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[Q] Google voice and the Use Message App option

So, I have been a frequent user of the google voice app, I was toying around with the settings and noticed that there is an option to use the messaging app.
By using the messaging app does it count against the messaging plan?
I am not having voice send me SMS notifications (The option available on the website).

Google Voice messages do not count against the phone's AT&T SMS messaging count.
Google Voice introduces a whole new number with unlimited voice calling minutes (with no long-distance charges) from anywhere in the US to anywhere in the US or Canada, (plus unlimited text messages to/from both those places, as well); along with its own voicemail (which you may or may not want to actually use if you prefer to have all voicemail land in one place... specifically the phone's AT&T voicemail; or you could use it instead of AT&T-provided voicemail; or both... your call).
Google Voice is true VoIP, so any phone calls, SMS messages, etc., all happen using the phone's AT&T data (3G/4G) plan, not the phone's normal AT&T telephony (voice calls, text messaging) plan. Regarding texts, though -- and this is partly why I think some people with certain Samsung phones get confused -- you can set things on the phone so that incoming texts to the Google Voice number either make their own noise on the phone, and may be seen/replied-to only in the Google Voice app, or you can have them integrate with your normal text messages as far as how they appear on the phone. In neither case do they count against the phone's AT&T messaging limit.
Parenthetically, if text messages -- and by that, I mean the normal SMS/MMS to your AT&T phone number, and not Google Voice SMS -- is a concern, I've found that the AT&T unlimited texts with combination unlimited voice calls to cell phones (regardless of provider) is pretty useful. I forget what it costs for individuals, but on a family plan it's only $30 for all phones on the plan; and the first thing I noticed after three phone bills is that our number of regular voice calling minutes, through the AT&T (not the Google Voice) phone number, is seriously reduced because my wife, at least, pretty much mostly only calls other cell phones. I make a lot of business calls to business landline numbers, so I still use a lot of minutes; but with her minutes so seriously reduced because she calls (and receives calls from) so many cell phones, and because we've got the unlimited voice call minutes to other cells with combination unlimited texts plan, I'm toying with reducing the number of regular calling minutes on the family plan. But I want to have a few more months of bills to see if we ever get close to our current voice minutes before I do that. Still, the unlimited-texts-with-unlimited-voice-minutes-to-other-cells-(regardless-of-carrier) plan is way cool... for whatever that's worth.
The bottom line, though, regarding your question, is that nothing you do on Google Voice counts against either AT&T voice calling minutes, or AT&T text (SMS or MMS) messaging; however, both voice calling and texting via Google Voice uses the AT&T 3G/4G data plan. Fortunately, voice calls via Google Voice are fairly low bandwidth; and text messages, at a maximum of only 140 bytes per message, barely use any of your data plan at all, to speak of. Just, if you use Google Voice for voice calls, pay attention to how much bandwidth a typical 10 minute call makes, and then adjust your overall use accordingly. The 64-thousand-dollar-question has always been whether a typical month's worth of voice calls via Google Voice would actually be cheaper, in real dollars paid to AT&T for 3G/4G data, than would that same month's worth of calls had they been made via regular AT&T Wireless voice calling.
Another FYI: Google Voice, for most users, is SMS-only (no MMS); though, that said, it appears that Google's slowly rolling MMS out to all Google Voice users.
SEE: http : // bit . ly / x9BH3m (remove spaces to make the link work)
Hope that helps!
___________________________________
Gregg L. DesElms
Napa, California USA
gregg at greggdeselms dot com

DesElms said:
SEE: http : // bit . ly / x9BH3m (remove spaces to make the link work)
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Thanks for that bit of info! I somehow missed that in my various news feeds.
FlyingIsFun1217

[Q] Google Voice on Mobilicity or Wind Mobile? (Canada)

The google voice app has never worked on my phone, always giving me some message about it being for US only.
But today i tried it from my phone and it actually allowed me to set up an account. It stopped at the screen where i was setting up my voicemail pin and said "We have a problem. Your phone number could not be verified. Please try again.". So far i havent been able to get past that screen.
I was able to make google voice calls on my laptop today so it seems like they are allowing use in Canada finally. Does anyone know if its possible to use google voice on mobilicity or wind?
I am curious because mobilicity has a new plan with unlimited calls texts and data for 25 a month, but no voicemail. If i can use google voice as my voicemail then obviously that wont be a problem.

don't know if you checked this out already, but read the post below...I think it should explain what you're looking for....
http://community.windmobile.ca/windmobile/topics/using_google_voice_on_your_phone?from_gsfn=true

Thanks, its too bad that the workarounds discussed in that post still dont offer a solution for voicemail, but that will probably be useful information for future reference.
I did find a solution to this problem without using google voice if anyone is interested. I may as well share it.
To those who are interested in this plan but wont sign up without voicemail:
- You can get a free phone number and a customizable answering machine from http://www.freephoneline.ca/ (if you cant get a toronto number you can use thornhill, richmond hill, etc to avoid forwarding to a long distance number)
- Then set your phone to forward your unanswered, busy, and unavailable incoming calls to your freephoneline number.
- Then set your voicemail access number to the corresponding number on this list http://www.freephoneline.ca/vmAccessNumbers
- Also make sure to set your freephoneline to only ring once before going to voicemail, you can do this by logging into your account on their website and going to your settings
- You now have $25 BTS + Voicemail! When people call your regular phone number and you dont answer, it will forward them to your voicemail on your freephoneline number, and you can check your voicemail from your cell phone the same way you always would.
I believe they also provide the option to automatically transcribe your voicemails and email them to you in text form.
EDIT: Apparantly call forwarding is $5 more, if thats true this wouldnt work. Another option would be using Dell Voice on the android market.
Its an app gives you a canadian number with the area code of your choice and can be used to make and receive calls anywhere in canada and US for free, and customizable voicemail. It uses your carrier data to do this, but since this plan has unlimited data that shouldnt be a problem. The only problem is you would have to get used to making and receiving all your calls through an app, and using your dell voice number as your primary number.
Might be worth the extra $5 to get call features and add the freephoneline voicemail via the method above, the $5 call features addon on the mobilicity website includes Call Waiting, Call Forwarding and 3-Way Calling, (plus voicemail via fpl). Thats basically $30 for the $29 plan i currently have with wind except that it doesnt expire in a year and go up to $45 =/

[Q] Travelling to Egypt, want to auto forward texts and phone calls to Google Voice

I am going to Egypt on Thursday for one week to visit my family. I will have access to wifi while at our apartment there. I have the app talkatone which allows me to use my google voice number for phone calls, voicemail and texting thru the internet. I assume if I setup full call forwarding to my google voice number this will allow anyone who calls my verizon number to connect to my talkatone app if I have internet and I dont have to worry about the high call charges on verizon. But how do I make it so that if someone sends a text mesasge to my verizon phone number while I am in egypt that it will auto foward to my google voice number without first being received on my verizon number? Each incoming text message from verizon will cost me 5 cents while I am there. I'd like to make it so the texts are auto forwarded to my google voice number before the text even reaches my phone, so I do not have to eat the 5 cent per text charge. Is this possible?

sfetaz said:
I am going to Egypt on Thursday for one week to visit my family. I will have access to wifi while at our apartment there. I have the app talkatone which allows me to use my google voice number for phone calls, voicemail and texting thru the internet. I assume if I setup full call forwarding to my google voice number this will allow anyone who calls my verizon number to connect to my talkatone app if I have internet and I dont have to worry about the high call charges on verizon. But how do I make it so that if someone sends a text mesasge to my verizon phone number while I am in egypt that it will auto foward to my google voice number without first being received on my verizon number? Each incoming text message from verizon will cost me 5 cents while I am there. I'd like to make it so the texts are auto forwarded to my google voice number before the text even reaches my phone, so I do not have to eat the 5 cent per text charge. Is this possible?
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For text messaging no, give your buds your GV number while you're there.

[Q] tmobile and google voice?

ok, so im getting the 100 minute, unlimited data 30$ tmobile plan on my sprint nexus 5 cause sprint totally sucks.
i have a google voice number and i was just wondering, now that hangouts has calling integrated, can i just use google voice number to make and receive calls over data?
im reading conflicting things, like some people want call forwarding from tmobile (im thinking they want their cell number forwarded to google voice) which 1)isnt an option and 2) not really needed since people will be calling my seperate google voice number
also reading that tmobile blocks google voice on their prepaid plans for some folks
is anyone using the 30 month 100 minute unlimited tmobile data plan and making and receiving calls using a seperate google voice number?

It's working for me. Just make sure you check the option in hangouts settings to receive calls on the device, as well. Now trying to forward phone calls made to my T-Mobile number to my GV Voice Mail doesn't work since it's prepaid. At least, last time I tried it didn't.

As long as you have good service it works fine. Tried it over edge and kept falling to place calls. Where as edge works fine to place calls over normal cell network not using data.

Google confirmed calls to and from your Google voice number that you answer through the hangouts app are 100% data usage.

For any of you who have merged hangouts with Google Voice, is sending SMS *incredibly* slow?
Even when the keyboard doesn't freeze, a fast text message takes about 5-10 seconds to send.
App loading and navigation is also laggy. I wonder if it has to do with the mmssms database merged and having to load it.

First, you sure can just use Google Voice number to make and receive calls over data. In fact, Hangouts only use data, not voice/talk minute at all.
Second, prepaid mobile phone plans do not have conditional forwarding which is required to forward incoming calls to mobile DID (Direct Inward Dialing -- telephone number) to Google Voice DID. Therefore, you are correct. It is not an option. Moreover, you are also correct as to there is no such need to forward calls from mobile DID to Google Voice DID due to people will be using separate Google Voice DID. I would suggest you port Sprint mobile DID to Ring.to and have Ring.to forward all incoming calls and texts to your Google Voice DID. Consequently, people have been using your current Sprint mobile DID will continue be able to contact you without changing your DID. You just get a new DID from T-Mobile when you sign up for $30 prepaid plan for 100 minutes talk, unlimited text and data with first 5 GB up to LTE speeds.
Third, I am using $30 prepaid plan for 100 minutes talk, unlimited text and data with first 5 GB up to LTE speeds and using Hangouts for outgoing calls. It just work flawlessly! I use Voxox for incoming calls and do not use mobile DID came with T-Mobile $30 plan at all.

Grandfathered Unlimited Voicemail is now HIJACKED to Visual Voicemail!

I have a Note 3 that I bought outright due to being on the old Unlimited Data Plan. All of the Voicemail features, including a high capacity (40 saved Voicemails) to this point have been no-cost, and were included with the plan.
Tuesday evening, March 15, 2016, I noticed that I had new Voicemails (Icon) on my Status Bar. I was in the middle of something, so I delayed retrieving them. After finishing, I noticed that my Verizon Folder had a red dot with a "2" on it. Wondering what they had pushed to my phone now, I opened the Folder. I saw the "Voicemail" Icon had the red dot with the 2 on it. New feature I guess.. this has never happened before. I pressed the Icon to retrieve my Voicemails.
BIG MISTAKE!! NOTE THAT this Icon was not labeled Visual Voicemail, Visual Voicemail Premium, Visual Voicemail Premium Trial, etc.. just "Voicemail".
The Phone dialed, and immediately began initializing a Visual Voicemail Premium setup and Trial period. I had been ClickJacked once again by Verizon!
Under my old Voicemail settings, which I later found to be called "Visual VM COS 341", I had 22 very important Voicemails saved, and I need to keep them as I am trying to recover money from Wells Fargo for a House that I bought, but never took possession of, because they pulled the deal and foreclosed on the owner. Those Recordings have been on the System for approximately 4 years. I had another 5 Voicemails not related to this that I had kept as well.
Bear in mind, that this Voicemail capacity was there, and I was still able to receive additional Voicemails, and either keep them, or delete them as necessary - all, functionality that was included in this Voicemail Service. I also understand that the Capacity was 40 Saved voicemails before the Inbox was full, and I needed to delete.
Pressing the Icon on Tuesday evening, caused a TapJack of my Voicemail, initiating a migration of my voicemail service to Verizon's Visual Voicemail Premium Service.I did not want this, nor have I wanted the Visual Voicemail service for the three years it has been available. My older voicemail service was fine.
Upon realizing what happened, I simply hung up the phone. I called the Voicemail the way I always have, by pressing and holding the "1" Key. Upon connecting, the VVM Setup that started before now resumed, and I was told that my Inbox was full, and that the Messages had to be deleted to be able to continue. It would still not let me access my new Voicemails either, and began playing my saved Voicemails from the beginning, causing me to have to again re-save them. There were 27 that I wanted to keep, 22 that I NEED to keep.
After re-saving all of these, I was still unable to access the two new Voicemails. I immediately called Customer Service, and found that they were closed, and I would have to call back tomorrow. Wednesday Morning, I called and talked to Level 1 Support, in two separate calls, and they claimed to have reverted my Voicemail back to my original settings. They did NOT. I called back, and was escalated to Level 2. I spoke with that Technician, and he saw what was happening, but said that he could see how to change the settings back, but it was unable to be accessed by him. He asked me to try to delete some voicemails, to see if I could get the level down to around 20, which I did, by deleting 5 non-essential Voicemails. This only got me down to 22 though. The Options to him were still "greyed out", and He referred me to Level 3 Support. I also got a verification Text Message regarding the punt to Level 3.
The following morning, Thursday, I received a Text that the Problem, for my voicemail Provisioning had been resolved, on issue NRB000008298104, and to try to access my Voicemail to test it. I called the Voicemail, and received the same message that my Inbox was full, and that I needed to delete my Messages.
I called back, and was connected to Level 3 Support. The Technician, Arlena S Lee, told me that my Phone was Migrated to Visual Voicemail, on a new Premium IMS VVM Plan, because it was a Smart Phone, and that ALL Smartphones were being Migrated. I had NO OPTION OF GOING BACK TO MY OLD VOICEMAIL SERVICE.
With the IMS Voicemail (VVM) Plan, I had two options.. Basic, now with a maximum capacity of 20 Saved Messages, which is free, or the Premium, which has a Capacity of 40 Saved Messages, and which WILL COST ME AN ADDITIONAL $2.99 per month.. and that I needed to make a decision on which plan I wanted to keep. No options, no negotiations.. either my original Voicemail Service Save Capacity would be reduced to 20 Voicemails, or I would now have to PAY THE PREMIUM FEE TO KEEP THAT LEVEL OF SERVICE!!
I told the Technician to forward me the emails from her upper level Support, she did, and I'm posting the content here..
NRB000008298104
Inbox x
Lee, Arlena S <[email protected]>
10:18 AM (1 hour ago)
to me
RESOLUTION INFORMATION:
Resolution Type: VOICEMAIL PROVISIONING
Resolution: message limit for Basic VM & IMS Basic VVM are both 20 messages...
Customer had Visual VM COS 341 before with a max limit of 40 (for a monthly fee)
Premium IMS VVM has a max of 40 (also with a fee).
The Galaxy Note 3 is an IMS capable handset & must have an IMS VM SFO.
Customer just needs to decide if he wants the free IMS Basic VVM with a max limit of 20, or IMS Premium VVM with a max of 40 messages for a fee, but cannot go back to regular VM COS with this handset.
Please make the appropriate change in Billing according to customer's decision
Note that there is NO CHOICE to revert. They also claim that I was paying the additional $2.99 per month before, under the old system.. I WAS NOT, and I just finished downloading the past 24 months of Statements to prove it, and I have all of my Statements from before that. I also have the phone call Voice Recording of the Conversation from this Conversation, with Ms Lee telling me that Verizon has made the decision to Migrate ALL SMARTPHONE ACCOUNTS TO THIS NEW VVM SYSTEM, and that there will be no going back.
Verizon has once again screwed its Customers, by cutting Service Functionality of a Plan Feature, and holding it Ransom, unless the Customer PAYS AN ADDITIONAL EXTORTIONATE FEE TO RESTORE THE FEATURE OR CAPACITY THAT WAS FREE BEFORE.. I'm seeing shades of the recent price increase for all of their Unlimited Data Customers, with the additional $20.00 per month EXTORTION FEE to keep this service.
I'm also going to post this information as well on other Android Phone sites.. BE WARNED.. Verizon is now (again) resorting to extortionate strong-arm tactics to bleed even more monthly revenue from their customers!
Original Link - not able to be published due to not enough posts.

That's why I use call recording function for important calls
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