using GrooveIP. It can be done though.
*Also be aware Google has said they will eventually disable access to Google Voice from third party apps so this may mess things up in the future. Have a backup plan ready just incase they do this. Also you cannot send or receive pic and vid messages via Google Voice, just text only messages.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1646755
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok so I cannot send and recieve pic or vid messages but I can just use another app like GoSMS or some other apps that use your regular phone number(in my case, my google voice number) to send and recieve text messages right? I am thinking that i should not get a plan first when I get my nexus. Like set it up and everything by using wifi to send and receive calls and texts and then later on I will get a plan and just forward my number that i get once i get my plan to my google voice number.
maxell505 said:
ok so I cannot send and recieve pic or vid messages but I can just use another app like GoSMS or some other apps that use your regular phone number(in my case, my google voice number) to send and recieve text messages right? I am thinking that i should not get a plan first when I get my nexus. Like set it up and everything by using wifi to send and receive calls and texts and then later on I will get a plan and just forward my number that i get once i get my plan to my google voice number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will have to use a carriers phone number to send pic and vid messages. Google Voice's servers cannot handle that type of data, so you cannot send/receive pic/vid messages with your GV number at all. A Google Voice number is only good for makings calls and TXT, not SMS or MMS.
If you are going to use your Nexus on wifi only with no plan, you can use GrooveIP to make/receive calls over wifi. You will need a strong data connection though. Its best to stand near the router. You will need a Google Voice number to use with GrooveIP over wifi. In summary you will need: Google Voice number + Google Voice app + GrooveIP or Talkatone + strong wifi signal
You can also use the Hangouts App to text and video call people over wifi. The people you are contacting will need a gmail account and have the hangouts app open and running on their phone or computer.
stelv said:
You will have to use a carriers phone number to send pic and vid messages. Google Voice's servers cannot handle that type of data, so you cannot send/receive pic/vid messages with your GV number at all. A Google Voice number is only good for makings calls and TXT, not SMS or MMS.
If you are going to use your Nexus on wifi only with no plan, you can use GrooveIP to make/receive calls over wifi. You will need a strong data connection though. Its best to stand near the router. You will need a Google Voice number to use with GrooveIP over wifi. In summary you will need: Google Voice number + Google Voice app + GrooveIP or Talkatone + strong wifi signal
You can also use the Hangouts App to text and video call people over wifi. The people you are contacting will need a gmail account and have the hangouts app open and running on their phone or computer.
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Ok thank you, that really helped. I will probably end up using talkatone just because it has good call quality even on 3G. At least that was was it said on that article you linked. Now on the talkatone website( http://www.talkatone.com/ ), It shows an iPhone that has talkatone and he sent a picture message to someone else and he also received a video message from someone else. Does this mean that you can send mms through talkatone only.
maxell505 said:
Ok thank you, that really helped. I will probably end up using talkatone just because it has good call quality even on 3G. At least that was was it said on that article you linked. Now on the talkatone website( http://www.talkatone.com/ ), It shows an iPhone that has talkatone and he sent a picture message to someone else and he also received a video message from someone else. Does this mean that you can send mms through talkatone only.
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I don't know much about talkatone I have never used it. As far as I know the only carrier or data provider that has had success with pic messages via a Google Voice number is Sprint. Doesn't work anywhere else.
Other people using the talkatone app may be able to receive pic/vid messages through talkatone but not if you send via a GV number. Possibly if you are sending via some other type of method or account. Not totally sure.
edit deleted fb link it was an old link
stelv said:
I don't know much about talkatone I have never used it. As far as I know the only carrier or data provider that has had success with pic messages via a Google Voice number is Sprint. Doesn't work anywhere else.
Other people using the talkatone app may be able to receive pic/vid messages through talkatone but not if you send via a GV number. Possibly if you are sending via some other type of method or account. Not totally sure.
edit deleted fb link it was an old link
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Ok thank you. Can you please close this thread because I do not know how to do it.
Glad to help. I think a moderator has to close a thread. But it's OK if it stays open. Someone else may need this info in the future.
Sent from my Nexus 7
Hi guys, after the Hangouts Google Voice merge, I've been highly tempted to port my number over to Google Voice. The main thing that attracts my attention is how all my texts will be stored on the cloud so I won't have to constantly backup and restore when flashing different ROMs (approx. once a week). What do you guys think on this? I'm hesitating right now due to the $20 fee and that if I send an MMS picture, it shows up as a link on the other side. Also, I tried calling using my current GVoice number, and my mom said its not as clear. Do you guys think it'll be worth it?
ryukiri said:
Hi guys, after the Hangouts Google Voice merge, I've been highly tempted to port my number over to Google Voice. The main thing that attracts my attention is how all my texts will be stored on the cloud so I won't have to constantly backup and restore when flashing different ROMs (approx. once a week). What do you guys think on this? I'm hesitating right now due to the $20 fee and that if I send an MMS picture, it shows up as a link on the other side. Also, I tried calling using my current GVoice number, and my mom said its not as clear. Do you guys think it'll be worth it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as the call quality of using the Hangouts Dialer/your Google Voice number vs. regular calls- at least over WiFi I noticed a difference, but not so much that it interfered with the call or understanding the person on the other end, for me. Haven't tried it over normal LTE data at this point.
I've used Google Voice for a long time (since my Evo 4G days, even a little before that) and having all my texts backed up was one of the big draws. I don't use Google+ Hangouts, so I also can't speak to text backups there but if your experience is that your texts are there and waiting for you right now, I can't imagine that would change.
So, in my estimation, it kind of depends on what you want more: backups vs. call quality. I don't make a lot of calls, so I'm more on the side of texting and having a single number that I can then use for multiple lines, but that's just me. Hope some of this helped!
I find the call quality to be good, the big issue is you don't get HD Voice. So if your mom is on T-Mobile with an HD Voice capable phone you will get HD Voice when making a regular T-Mobile call with your Nexus 5, while the Hangouts calling is just a standard voice quality level. I had no issue using it over LTE, but I haven't tried 3G. I would think an Edge area would definitely give you a problem.
Keep in mind that you can always continue to use the call forwarding feature rather than the VOIP functionality. This won't solve the issue of no HD voice, but it will work in Edge areas without issue.
Joshmccullough said:
As far as the call quality of using the Hangouts Dialer/your Google Voice number vs. regular calls- at least over WiFi I noticed a difference, but not so much that it interfered with the call or understanding the person on the other end, for me. Haven't tried it over normal LTE data at this point.
I've used Google Voice for a long time (since my Evo 4G days, even a little before that) and having all my texts backed up was one of the big draws. I don't use Google+ Hangouts, so I also can't speak to text backups there but if your experience is that your texts are there and waiting for you right now, I can't imagine that would change.
So, in my estimation, it kind of depends on what you want more: backups vs. call quality. I don't make a lot of calls, so I'm more on the side of texting and having a single number that I can then use for multiple lines, but that's just me. Hope some of this helped!
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raptir said:
I find the call quality to be good, the big issue is you don't get HD Voice. So if your mom is on T-Mobile with an HD Voice capable phone you will get HD Voice when making a regular T-Mobile call with your Nexus 5, while the Hangouts calling is just a standard voice quality level. I had no issue using it over LTE, but I haven't tried 3G. I would think an Edge area would definitely give you a problem.
Keep in mind that you can always continue to use the call forwarding feature rather than the VOIP functionality. This won't solve the issue of no HD voice, but it will work in Edge areas without issue.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the replies! Is HD voice a big difference compared to normal? My mom had a Moto X FYI. Can you explain more on call forwarding? I don't know how it works or what it is. Does it forward a call from your GVoice number to your regular Sim card number? If that's the case, will there be a delay?
ryukiri said:
I'm hesitating right now due to the $20 fee ...
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Click to collapse
You can avoid $20 fee by porting to Ring.to then have Ring.to forward to Google Voice totally free of charge. :highfive:
ryukiri said:
Thanks for the replies! Is HD voice a big difference compared to normal? My mom had a Moto X FYI. Can you explain more on call forwarding? I don't know how it works or what it is. Does it forward a call from your GVoice number to your regular Sim card number? If that's the case, will there be a delay?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, you can set it up to forward calls to your SIM number instead of using VoIP. I imagine there is a slight delay for the call to forward but there's no delay while speaking. The call gets forwarded so it is actually handed off from Google Voice to your carrier, just like when your phone forwards to voicemail.
ryukiri said:
Hi guys, after the Hangouts Google Voice merge, I've been highly tempted to port my number over to Google Voice. The main thing that attracts my attention is how all my texts will be stored on the cloud so I won't have to constantly backup and restore when flashing different ROMs (approx. once a week). What do you guys think on this? I'm hesitating right now due to the $20 fee and that if I send an MMS picture, it shows up as a link on the other side. Also, I tried calling using my current GVoice number, and my mom said its not as clear. Do you guys think it'll be worth it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to add a few things.
First off, remember that if you opt in for the Hangouts and Google Voice integration, the text messages will be stored in the Hangouts application, and not Google Voice. It is a plus to have the messages backed up, but I wouldn't say that was the winner for me.
The winner for me is being able to send SMS messages from the Hangouts extension for Chrome Browser on my work PC, or any other PC/Laptop for that matter. Everything is consolidated now in one app. Whereas before I would use the Google Voice extension to text, Hangouts is just nicer to use. More functional. Better user interface.
I ported my number a while back from Sprint, and I'm a Tmo subscriber as well. A few words of caution: the biggest drawback is MMS, or lack thereof. For me, I don't really use it. I send all pics and MMS content through Hangouts already. What bugs me is when people send me MMS content to my Google Voice number, and I'm never aware of it, since I can't receive it. (I can get MMS from other Tmo subscribers though).
Since I travel a lot internationally, it's nice being able to use your same number for texting and calling over data. If you make your Google Voice number your primary number, that's another perk.
I use Skype as my main calling app. (I have a yearly subscription with them to make unlimited calls to landlines and mobile in the U.S.). When I need to, I make calls through Tmo. As stated before, don't expect to be able to make calls over data if you're on EDGE. Even 3G might be skeptical. If you've got 1Mbps down/up speeds, you'll be all right. Use speedtest to check out your data speeds where you plan on making calls over data.
Overall I would recommend it. I didn't mind the $20 bucks. If you're on a budget, look into alternative means of porting, as stated above. Any other questions, ask away.
jnbanda said:
I would like to add a few things.
First off, remember that if you opt in for the Hangouts and Google Voice integration, the text messages will be stored in the Hangouts application, and not Google Voice. It is a plus to have the messages backed up, but I wouldn't say that was the winner for me.
The winner for me is being able to send SMS messages from the Hangouts extension for Chrome Browser on my work PC, or any other PC/Laptop for that matter. Everything is consolidated now in one app. Whereas before I would use the Google Voice extension to text, Hangouts is just nicer to use. More functional. Better user interface.
I ported my number a while back from Sprint, and I'm a Tmo subscriber as well. A few words of caution: the biggest drawback is MMS, or lack thereof. For me, I don't really use it. I send all pics and MMS content through Hangouts already. What bugs me is when people send me MMS content to my Google Voice number, and I'm never aware of it, since I can't receive it. (I can get MMS from other Tmo subscribers though).
Since I travel a lot internationally, it's nice being able to use your same number for texting and calling over data. If you make your Google Voice number your primary number, that's another perk.
I use Skype as my main calling app. (I have a yearly subscription with them to make unlimited calls to landlines and mobile in the U.S.). When I need to, I make calls through Tmo. As stated before, don't expect to be able to make calls over data if you're on EDGE. Even 3G might be skeptical. If you've got 1Mbps down/up speeds, you'll be all right. Use speedtest to check out your data speeds where you plan on making calls over data.
Overall I would recommend it. I didn't mind the $20 bucks. If you're on a budget, look into alternative means of porting, as stated above. Any other questions, ask away.
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OK thanks! So one question regarding SMS, I already opted in for them to show up on hangouts. I'm pretty sure that even after I factory reset my phone, my texts will still be I'm hangouts after I log in and everything. Is that correct? My texts won't disappear after a full wipe or anything? (Texts are stored on the cloud rather than physically on the device right?)
Yeah I love that feature of being able to text from a computer also. Its very convenient.
Hopefully MMS gets fixed soon, I don't use it much but every once in a while, my friend sends me pictures.
ryukiri said:
OK thanks! So one question regarding SMS, I already opted in for them to show up on hangouts. I'm pretty sure that even after I factory reset my phone, my texts will still be I'm hangouts after I log in and everything. Is that correct? My texts won't disappear after a full wipe or anything? (Texts are stored on the cloud rather than physically on the device right?)
Yeah I love that feature of being able to text from a computer also. Its very convenient.
Hopefully MMS gets fixed soon, I don't use it much but every once in a while, my friend sends me pictures.
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I believe, but I am not sure, that SMS are only stored in cloud storage if they are from/to your Google Voice number. I think that texts that are sent to your carrier number are not backed up.
If you port your current telephone # to GV, T-Mobile will automatically cancel your current account. It does not automatically reassign a random number to your account once you port your mobile # out.
PaisanNYC said:
If you port your current telephone # to GV, T-Mobile will automatically cancel your current account. It does not automatically reassign a random number to your account once you port your mobile # out.
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Can we just go to a store and do it there? Like port the # to GV, and then have them assign another one to my phone?
I've had the same number for over a decade on 3 different providers. Several years ago I ported that number to Sprint and ever since the Google Voice and Sprint integration option was available, I've been using it. I really like all of the features such as being able to send texts on the Google Voice website from my "primary" number and when people call my "primary" number it not only rang to my phone but it would also pop up as an incoming call on Gmail, etc. I just switched to T-mobile today and ported my number over to them after cancelling the Sprint/GV integration. I didn't think this all the way through before doing so unfortunately.. Now I have a plan and a phone that I really like but I'm basically stuck with Google Voice Lite which leaves a lot to be desired since I liked ALL of the features of Google Voice I used to have and not just the voicemail forwarding feature....
I'm assuming that it is possible to get all these features back by doing the following:
- add a second line to my T-mobile with a new/different number and put that SIM card in my new phone
- port my old "primary" number that I just brought over to T-mobile to Google Voice for $20
- Set up google voice to forward all calls and text message going to my old "primary" number to my new T-mobile number
The only question I have is whether after doing this, is there a way to make the functionality EXACTLY the same as when I was on Sprint with my Sprint/GV number integrated? I.e. When someone calls me on the number I ported to GV# it rings to my computer if I'm sitting in front of my Gmail as well as my phone... all text messages to my GV# will go to my phone and can be read/replied to on the google voice website the same as it used to, etc. My understanding was that the GV/Sprint integration was just an agreement that the two companies had where Sprint "owned" the number but it could also be used as the GV number through some carrier-specific forwarding agreement that they had. I'd like to know if I do the above-mentioned steps would I get the same result or is there some drawbacks to having a different carrier with a different number and now GV "owns" the number and is just forwarding the data in a similar fashion? The main drawback I foresee would be that if i make a call or send a text message from my phone it would show up as the new T-mobile number instead of the GV# and people wouldn't know who it is until everyone in my contacts list got used to it. I think this could be avoided by using Google Hangouts or something as my primary dialer and text messaging app but then I'd be using up my data for VoIP and MMS messages which would otherwise be free on my T-mobile number. Anyone been in a similar situation and have some info/advice? Thanks
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.
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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.