Am a small business owner and need to be able to access incoming and outgoing texts while on a cruise.on at&t.
WhatsApp seems to require the other party to be signed up which is not always the case. Is there another way around this besides buying the high-priced cellular plan? For example can I forward my phone to Google Voice and receive messages this way over WiFi?
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I use Sipdroid on my phone and it can interrogate into the phone so when you make a call it automatically calls with Voip over 3g (or wifi). I would liek to know weather it is possible to completely disable making voice/Video calls and texts over mobile network. As i would like to start giving android phones to my employees with data sims because data sims have much cheaper data rates but if you make a call/text its really expensive. And i wouldnt want an employee to accidentally exit sipdroid so when they make a call it doesn't use voip. also I still want to be able to receive regular calls.
Thanks.
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
Problem: going to Germany and Switzerland in two weeks
Goal: allow family to call/txt my vzw cell as usual without international fees, make calls without international fees etc.
solution?:
can I get a prepaid sim when I land, forward my vzw number to gtalk and use a dialer app to make outgoing calls back home?
There are some apps to let you make free calls, but you should have the Wi-Fi or 3G or 4G connectivity at first.
Will you have access to Wifi? If so then I recommend using Google Voice. The app itself will provide for the text messaging but you'll need another app to provide for the VOIP calling via Google Talk. I recommend Groove IP for that.
I am trying to consolidate all of my calling and texting into one app with one phone number that i can use on any device, I.E. android, windows, and hopefully, IOS in case i need it in the future using only an internet connection. Here is what i have right now, how i use it.
I have a Google voice account with one phone number. The problem with this is that i can't receive or make phone calls, i can only send and receive texts, and limited texts at that. Just to try to increase my text limits, I signed up for a Google business account, but really that just gives me a bunch of extra crap i don't need, I.E. a webpage.
When i first signed up for this account i had Verizon as my carrier so i linked my current number to the Verizon account. I have since canceled my service with Verizon, but i don't want to delete my current Google number because i am being told, once i click on delete, that i have to wait 90 days to get a new one. I would also prefer to not get a new number, but as long as i can gain full functionality for voice and text, i really don't care.
To make phone calls I use Skype. This works good enough for outgoing calls, but it shows my Skype number on caller ID, and i can't receive calls with it. So these two apps combined allow me to send limited texts, receive texts, make calls, but i don't have a way of receiving calls.
I am already paying more than enough for my twelve gigs of data through sprint every month, and I refuse to pay fifty bucks a month to only be able to receive phone calls, but paying a little more every month for an outside service wouldn't bother me too much. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
Tell Sprint to go have sexual intercourse with itself, and switch to T-Mobile. Unlimited high-speed data, text, and minutes for $80/mo.
Planterz said:
Tell Sprint to go have sexual intercourse with itself, and switch to T-Mobile. Unlimited high-speed data, text, and minutes for $80/mo.
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Wow i wish that i could immigrate to America...
[email protected] said:
I am trying to consolidate all of my calling and texting into one app with one phone number that i can use on any device, I.E. android, windows, and hopefully, IOS in case i need it in the future using only an internet connection. Here is what i have right now, how i use it.
I have a Google voice account with one phone number. The problem with this is that i can't receive or make phone calls, i can only send and receive texts, and limited texts at that. Just to try to increase my text limits, I signed up for a Google business account, but really that just gives me a bunch of extra crap i don't need, I.E. a webpage.
When i first signed up for this account i had Verizon as my carrier so i linked my current number to the Verizon account. I have since canceled my service with Verizon, but i don't want to delete my current Google number because i am being told, once i click on delete, that i have to wait 90 days to get a new one. I would also prefer to not get a new number, but as long as i can gain full functionality for voice and text, i really don't care.
To make phone calls I use Skype. This works good enough for outgoing calls, but it shows my Skype number on caller ID, and i can't receive calls with it. So these two apps combined allow me to send limited texts, receive texts, make calls, but i don't have a way of receiving calls.
I am already paying more than enough for my twelve gigs of data through sprint every month, and I refuse to pay fifty bucks a month to only be able to receive phone calls, but paying a little more every month for an outside service wouldn't bother me too much. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
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i dont know about calling, but google hangouts consoilidates all your sms in one place.
I got the hangouts desktop extension for chrome, and I can make calls from it, and I'm pretty sure i can send texts, but i still cant receive calls. One problem I'm having with it is that when i try to just type in a contact's name, it brings up a bunch of people i don't know instead of at least bringing up my google contacts first. Does anyone know how to fix this. I can't remember where, but I've also read that google is on a path to eliminate google voice, and consolidate everything to hangouts, so this might be future proof as a stable phone solution for at least the life of a cell phone contract.
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.