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So yesterday I made the switch from using Visual Voicemail to using my Google Voice account as my Voicemail. So far, I LOVE IT (I recommend doing this if you have a GV account). My only concern is that I'm wondering if I need the app constantly running to get notifications of new voicemail? Because I have gbhil's kernel installed with the tweaked memory-killer, so I don't know if the GV app is always running. Can anyone using Google Voice for Voicemail post how they have everything setup? I want to use the least amount of battery with this, so I was thinking maybe only enabling SMS notifications of new Voicemail?
mrinehart93 said:
So yesterday I made the switch from using Visual Voicemail to using my Google Voice account as my Voicemail. So far, I LOVE IT (I recommend doing this if you have a GV account). My only concern is that I'm wondering if I need the app constantly running to get notifications of new voicemail? Because I have gbhil's kernel installed with the tweaked memory-killer, so I don't know if the GV app is always running. Can anyone using Google Voice for Voicemail post how they have everything setup? I want to use the least amount of battery with this, so I was thinking maybe only enabling SMS notifications of new Voicemail?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is always running, and to be honest, it takes up very little battery to be noticed.
You or others might also be interested in this:
http://www.google.com/voice/sprint
Setting this up forwards voicemail from calls to your cell number (not your GV number) on to your Google Voice visual voicemail. In my case, nobody even knows my real cell number, they just call/text GV, but for folks transitioning it could be useful.
Isn't that the same as using Google Voice for your cellphone Voicemail? Anyway, what did it mean by "immediate" forwarding? I didn't quite understand what they meant by that... and I don't want to see a $0.20 charge on each minute/call I use... my dad would get very angry haha.
EDIT
I should probably say that right now, I have a Google Voice number, and I have the voicemail setup so that any call I get to my Sprint number gets picked up by the Google Voice number's voicemail... I hope that makes sense?
Yes, setting GV up in "voicemail mode" is a newer feature than when I first got my GV set up, but my roommate has his set up that way. It's pretty much the same but they take out a few of the forwarding features that you wouldn't be using if you're just using it as a voicemail service. (ring multiple phones and such). One thing you'll be glad to hear is that around the end of last year, Sprint decided to drop the charges on conditional call forwarding, as part of a "partnership with google". So, there are NO CHARGES when call forwarding to google voice.
Edit: I see what you're saying. When they say immediate call forwarding, they mean unconditional call forwarding. (forwarding all calls into your sprint number). What you probably want to do is CONDITIONAL call forwarding (forwarding calls when the line is busy, or when there is no answer).. See this link: http://support.sprint.com/support/a...ur_Sprint_phone/case-vw371511-20091020-144925
So you've got [sprint number]->[google voice]->[your phone] Which will be charged because all calls are forwarded to GV, and then GV rings your phone
I have, (and you probably want), [sprint number]->[your phone]->[if no answer, google voice] Which doesn't result in a charge.
Hope that helps
Hmm... I'm still confused about that. With the diagrams above, are you talking about someone calling me? Or me calling someone? Really I don't care about having anything transferred to my GV number... all I want is the voicemail part of it.
What have you done so far? Are you forwarding ALL your calls to google voice first, and then google voice is ringing your phone? (*72 forwarding?)
What I'm trying to get across here is that you want all your incoming calls to go to your phone first, then if you're busy or there it isn't answered, it will go to google voice, which will automatically pick up and go to voicemail when you have your phone set to "activate google voicemail on this phone" in your Google Voice settings.
If you currently have it set up to forward all your incoming calls to your google voice number, then google voice rings your cellphone afterwards, you will be charged for this type of call forwarding. You don't want to set it up this way if you're just using google voice for voicemail.
If you followed the setup that GV gives you for voicemail, they have you use *285555555555 (replace 5s with number you want to forward to. In this case, your GV number), which is what you want to use. This forwards calls to the specified number, after you either don't pick up your cellphone, or you're currently in a call. (*38 turns this off)
In contrast:
*725555555555 (again, replace 5s with the number to forward to) forwards all incoming calls to your sprint number to whatever number you specify. This charges you monies. Don't use this one. If you have done this, turn it off by dialing *720
Yes, I have the first thing you said currently. Basically if someone calls me (Sprint number), and I'm not there and they leave a voicemail, it leaves the voicemail with Google Voice. I then use the GV app to listen to my voicemail. I think I understand it now. So basically all I want to do is click "Enable Voicemail on this phone"? How would I go about setting it up so that all calls are forwarded to my Google Voice number (just so I don't accidentally do this)?
thematrixkid17 said:
If you followed the setup that GV gives you for voicemail, they have you use *285555555555 (replace 5s with number you want to forward to. In this case, your GV number), which is what you want to use. This forwards calls to the specified number, after you either don't pick up your cellphone, or you're currently in a call. (*38 turns this off)
In contrast:
*725555555555 (again, replace 5s with the number to forward to) forwards all incoming calls to your sprint number to whatever number you specify. This charges you monies. Don't use this one. If you have done this, turn it off by dialing *720
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes A LOT of sense! Thanks! I think this is resolved. Maybe this should be stickied or something so other people don't get confused with this.
Maybe I'll make a Google Voice for dummies writeup, since I haven't really contributed anything of substance here yet
But I went through this same thing late last year, GV can be very confusing for people that haven't used it.
Ok, so I just got done with a chat with Sprint, and I had called myself with these Google Voice settings, and according to Sprint, no $0.20 charge had been made to my bill. Looks like this is awesome! Thanks so much!
No problem. I'm working on a more substantial writeup right now, so that hopefully people won't run into these confusions again.
Quick question, what is the best way to set GV up so that I don't need to have Mobile Network (EvDO) constantly on? I only really ever have EvDO enabled when I need to use it so I can save battery life.
Well, I don't ever turn mine off, but I'd guess you'd just need internet connectivity to check and download your GV messages. If you don't mind not being updated the moment you get a new message, then there's nothing you'd have to do. (I mean you'll know when you get a missed call, if your phone is on, obviously) But if you REALLY need to know right away when you get a new message, you can turn on SMS notifications in GV settings.
Your phone still has internet connectivity in 1x only mode, it's just not as fast.
ldleblanc said:
Your phone still has internet connectivity in 1x only mode, it's just not as fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, he said he was turning off 'mobile network'. When I turn off 'mobile network' in my settings, I don't get ANY internet connectivity. I'm pretty sure it disables it entirely, regardless of connection type
Btw, I've got my tutorial writeup over in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=633196
so, i registered for google voice in the past and im thinking about actually using it now for the new thunderbolt since i wanted a new number anyway. has anyone used google voice on verizon before? what should i keep in mind when making the decision or not? does it ring a ton of times before going to voicemail like it did on sprint? have there ever been any issues with verizon and google voice or don't they mind if you use it? thanks.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I've had it for years. No issues on VZW. Just like your normal number. Voicemail is transcribed for you, though it's not very accurate. You can usually figure out what they're trying to say. If not, you can play the message and listen to it.
I've been very happy with Google Voice on my Android phones. The voice-to-text isn't as good as some other systems I've seen, but it works well enough.
Download the app and give it a try. I think when I set my up on the TB, it gave an error complaining about being able to configure VZW. That was a new error I hadn't seen on my Inc. You may need to manually configure the "no-answer" call forwarding to your GV number. The setup should configure your phone to dial your GV number when you hit the 1 button for "Voicemail".
Give it a try!
Google Voice is the greatest thing since sliced bread, especially if you have multiple phones...one number to rule them all!
I'm testing the theory right now, but on T-Mobile people with NOT-unlimited plans were assigning their GV number as one of their Fave 5 (Friends & Family on VZW) and then telling the phone to make and receive all calls via GV, in effect giving them unlimited minutes. Does anyone know for sure if this works on VZW or not? I've set mine up that way (900 minute plan), and my used minutes seem to suggest that it will, but there's no minutes being charged to F&F on my online billing page yet.
The only thing holding me back is the apparent lack of mms. Not that many people send me picture messages, but id like for them to at least get a rejection message saying its not possible on ny device so they know it wasnt received
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Google Voice Setup for Voicemail only
I had a problem setting up voicemail for my verizon number to work with google voice and thought I would share how i corrected it.
I installed GV app and it said my carrier does not support automatic config.
I could view old messages I had but all new incoming calls went to my verizon VM
In order to route calls to GV VM I had to
Dial *71xxx-xxx-xxxx where xxx is your google voice number and hit call
it will beep a few time then hang up
next
Dial *90xxx-xxx-xxxx where xxx is your google voice number and hit call
it will beep a few time then hang up
next
Dial *92xxx-xxx-xxxx where xxx is your google voice number and hit call
it will beep a few time then hang up
next
This successfully routed all incoming calls to my google voice.
To deactivate call being routed you must do this
*73 call
*900 call
*920 call
Hope this helps someone else.
wrb123 said:
The only thing holding me back is the apparent lack of mms. Not that many people send me picture messages, but id like for them to at least get a rejection message saying its not possible on ny device so they know it wasnt received
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. The crappy texting service that GV provides is the only thing keeping me from using it full time. MMS isn't the only issue.
I'm gonna drop the Verizon text add-on and give it a try. $70/mo for unlimited LTE is amazing!
Anything I should do to make sure im not being charged for texts? Just composing them within the voice app so I think I'm ok, just slightly paranoid.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
craighwk said:
Agreed. The crappy texting service that GV provides is the only thing keeping me from using it full time. MMS isn't the only issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the texting service from GV. It's my primary means of communicating with many people. There's so many advantages to it, including, in no particular order:
1) It's free. I turned off my SMS plan with AT&T last summer and have been 100% exclusive GV for texts since. I'm saving $20/month on my AT&T phone bill and selected NO text messages on my new Verizon account and I still have unlimited texts.
2) It works across multiple phones, platforms, devices all at the same time. When you send me a text to my GV number, it shows up on all four of my active cellphones, and on all of my computers and laptops that have GV web page open or the GV plugin (for Chrome). I can respond to them without even pulling my phone out of my pocket if I'm at the computer.
3) My texts are automatically backed up in the Google cloud, no need to worry about losing them or backing them up special on my phone as I swap ROMs or wipe data. And I can access them from any phone or web enabled computer.
4) I get all my messages, no one's ever complained that I didn't respond to something they sent that didn't come through. Seems very reliable to me after 15 on it.
As for MMS service, I think Steve Jobs was correct, albeit too far ahead of his time, when he said on the original iPhone that you didn't need MMS, just use email on a smartphone. It was a bit painful way back then (2007...seems so long ago in cell phone terms) at first, but once I trained all my contacts to just send via email I haven't missed any of the pics they want to share, and I'm not paying anything extra to the phone company for the privilege of getting a lower resolution image that's been scaled down to meet MMS limitations.
Thanks for the directions on setting up GV Voicemail, I had to google the instructions (go figure) and found the same info after a quick search. Tested it today and it's working like a champ.
Sweet Jesus I really dig this phone.
I was told by the verizon customer service rep that call waiting is no longer available if you route GV to be the VM service. Anyone else successfully rig it so they can still maintain call waiting but use GV to intercept voicemails?
I have never had a problem with call waiting. Also when I set it up on my Thunderbolt I got the error message as well but when hit skip and went thru the rest of the steps, I checked to see if it was set in my phone settings and it was had a buddy call to test it and it worked just fine not really sure what happened to make i just work without haveing to complete the step where it makes you make the calls during set up but mine is working just fine.
Oh yeah guess I should mention I only you it for the visual voice mail though.
denonlake said:
I had a problem setting up voicemail for my verizon number to work with google voice and thought I would share how i corrected it.
I installed GV app and it said my carrier does not support automatic config.
I could view old messages I had but all new incoming calls went to my verizon VM
In order to route calls to GV VM I had to
Dial *71xxx-xxx-xxxx where xxx is your google voice number and hit call
it will beep a few time then hang up
next
Dial *90xxx-xxx-xxxx where xxx is your google voice number and hit call
it will beep a few time then hang up
next
Dial *92xxx-xxx-xxxx where xxx is your google voice number and hit call
it will beep a few time then hang up
next
This successfully routed all incoming calls to my google voice.
To deactivate call being routed you must do this
*73 call
*900 call
*920 call
Hope this helps someone else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info! thanx.
Question, how did you get GV to sync your GV on-line contacts list to your phone?
When I setup my phone it would not recognize my GV login and would tell me I didn't have a google account and to create a new one.
After creating a Gmail account it did recognized my phone and said you can use more than one google account login.
My GV login is working now, but I cant access my GV contacts unless I open a browser and login via the web access.
Any suggestions?
Thanx
figured it out, you have to apply a new account using the web assist option if not using gmail.
Mod please delete this post! ** Disregard, added comments in original post ***
I figured out what was wrong with Google Voice. It doesn't work with the 747 area code because Gizmo numbers used to start with 747. Its the new overlay for the San Fernando Valley. 818 area code is running out of numbers. I snooped around my Verizon account page and I was able to change it to a 818 #.
All is right in the world.
Just switched to Verizon last week (got the Droid Charge) and have been trying to get GV working for my outbound calling. I keep getting an error (bad number when it tries dialing out, and have seen more than one bad number). I googled looking for help with it...found tons of 3 year old posts with vague answers...
Anyone else had this issue? Know how to resolve it? Everything else with GV works fine on my phone, just can't dial out.
Thanks -
denonlake said:
I had a problem setting up voicemail for my verizon number to work with google voice and thought I would share how i corrected it.
I installed GV app and it said my carrier does not support automatic config.
I could view old messages I had but all new incoming calls went to my verizon VM
In order to route calls to GV VM I had to
Dial *71xxx-xxx-xxxx where xxx is your google voice number and hit call
it will beep a few time then hang up
next
Dial *90xxx-xxx-xxxx where xxx is your google voice number and hit call
it will beep a few time then hang up
next
Dial *92xxx-xxx-xxxx where xxx is your google voice number and hit call
it will beep a few time then hang up
next
This successfully routed all incoming calls to my google voice.
To deactivate call being routed you must do this
*73 call
*900 call
*920 call
Hope this helps someone else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I tried this and every time I do and call from another phone, there is nothing there for google voicemail. It says "please enter the number you would like to call followed by the # sign". What am I doing wrong? I dialed all 3 *numbers followed by the google voicemail number. I've tried this like 3-4 times. Help!
swtkimmie said:
Ok, I tried this and every time I do and call from another phone, there is nothing there for google voicemail. It says "please enter the number you would like to call followed by the # sign". What am I doing wrong? I dialed all 3 *numbers followed by the google voicemail number. I've tried this like 3-4 times. Help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to login in to your google page and activate it, don't remember how but the help section on your google voice page has the steps
Bamf is runnin' my bolt - smoke that vzw!
whenever I go to dial the x71xxx-xxx-xxxx i get a message saying "welcome to verizon wireless your call can not be completed as dialed.
Hi All! This is my first guide/thread so be kind. I was looking for a way to conserve money... I am on boost prepaid and it gets quite expensive when talking, or sending a few txt messages. I found there is a way to activate unconditional call forwarding which, now unfortunately does use up minutes, once activated (*72XXXXXXXXXX for boost) calls are automatically forwarded to a google voice number, and can be deactivated (*720 on boost). There maybe many ways to call forward depending on your carrier; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_forwarding... EDIT: now boost is charging me for forwarded calls, so I just call back with groove... the automation is still helpful though:
I think I have finally found the easiest most reliable method; you will need to enter your forwarding codes if you aren't on boost:
Needed items:
Android phone on carrier of your choice. Or you can use a tablet for wifi only calls, if your tablet doesn't have a mic, then try using a bluetooth headset.. maybe even a usb dongle if there is no bluetooth, but usb is available
Google voice (from market), and a google voice account (to send free SMS messages)
Groove IP ($4.99 one time in market to make/receive free voip calls)
LLama app (free, but we need this test version: http://www.mediafire.com/?qp5dfbqsc8ci88g) This version of LLama includes permission to dial #s, this is needed for forwarding #s, so don't use the one from the market.
In theory, groove IP can work over 3g, but in reality it doesn't for me. A short call to someone on the same cell network works at times, but calling anywhere else results in a choppy frustrating mess... therefore this guide assumes groove only works for you over wifi.
1) Get your apps installed.
2) Open Google voice, login, choose never use google voice to make calls, I had to skip the part where it asks you to setup voicemail because this requires conditional call forwarding (rings phone first then forwards to voicemail) which my carrier doesn't support. Your miles may vary here, but I recommend skipping this for now. When responding to, or sending text messages check the box 'always perform this action' and choose voice. Ask the people who txt you to now txt your google voice number. They will figure this out if you always respond to their messages via the google voice app.
3) Connect to wifi, run Groove IP, and login. Groove can be tricky to get working perfectly, but with some tweaks it works great for me. Here's my grooveIP settings:
uncheck 3g/4g calling, check accept calls on answer, under native dialer options-built in dialer preference- choose wifi only, under native dialer-exclusion numbers, enter your forwarding and 'disable' forwarding codes (dependent on carrier) separated by commas. Under audio/echo settings lower your mic gain, mine is set at -8, but yours may be different. Under miscellaneous check autostart and enter your default area code for easier dialing. Now verify calls are working by dialing the google voice test number: 9093900003. This will echo back everything you say so listen for echos/distortion, then make adjustments necessary. Use the 'troubleshooting' section under settings as a last resort, as you *should* be able to get everything working better if it is working at all at this point... tested on an evo 3d and an evo shift.
4) Run the LLama app. This will take the longest to configure of the three, click through the app and read the little one time dialogue boxes. This is a great free app, so if you find it useful, please donate some money to the developer. The configuration here may take some tweaking depending on your personal lifestyle, but I will share my current configuration(s):
a) Under Areas, I have Home, work, etc, anyplace there is a reliable wifi connection. Locations are based on cell towers and will need to be 'learned'
b) Under events: I deleted all the defaults and created:
* 'Near Hotspot': At 'locations' home, work, friends, family, school, etc (fill these in with your wifi enabled locations), delay for 4 minutes cancelling delayed if false, then turn on wifi.
* 'Wifi connected' When wifi is connected to <Any Wifi network> run Groove IP, run shortcut 'Forward' (direct dial to contact 'Forward' - *72XXXXXXXXXX), queue another event; wait one minute, disable mobile data (optional)
* 'Wifi Disconnected' When the phone is disconnected from <Any Wifi network> delay for one minute and enable mobile data
(disabling/enabling mobile data are optional but help conserve battery)
* 'Away from hotspot': When the phone disconnects from <Any Wifi network> delay for 2 minutes cancelling delayed if false, then disable Wifi, run a direct dial shortcut 'unforward' (*720), then run an android intent com.gvoip.STOP_GROOVE_IP. For this intent, choose custom, broadcast for the intent send mode, the package name is 'com.gvoip', and the action is 'com.gvoip.STOP_GROOVE_IP', leave everything else blank. This is needed because simply killing groove IP will result in it restarting automatically.
c) leave profile tab alone for now
d) troubleshoot to work out glitches... you can use the little clock icon in LLama to see history and what triggered last events
This does take some initial configuration/tweaking, but once everything works, it's just awesome. Now whenever I'm nearby a wifi hotspot I don't have to pay for minutes when making calls, and SMS through google voice is free always. Best of all, everything happens automatically so you don't forget about connecting wifi, forwarding/unforwarding, or starting/stopping groove IP. Remember to hit thanks if this helps you lower your phone bill.
**Edit**
This guide may still be helpful for a quite a few people, but unfortunately Boost is now using minutes on forwarded inbound connections... which sucks, because they weren't for about 2 months, and nothing changed. What you can do though, is leave out the forwarding aspect of this automation sequence. When people call, just don't answer and call them back right away via groove, or sms from google voice, this way you will still be able to conserve your minutes while on wifi. You still must use minutes both calling and receiving a call while driving or in motion, and google voice is always free for sms.
Terrific guide. Very detailed, thanks button pressed. Quickie question: If I begin a call on WiFi, but wander away from the hotspot coverage, it will drop correct?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hey KidFromBigD, like your logo, I am a fellow boilermaker
To answer your question: you would drop the call if you were to disconnect from wifi or leave the area. This is why it's important to stay in range of the wifi hotspot, make sure there is no interference by doing a scan initially and setting your router to a channel not occupied. Also make sure transmission or your other torrent client isn't running full throttle, otherwise voice will sound all garbled. In terms of QoS voip should be prioritized, but I don't think all home routers treat groove with priority.
q-killer said:
Hey KidFromBigD, like your logo, I am a fellow boilermaker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, since I installed llama, I've been obsessed with making it work for me. Truly haven't even scratched the surface of what this thing can do. Of course your original post described how to make VoIP calls with Groove, but running out of minutes hasn't been a problem for me. This is why I like the forums: You never know what you'll see and how you can improve your smartphone experience with a simple app.
PS: Earned my BSEE from Purdue in 1992.
You could port your number to google voice to get around forwarding
I am using GrooveIP and Llama as well, I ported my number to google voice and i have all calls go to 'chat'. when I am on Wifi, I will receive calls, but when I have data turned off (when I am not on wifi I usually do) it goes to voice mail. The fact that Google Voice is involved is transparent to people calling me. I don't think you have anything to lose if you port your number to google voice, because then it can follow you across any carrier, sim card or phone.
If I am expecting an important call I will forward to both my mobile number (sim card number) and to chat. So I can pick up if I need to.
This is not perfect but it saves a ton of minutes.
I would like to have llama change my GV to forward calls only to chat during wifi connections, and then forward to my mobile number when not on wifi. anyone know how to do this?
Thanks for the tutorial
Preface
This guide only deals with VoIP calling over wifi. You can experiment with calling over a data connection as well; just make sure to use only the speex or GSM codecs. I have had pretty good success with VoHSPA calls with T-Mobile. However, this would require manually switching call forwarding to the cell number on and off. I am looking into creating an app to automate this (as well as combine features of all the accessory apps used in this guide). However, I have limited programming experience and no Android experience yet, so it's a long term project.
Apps
Sipdroid
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.sipdroid.sipua
Google Voice
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.googlevoice
Y5 - Battery Saver
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.polidea.y5
Plane Mode Tweaker
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wordpress.chislonchow.airplanemodetweak
AutoAir
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=Com.YangSoft.AutoAir
GV SMS Integration Free
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mdrtools.apps.gvintegration.free
Guide
Free VoIP is a great addition to plans with low airtime minutes, such as T-Mobile's contract-free $30 100 minute, 5GB 4G plan. An activation kit can be purchased for $0.99 shipped from http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phone/T-Mobile-Prepaid-SIM-Activation-Kit.
This guide assumes that your primary number is with Google Voice, http://www.google.com/voice. You can port your number from one of the major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint) to Google Voice for $20. Do note that porting your number will terminate service with your provider, and you will be responsible for any ETF. If your number is currently with an MVNO or other carrier, you should be able to use a prepaid T-Mobile account as the middleman. Simply pick up an extra kit (if you will be using the T-Mobile $30 plan) to use for the number porting. Kits come with an initial value of $3.34, more than enough for the process.
If you are not attached to your current number enough to spend the $20 port fee, you can pick a new number when signing up for Google Voice. You can specify desired characters or numbers, and it will attempt to find a match.
Once you have created an account, add your cell number and enable call forwarding from your Google Voice number. Most prepaid accounts, including the $30 T-Mobile one, do not allow call forwarding, so you will not be able to "Activate Google voicemail on this phone." However, this shouldn't be an issue since people shouldn't be calling your cell number directly anyway.
Also enable call forwarding to Google chat. This is critical for receiving VoIP calls. It may be necessary to first place a call within GMail to ensure that Google chat calling works as it should.
Now it's time to download and setup the apps listed above.
Sipdroid
When first starting Sipdroid, you will find a button on the bottom of the screen to create a new account with PBXes.com linked to your Google Voice account. Use the same password as used with your Google Voice account. After signing up with Sipdroid, you have a week or so to login to the pbxes.com website and fill out some personal information. This must be completed, or your account will be deleted.
As far as configuring Sipdroid itself, you may want to go into Audio/Video and adjust Earpiece Gain to Highest. Adjust as necessary if echo is a problem.
Under Audio Codecs, set G722, PCMA, PCMU, GSM, and BV16 to Never. Speex is the only codec we want to use due to its ability to compensate for packet loss and jitter and its low bandwidth consumption. However, it can be quite CPU intensive, and if you have a slower phone, GSM may be a better option. Experiment with the two and find what works best for you. Snapdragon and faster CPUs will have no problems with speex.
Under Wireless, you can experiment with the Control Wi-Fi Power option. It may save you some battery life, but disable it if it cause otherwise slow wifi or disconnects. If not using this setting, you will need to set Android to keep the wireless connection on all the time. You can access this from Android's Wi-Fi settings page, where it lists the wireless connections. Hit the menu button and choose Advanced. Change Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep to Always.
Enable Bluetooh (experimental) if you will be using a bluetooth headset to make VoIP calls.
Finally, in PBXes Features, enable Improve Audio. In the event packet loss / jitter is detected, all data will be transmitted/received twice, effectively decreasing packet loss considerably (ideally).
Google Voice
Setup should be fairly straight forward. You may run into issues setting up call forwarding for voicemail, but this shouldn't be an issue. Set it to Use Google Voice to make all calls. This way, all non-VoIP outgoing calls will still have your Google Voice caller id.
This will also be the app you use for text messaging. Unfortunately, Google Voice is still working on implementing MMS. As of now, receiving MMS messages from certain providers is functional, although they will be sent to your email.
Y5 - Battery Saver
This app remembers wifi APs that you have associated with and switches wifi on when you are in the area. When out of area, it will be disable wifi. It requires both the cell radio and wireless to be connected to determine location. Therefore, airplane mode must not be enabled during this step.
The only setup required is to enable the app. It will then run in the background automatically.
Plane Mode Tweaker
Enabling airplane mode on most phones will disable the cell radio, wifi, and bluetooth. While in Airplane Mode, wifi is allowed to be re-enabled, while bluetooth usually is not. Make the appropriate changes with this app to prevent wifi/bt from turning off when entering airplane mode, and to allow wifi/bt.
AutoAir
AutoAir polls the wireless state in the background. When connected, it enables airplane mode; when the connection is lost, it disables airplane mode. Hit the power button in the app to enable initially. Set it to Start Service on system up and Start Service on application start up. To disable the icon in the notification bar, uncheck Show message on status bar. This serves to save battery by disabling the cell radio and to prevent double ringing, since Google Voice is forwarding to both your cell number and Sipdroid.
GV SMS Integration Free
While not related to VoIP, a lot of users would prefer the native SMS client over the GV app for text messages. Google Voice can forward texts, but it will obviously be encapsulated in a forwarded message from a shortcode instead of the actual sender's number. Not exactly clean by any means, but it is the only solution when in an area without data (i.e. roaming). Otherwise, this app will work alongside the GV app to offer seamless integration with the native SMS app (or GoSMS). You must enter your credentials in the app again for it to be able to send messages. Upon enabling integration, the phone will reboot. There looks to be three types of integration: standard, root user, and airplane mode. I've only used root user, which seems to work just fine in airplane mode.
Since I never use my cell number for texting, I have it set to send all text messages via Google Voice account. It does have the option to allow replying to texts from the number it was received from, which can be useful. There's some warning about hiding the notification bar, but I haven't had any issues yet.
Going after strictly GV SMS integration, and nothing else, I've disabled the send/receive text signatures, turning the screen on when there's a new notification, and showing popups when there's a new text.
Be sure to disable text notifications in the Google Voice app.
Do note the warning when you first enable integration-- if you decide to uninstall the app, DISABLE INTEGRATION FIRST.
That should be it! When you are home, the phone should automatically switch wifi on, connect to Google Voice (PBXes to be accurate), and enable airplane mode to disable the cell radio. Incoming calls should ring through Sipdroid. Outgoing calls are made through the native dialer as usual, and will be intercepted by Sipdroid.
When you leave home and lose wifi, airplane mode will be disabled, re-enabling the cell radio, and wifi should be disabled (saving battery by not constantly searching for APs). Inbound calls will be forward to your cell number, ringing through the native dialer. Calls made with the native dialer will dial through Google Voice (still uses airtime) and allow your Google Voice caller id to be shown.
Messaging is not a problem in airplane mode since you will be using the Google Voice app (and GV SMS Integration). The only downside is that a data connection is required for messaging while on the go. You can enable forwarding messages to your cell number if this is an issue.
Notes
It would have been nice to use the native SIP client, but it simply lacks too many features. Even over a strong wifi connection, a high(er) bandwidth codec like PCMA/PCMU may not be feasible, because of the lack of packet loss/jitter compensation. Many people prefer CSIPSimple over Sipdroid, but it does not play nicely with the Google Voice app, and does not support PBXes' proprietary features.
The main advantage of using the Sipdroid/PBXes combo over GrooVeIP is the ability to use speex/GSM codecs. GrooVeIP connects directly to Google Voice, which only supports PCMA/PCMU.
If you want to experiment with other SIP clients, do make sure to connect using TCP. UDP is a battery pig.
I've experimented with a few Android phones and have to say that some of the lower end ones are simply plagued with call quality issues, especially with regards to echo. Other issues may involve wifi quality with the screen off, so play with those settings as necessary.
Some phones have issues maintaining a wifi connection. Check for any ROMs that may address this issue. The plus side is that AutoAir will disable airplane mode if the wifi connection is lost, so there shouldn't be any missed calls. Specific to HTC Sense, there is a bug (feature) that causes the wifi connection to be dropped between midnight and 7am. The app SmartSync Disabler attempts to address this issue: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.j4n87.smartsyncdisabler.
I am using this setup with good success on an HTC Sensation running ICS. I'm at the end of my current billing period and haven't even used half of my allotted minutes. In comparison, I've clocked over 500 minutes over VoIP.
I hope this guide saves you some minutes and battery life.
How overall is the voice quality?
It's fine for the most part. Speex has good provisions to handle mild packet loss and jitter. Over wireless, you should have no issues. I make a decent amount of calls over T-Mobile's HSPA as well, and I've found that as long as you aren't moving too quickly (in a car for example), call clarify / delay is completely fine.
Just tried setting it up. Everytime I try to dial from sipdroid, I get "unfortunately sipdroid has stopped" message. Any suggestions?
What phone are you using? Have you tried using the native dialer? I only use Sipdroid itself to make SIP calls.
Just wanted to chime in and say thank you! I followed the instructions as they pertain to my situation (SGS3, Sprint, unlimited data plan) and I've tested VOIP calling and it works great. Called my brother, and we were both immediately shocked by how good the call quality was. Only thing I did different was not install Y5 battery saver. The SGS3 (or maybe all Sprint smartphones?) has a built in function (Settings--under Wireless and networks, More Settings -- Mobile Networks -- Automatic Connections -- enable Sprint automatic connection) that seems to serve this feature.
Anyway, thanks!
Anyone else have trouble sliding up the box to answer an incoming call? Sometimes I slide it up, but it doesn't stay up, it slides back down so I can't answer. Or it has trouble sliding to begin with.
Awesome guide by the way! Thanks for sharing.
EDIT: Happens on Galaxy Nexus GSM running AOKP JELLY BEAN BUILD 5 and Galaxy S I9000 running Slim Bean 2.9
sk8erfrombham said:
Anyone else have trouble sliding up the box to answer an incoming call? Sometimes I slide it up, but it doesn't stay up, it slides back down so I can't answer. Or it has trouble sliding to begin with.
Awesome guide by the way! Thanks for sharing.
EDIT: Happens on Galaxy Nexus GSM running AOKP JELLY BEAN BUILD 5 and Galaxy S I9000 running Slim Bean 2.9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've had this problem in the past. Not sure exactly what the deal was with it. I haven't really had that problem too much lately though, and don't think it's caused me to miss a call. I think I've been giving it an extra second before I swipe it up and it seems to be fine.
I might explore other SIP apps again. Everyone likes csipsimple, but it seems to go into a loop when dialing out if used with the Google Voice app. I believe it does support speex and ilbc though, which would be nice.
Sipdroid supposedly has some proprietary support with pbxes in that it can initialize a redundant stream for purposes of mitigating packet loss / jitter.
Hey ziddey, I've heard that Google has removed the ability for third party apps to toggle airplane mode in Jelly Bean 4.2. Will this cause double ringing if AutoAir won't work? Do you know of any workarounds?
Thanks for posting this incredibly helpful tutorial. I've been using tmo's $30 plan with a GNex for awhile now. First I used GrooveIP, then pbxes+sipdroid. But, I never played around with the codecs, and speex is so much better than the default. I'm having a much better calling experience now. Thank you very much for sharing.
sk8erfrombham said:
Hey ziddey, I've heard that Google has removed the ability for third party apps to toggle airplane mode in Jelly Bean 4.2. Will this cause double ringing if AutoAir won't work? Do you know of any workarounds?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If Airplane mode can't be triggered, then double ringing will occur . I've stalled out on my project to make an AIO app a while ago, and am not sure what's possible now-- if there's something that can toggle the radio itself instead of triggering airplane mode.
Back in the day, I emailed Talkatone requesting that they add automatic toggling of the cell number on Google Voice when connected to Talkatone's server. In response, they added the feature, but made it available only for the premium subscription tier. But it does work. My research into GV hasn't gotten me far enough to see if there's an API I can call, or if they're manipulating the website/URL directly (imagine it's the former..). Once Talkatone sees that the client has disconnected / timed out, it will again re-enable forwarding to the cell number.
quarksurfer said:
Thanks for posting this incredibly helpful tutorial. I've been using tmo's $30 plan with a GNex for awhile now. First I used GrooveIP, then pbxes+sipdroid. But, I never played around with the codecs, and speex is so much better than the default. I'm having a much better calling experience now. Thank you very much for sharing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are very welcome! I hope it works out for you. I've been logging a lot of pbxes minutes recently and have found call quality to be inconsistent. Of course, a lot of that may have to do with wireless signal issues on my end. I would be running my own pbx server full time for personal use, but given the costs of electricity in my area, I don't have a 24/7 box anymore Maybe a Raspberry Pi is in my future.. I need something with low power consumption.
If you are ever looking to experiment, there are other sip clients available, and ilbc is another good codec to try. I believe pbxes.com supports it as well.
Does anyone know the phone number you can call to test echo? I think it plays your voice back on a delay or something...
I've seen it in the forums here but I can't find it after searching for a while.
Google for sip echo test
Use sipdroid or whatever sip client you're using to dial it.
[email protected] should work.
Trying this
I'll be trying this configuration out in the next week. I'm very curious to hear from others about how well it does for them. I'm new to the android platform, but have wanted to save the minutes and use voip as much as possible. It took a lot of searching to find this thread, and then a couple of days getting used to my new phone to have it set up.
I did note a strange loop (flashing screen) because in seeking out this guide I had had csipsimple installed (and grooveip) and Voice+ (Google Voice callback) and that caused trouble with outgoing calls. I've got it sorted out now, and it looks like it's all working.
Thanks for the well written guide!
---------- Post added at 03:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:23 AM ----------
It does look like this guide might not work completely well with the airplane mode API change in 4.2. There's another thread that suggests the secure settings plugin for Tasker (paid) or running Llama - Location Profiles on a rooted phone.
Tomcat23 said:
It does look like this guide might not work completely well with the airplane mode API change in 4.2. There's another thread that suggests the secure settings plugin for Tasker (paid) or running Llama - Location Profiles on a rooted phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bummmmmer. I'll be on the N4 boat soon enough and depend on this solution to keep under 100 minutes of actual airtime a month.
I'm switching nexus phones from the galaxy nexus to the nexus 4. Sipdroid is working great on the galaxy nexus thanks in part to this tutorial. When I boot up the N4 I sign into google voice, then I open sipdroid and put in my username and password, but I get a red dot and a "registration failed (401 Unauthorized)" error. I'm still able to open sipdroid on the gNex and it works fine.
I'm thinking of deleting my pbxes account, and then uninstalling/reinstalling sipdroid on the N4 and just setting up a brand new account.
Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks for any ideas,
k
---------- Post added at 07:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 PM ----------
Dang. So I deleted my pbxes account, but when I try to create a new account with sipdroid, it says 'myname' trunk is already in use. I guess I should have deleted that trunk, then deleted my account. But, I can't log in to pbxes.org anymore. So, I feel stuck.
to answer my own question, in case anyone searches. You just have to wait a few hours (3-4) for me, and then you can create a new account because that old trunk gets deleted.
GV SMS Integration Free
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mdrtools.apps.gvintegration.free
GV SMS Integration Free
While not related to VoIP, a lot of users would prefer the native SMS client over the GV app for text messages. Google Voice can forward texts, but it will obviously be encapsulated in a forwarded message from a shortcode instead of the actual sender's number. Not exactly clean by any means, but it is the only solution when in an area without data (i.e. roaming). Otherwise, this app will work alongside the GV app to offer seamless integration with the native SMS app (or GoSMS). You must enter your credentials in the app again for it to be able to send messages. Upon enabling integration, the phone will reboot. There looks to be three types of integration: standard, root user, and airplane mode. I've only used root user, which seems to work just fine in airplane mode.
Since I never use my cell number for texting, I have it set to send all text messages via Google Voice account. It does have the option to allow replying to texts from the number it was received from, which can be useful. There's some warning about hiding the notification bar, but I haven't had any issues yet.
Going after strictly GV SMS integration, and nothing else, I've disabled the send/receive text signatures, turning the screen on when there's a new notification, and showing popups when there's a new text.
Be sure to disable text notifications in the Google Voice app.
Do note the warning when you first enable integration-- if you decide to uninstall the app, DISABLE INTEGRATION FIRST.
ziddey said:
GV SMS Integration Free
Going after strictly GV SMS integration, and nothing else, I've disabled the send/receive text signatures, turning the screen on when there's a new notification, and showing popups when there's a new text.
Be sure to disable text notifications in the Google Voice app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok
errorcod3 said:
I'm using the same exact setup as you -- I don't even know my phone number with my carrier... But, I am having a problem with GV SMS Integration. I'm a recent iPhone transplant and I switched to a Google Nexus 4 running 4.2.1.
Again, my setup is exactly the same, but I'm not getting notified for new text messages. When I open the native text message app I have new messages, I'm just not getting notified. I have turn screen on and show popups -- and I get nothing. I also have text notifications disabled in the GV app. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you get notified of new messages that are sent to your cell number?
Since GV SMS Integration essentially backdoors the native app, it sounds like something changed in the code with JB. Seeing how the app hasn't been updated in a while and the website is non-existent, let's hope for an update soon.
In the meantime, I'm imagining that it might work fine with GoSMS on JB if that app is okay by your standards..
Have you found an automated airplane mode toggler that works with JB? I understand AutoAir is not compatible.
A while back, we got an Obi 201 device and got rid of our ridiculous $65/month basic landline (we live in the sticks). I signed up for a Google Voice number and got everything working. The Obi works great with the same phones we used for our landline, just wireless Panasonic things.
I also set up the Samsung Galaxy II thinking it would be great to have that phone ring with the same number.
We're supposed to be able to use the Obi app for Android to call home when we're away, or to allow the kids to call us. While the kids can call us no problem, we can almost never get the Obi app working where we can call from the cell to home. It's really inconvenient at times.
So I decided to just go back to using the regular Tmobile number on the cell phone.
First, I changed the google voice app so that it wasn't responsible for making outgoing calls. This didn't work. I still heard the little google voice chime whenever I made a call.
Next, I uninstalled the google voice app entirely. Still no dice, weirdly it still chimes the google voice noise when I make an outgoing call. And trying to call home using the google voice number just takes me to my voice messaging system. I can't ring the Panasonic phones.
I go into Google Voice on my desktop and uncheck the cell phone number so it won't forward the calls. I restart my phone and try to call the google voice number, which should now ONLY be forwarding to the Obi machine - but I'm *still* getting the google voice chime and it takes me to voice mail rather than the home phones.
The only other thing I can think of is that in the Obitalk website the cellphone is entered, but it doesn't give me any way to delete it, and the status is 'red' suggesting it's not working.
What in the world do I need to do to this dang phone to get it to simply use the Tmobile number? It's rooted.
I searched everywhere and couldn't find anyone with this same problem. I hope I'm being super dense and missing something obvious, because this is a bit nuts.
Thanks!
You may need to reinstall the Google Voice app and go through the settings. Disabling mobile data should successfully force the phone to use old-fashioned cellular for calls. If so, then something's telling your phone to make VOIP calls over mobile data.
Also, check the settings within the phone app.
post-mortem said:
You may need to reinstall the Google Voice app and go through the settings. Disabling mobile data should successfully force the phone to use old-fashioned cellular for calls. If so, then something's telling your phone to make VOIP calls over mobile data.
Also, check the settings within the phone app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have done all of that. Uninstalling the app completely - to the point where I can no longer find any reference to it in the phone settings, STILL calls out with that blasted google chime.
I reinstalled the app, and set it to never make calls with google voice, and it still calls out with the google chime, resulting in a total inability to call home - it goes straight to voice mail, thinking I'm calling myself.
I tried to delete my mobile number from google voice's website, but it says the account *has* to forward somewhere, even though my husband's google number does not forward anywhere.
If I un-check the mobile number to stop forwarding calls in the google voice website, calls stop coming to my OBI device, resulting in no home calls ringing, and the cell STILL calls out with that number.
I'm ready to throw this phone in the street and run over it a few times with the car. AUGH.
Should I just do a factory reset? I don't have any data that needs saving. I just want this stupid phone to be able to call my house when I'm out.
If that's the case, then go ahead and do that.
post-mortem said:
If that's the case, then go ahead and do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did, but it didn't help. I begged for help on the Obitalk forums and finally found the setting I needed to change. For anyone else having this issue:
1. Add your t-mobile (or cell number) to Google Voice as a contact. Then, edit the google voice settings in the contact and make sure only 'ring google voice' is checked.
2. Then, go to the phones tab in the settings, and at the bottom click the 'edit' button. It's gray and hard to see. From there, click "advanced settings" and under voicemail check "no."
This will allow the cell phone to ring the Obi / google voice home number. Hooray.