While I'm working in China, I've got a China Mobile sim card for my local contacts, I've ported my US number to Google Voice for my contacts at home, and I've got people messaging me on multiple apps (Voxer, Skype, Google Talk, Kik, Mysms). I'm looking for a good way to slim things down a bit.
What's the best setup you've found for simplifying your messaging situation? I'm interested in any creative solutions, and I'm especially interested in hearing from people who are dealing with international messaging and phone numbers in separate countries. I'd also love to hear tricks you've found for settings within the apps you use. I know there are ways to configure these things in order to optimize their functionality.
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looking for the best widget / app for twitter. i'm sort of new to the twitter scene and don't really plan on broadcasting my life to a billion people, but i thought it might work well as a free alternative to sending text messages (which actually cost me money after a certain point).
anyway, just looking for suggestions on best widgets and/or apps.
thanks!
You can try Google Voice, it can send text messages for free. It can also be your voicemail as well. Then you can get the Google Voice app for Android, it integrates with the phone perfectly.
I think you may need to sign up for a new number when you register, to be able to use free texting.
Hey guys I havent been able to find anything current as if this was possible on android device.. I have JB IP4 and im using google voice sms through bitesms as my native app using the sms google voice extension. The way it works is that when the google voice app sends a push notification on the phone the google voice sms extension catches the push notification and sends it through bitesms as a normal sms. That way I was able to ditch the unlimited sms plan from ATT. Is something like that possible on android? Thats huge for me since 20 bucks a months is a damn ripoff. And i do lots and lots of txting lol. Thanks for any info =)
I've been an SMS GV Extensions user since it launched and finally bought an Android phone last week.
I took it for granted that Android would either do this already or be able to do this more easily (iOS required a jailbreak), but I instead find that you can only integrate incoming messages with the native Android messaging app and there doesn't seem to be a solution even with rooting your phone. This is disappointing, to say the least.
The fact that the Android GV app has an option in integrate inbound messages with the native messaging application but not outbound implies that is is a deliberate decision on Google's part because it is an obvious feature that is only half implemented. It is probably less a concern with cutting into the carriers' SMS revenue and more to do with constraining use of the service (Google has taken actions to curb heavy use in the past). If it integrated seemlessly, people would use it more.
This is something Google is just going to have to get over if they hope to remain competitive. There is some hope in that the new iMessaging that integrates with text messaging on iOS will put competitive pressure on them to do something similar with Android.
I will be first in line!
Psst... if anyone has found a way that I am unaware of despite constant searching in the past week, please advise us in this thread!
Google Voice Integration App?
I have not used this personally, and am in no way associated with the developer, but I found this app when searching for this exact functionality today. My Nexus S is currently integrated with GV on Sprint, so I have no way of actually testing whether this works or not, but if it does, its definitely worth $0.99!
I've been contemplating a switch to Verizon because of Sprint's slow network speeds, and would do so if I could have this functionality. If anyone has tried it, please provide feedback.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.MDRTools.GVMI2&hl=en
kashah said:
I have not used this personally, and am in no way associated with the developer, but I found this app when searching for this exact functionality today. My Nexus S is currently integrated with GV on Sprint, so I have no way of actually testing whether this works or not, but if it does, its definitely worth $0.99!
I've been contemplating a switch to Verizon because of Sprint's slow network speeds, and would do so if I could have this functionality. If anyone has tried it, please provide feedback.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.MDRTools.GVMI2&hl=en
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I just tried that app about 20 minutes ago. It shows promise. If you compose a message using the native SMS app it will send via Google Voice.
However, it doesn't integrate incoming messages. If you use GV's built in text forwarding, messages will come from your contact's alias (406, 973, etc) number. Also, you won't see messages you've sent using the Google Voice app or website in the native client.
I refunded it but I'll definitely buy again after improvements are made.
check out the google voice sms integration app on the market.
just search for mdrtools and u will find it.
Apologies if this has been mentioned before (a search of forums revealed nothing), but I stumbled across a neat app a couple of weeks ago, It's called Viber, http://www.viber.com/
I use the HTC Sensation and the wife uses an iPhone 4, with this app we can make free phone calls and send free text messages, Have been using it for the last 2 weeks and the call quality is very good.
Really neat part is , it links up with your existing contacts list and shows all your contacts that also use viber.
While it does run in the background I have not noticed any extra battery use at all.
Give it a go.
interesting app.
I like the part about the free international calls... too bad it's only limited to other viber users as well as for domestic calls/text.
still, if you have friends/family out of the country, this would be a good way to communicate.
for domestic calls/text though, I think Google Voice is a better choice since it doesn't require other people to be on the same program.
still, pretty cool app.
I use Google Voice exclusively because of savings on text messaging. Because of this, I need to have my phone dial out with my GV number as the outgoing number.
Android has seamless integration with GV (obviously because both are made by Google); iOS seems to have two system extensions that seamlessly integrate GV into its native dialer and messaging app.
From what I understand, WP7 doesn't have anything like this yet because there are OS limitations as to how tightly Google Voice could be integrated with the native dialer (though I don't mind if I could use a different text messaging app for my GV SMS). With the coming Apollo update and its promised Skype integration into the native dialer, do you think that Microsoft will open the APIs required to achieve a similar seamless integration of Google Voice like in iOS?
I use GoVoice app, which is an app (not integrated into the system), but it does the work. After going into the app, you can call or text someone without any hassle from your GV account.
Give it a try.
I've played around with the app in an AT&T store but obviously I can't get a proper experience unless I had a week or so with it.
I've heard some complaints are that the lack of integration is annoying, such that if you click a phone number that points to a text message, you will be sent to the default message app (which won't work if you rely exclusively on GV). Also, some people have said that it's not particularly consistent and is slow to turn on when you want to check an incoming message.
Do you use it exclusively as opposed to the native dialer?
i got rid of google voice, only because of the battery drain on android.
i just use google talk and beep.
google voice was easier though with my own number that could be texted like any other phone, but man it killed my battery.
I come from a country where everyone uses WhatsApp to communicate, and I never worried about messaging apps.
But I will be in the USA, and it seems like people just use the default messaging app that comes on their phone (wtf???). And iPhones are bundled with a built in modern messaging app, but one that is locked down to only iPhone users, and falls back to the really old SMS/MMS (not RCS) when messaging non-iPhones, which would lead to iPhone users being annoyed from messaging non-iPhones (do they even support stuff like group chats, messages longer than a tweet, sending videos, location, etc? i guess not or not fully).
Ironically this makes it seem like having a feature phone would still be useful in that country.
Before, I didn't even understand why RCS even existed, just that it seemed like another seemingly cool messaging initiative by Google that was gonna fail just like Allo and so many others, and I'm not sure how helpful is it due to Apple not implementing it. I also didn't understand why Hangouts, Signal, Messenger, etc had the feature to be your SMS app and for example Messenger is pretty insistent even going to the path of dark patterns.
I'm curious to see what the thoughts and experiences of the American XDA community are. Do you use the SMS app? Do you use workarounds like BlueBubbles to use the proprietary iMessage?
xMotoDA said:
I come from a country where everyone uses WhatsApp to communicate, and I never worried about messaging apps.
But I will be in the USA, and it seems like people just use the default messaging app that comes on their phone (wtf???). And iPhones are bundled with a built in modern messaging app, but one that is locked down to only iPhone users, and falls back to the really old SMS/MMS (not RCS) when messaging non-iPhones, which would lead to iPhone users being annoyed from messaging non-iPhones (do they even support stuff like group chats, messages longer than a tweet, sending videos, location, etc? i guess not or not fully).
Ironically this makes it seem like having a feature phone would still be useful in that country.
Before, I didn't even understand why RCS even existed, just that it seemed like another seemingly cool messaging initiative by Google that was gonna fail just like Allo and so many others, and I'm not sure how helpful is it due to Apple not implementing it. I also didn't understand why Hangouts, Signal, Messenger, etc had the feature to be your SMS app and for example Messenger is pretty insistent even going to the path of dark patterns.
I'm curious to see what the thoughts and experiences of the American XDA community are. Do you use the SMS app? Do you use workarounds like BlueBubbles to use the proprietary iMessage?
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In order to use imessage on Android I heard u have to have a mac if u don't than their is no way to use imessage on Android
I have a gaming windows 10 pc so I'm out of luck plus why would I buy a mac just for imessage I like windows better for me windows 10 Is better but it's just up to u whatever u prefer
You can have a macOS virtual machine, though. But how much effort one would put to it would depend on how important it is in American society to have iMessage