I was helping someone get started with Google Voice in a thread, and thought a little tutorial might help people out, so I wrote one. I'd like input if you guys think I got something wrong, or left something out. I hope this can help someone.
The pdf has been updated as of 2/16/2010 with more info:
http://i0v.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Google-Voice-for-Noobs.pdf
But I figured some people might like plain text, so I'll paste it too.
I probably won't update the plain text here because it will just be getting longer and longer
(that is, unless someone requests it)
Google Voice for Noobs
Transitioning to Google Voice, on a Sprint HTC Hero
First Revision 2/14/10
What Is Google Voice?
First off, I think it helps to think of Google Voice like a switch box of some sort. You can feed telephone calls in and feed them back out, in whatever direction you’d like. The original intended functionality of GV was to allow you give people one number (your GV number) and then it would ring all of your phones when someone calls that number.
Now this might be helpful for some people, but I know the majority of people here probably don’t have more than one phone. But this setup can still be useful for people who want to use their Google Voice number as the number they give out to people. This setup is really the easiest, because once you’ve entered your cell phone in Google Voice under Settings > Phones, you’re pretty much done. The other advantage to this route is that you can have GV ask callers for their name before it rings your phone (call screening), and some other cool features. If you still want to use your Sprint phone number and just use GV for voicemail, see the next section.
Note: Now when you now first set up Google Voice, it asks if you want to set it up as strictly voicemail and then steps you through steps similar to the following section. It then gives you a more limited feature set for just the options that apply to when you’re using it as voicemail. If that’s all you want to do, then that might be the route to go. If at some point, you want to use a scenario similar to the one above Go to Settings >’Phones’ tab > Get a Google number (thanks to Jon at Hebb Networks for clarifying this)
Google Voice as Voicemail
(This is basically an explanation of what Google walks you through when you go to Settings > “Activate Google voicemail for this phone” on the GV website)
Note that sometime around November 2009, Sprint decided to make CONDITIONAL call forwarding free, so we’re going to configure it like this:
In this situation what you’ll do is dial *285555555555 (replace the 5’s with your GV number) and then press talk. You should hear some beeps to let you know everything is working alright. Then you can hang up. (To undo this feature dial *38)
Next, you want to let GV know that these calls that are being forwarded should go to voicemail. You can do this by going into your settings page in Google Voice on your computer, and clicking “Activate Google voicemail for this phone”
Another thing to note, is that there is a big difference between CONDITIONAL and UNCONDITIONAL call forwarding. CONDITIONAL forwards a call after some (you guessed it) conditions are met - i.e. Busy, or no answer. You can read more about CONDITIONAL call forwarding here: http://bit.ly/9KvT2L
On the other hand, UNCONDITIONAL call forwarding takes all calls to your sprint number, and forwards them ALL to a different number without ever ringing your cell phone. This is not typically an option that anyone would want to use, and Sprint still charges 20 cents/minute for every call that uses this. Read more here: http://bit.ly/apyfAs
Accessing Google Voice from your Hero
Now on your CDMA Hero, you’re definitely going to want to download the Google Voice app from the Market. This will currently do two functions.
1. Allow you to see and play all of your voicemail.
2. Route your outgoing calls back through Google Voice, if you want to. (This makes more sense, I think, if you’re giving out your Google Voice number to people, because then your calls will be all forwarded through GV, both incoming and outgoing. I don’t give out my GV number, so I have mine set to only make outgoing calls through GV for international calls.)
Another option is to call Google Voice from your cell phone, just like the old days with Sprint Voicemail. Be sure to go Settings > Call Settings > Voicemail and then type in your GV number. Then when you hold 1 from the dial pad, you’ll call GV and be able to access it that way too.
Yet another option is to just visit the Google Voice Mobile Page in the browser.
Notification Options
With a fresh setup of Google Voice Voicemail, you’ll probably quickly notice that you’ll bombarded with email and SMS notifications about a new message. You can turn these off, and if you’re using the Android app, you’ll probably want to. On the Google Voice site, visit Settings > Voicemail & SMS > Voicemail Notifications to turn these on or off.
I have one question about using GV. I have free mobile to mobile calling. When someone calls my GV number, which is then forwarded to my cell phone, is this still a mobile to mobile call, or will I be charged?
wjtrawick said:
I have one question about using GV. I have free mobile to mobile calling. When someone calls my GV number, which is then forwarded to my cell phone, is this still a mobile to mobile call, or will I be charged?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just did a reverse telephone lookup, and it lists my google voice number type as a landline. So, no, I don't believe it counts as a mobile number.
Edit: Just checked my Sprint bill. I've got Any Mobile, Anytime. It is charged as a land line.
(On a side note, we just switched to the free mobile to mobile a few months ago, damn I love it: "Your account used 9,346 minutes of Any Mobile, Anytime(sm) calling last month.")
According to GV surport forum. If somebody(cellphone) calls ur GV number and transfer to ur sprint number. It should be counted as Mobile to Mobile. However, if you called somebody else through ur GV number, it will be conted as you call a landline.
link is here.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/voice/thread?tid=75630cc990ea5c98&hl=en
laufine said:
According to GV surport forum. If somebody(cellphone) calls ur GV number and transfer to ur sprint number. It should be counted as Mobile to Mobile. However, if you called somebody else through ur GV number, it will be conted as you call a landline.
link is here.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/voice/thread?tid=75630cc990ea5c98&hl=en
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yupp, thats how it is, I have the bills to prove it. Also, for the person calling you it counts as a landline call for them, so if they are on Sprint it is not using mobile2mobile.
If there was a way to convince google to have gvoice lines as mobile lines it would be set....to bad...
Interestingly, the Voice app for Android doesn't do push notifications of new VMs. I get my email notifications long before the Voice app picks the VMs up. (I think it's set to check every 5 minutes?)
Any ideas on that one?
Is_907 said:
Interestingly, the Voice app for Android doesn't do push notifications of new VMs. I get my email notifications long before the Voice app picks the VMs up. (I think it's set to check every 5 minutes?)
Any ideas on that one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I go to settings > refresh and notification > refresh inbox,, and there are options there for refresh rate. 5 minutes is the lowest setting. I heard somewhere that there is a 3rd party app that checks more frequently, but I haven't tried it. I wouldn't want to drain my battery with an interval shorter than 5 minutes. Maybe you'd be better off making a gmail label to sort the notifications if the delay is a problem.
I've just been setting GV to send me SMS notifications, and then when I have a VM, I just hit refresh, and look at it. I don't want it constantly refreshing because I hardly get VM's.
Is_907 said:
Interestingly, the Voice app for Android doesn't do push notifications of new VMs. I get my email notifications long before the Voice app picks the VMs up. (I think it's set to check every 5 minutes?)
Any ideas on that one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the one thing that keeps me from becoming a heavy Google Voice user. I read on the Google support forums that they're working on push notifications but they said it was difficult and didn't have an ETA.
I don't know how it would be more difficult than Gmail.
Hey, thanks a lot for this guide! I've had "setting up google voicemail" on my to-do list for a while now, and your easy to understand guide motivated me to get it set up. Thanks a lot!
Just wanted to add a little something (feel free to put it in your guide if you want, to avoid questions in the forum later) for people who are on Cricket Wireless...
If you try to set this up for Cricket, the code you dial to activate Google Voicemail is slightly different.
For Cricket, dial *74xxxxxxx.
If you get an error after dialing it, something like "Cricket does not currently offer this service", then the problem isn't that Cricket doesn't offer it, but that your account does not have Call Forwarding enabled.
So, if you use Cricket and you get an error after dialing the code, go to your My Account on the Cricket Website and double check/add the Call Forwarding feature to your account. Once you do this, the code will work and GVoicemail can be activated.
Thanks again!
raynda said:
Hey, thanks a lot for this guide! I've had "setting up google voicemail" on my to-do list for a while now, and your easy to understand guide motivated me to get it set up. Thanks a lot!
Just wanted to add a little something (feel free to put it in your guide if you want, to avoid questions in the forum later) for people who are on Cricket Wireless...
If you try to set this up for Cricket, the code you dial to activate Google Voicemail is slightly different.
For Cricket, dial *74xxxxxxx.
If you get an error after dialing it, something like "Cricket does not currently offer this service", then the problem isn't that Cricket doesn't offer it, but that your account does not have Call Forwarding enabled.
So, if you use Cricket and you get an error after dialing the code, go to your My Account on the Cricket Website and double check/add the Call Forwarding feature to your account. Once you do this, the code will work and GVoicemail can be activated.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent, and thanks; I'm glad this is being helpful to some people. I will definitely add that to at least the PDF guide today after I finish some school work. I look at this guide as a work in progress, and I'd like to eventually make it a fairly comprehensive users-guide to GV.
My one comment is:
*28 on Sprint forwards BOTH busy line, and no answer. From reading the cricket site, it seems that you'd both need to do *73 and *74 codes, so that when you're busy, it also sends calls to GV. On sprint you can do this too, as it would be the same as doing *28. Actually when I first activated mine, I had to do it that way because the exchange I was using was having some problems with the *28. Basically *28 is just a shortcut (on sprint, not cricket) for forwarding both.
So I'll add this explanation to the guide too. (along with undo codes) I totally forgot I had that problem. But I'm pretty sure you want to also do *73.
--------------------
To the people with billing comments:
So basicially everyone is saying:
1) All GV calls out are charged as calls to a land line. (which I have experienced too)
2) All GV incoming calls are charged as if you were receiving the call directly. (i.e. [Mobile call -> GV -> your phone] is charged as mobile... OR ... [landline call -> GV -> your phone] is charged as landline]
Am I right here? If so, I'll add this in today, too.
what am i missing?
* I have google voice setup correctly
* I have the application from the market installed
* I am receiving notifications in the form of text, and through the notification bar in android.
What I cannot figure out is how to opened the darn program when i want to get back into google voice to look at the messages in the inbox. i can get in when a message icon is in the tray (i just click on it and google voice comes up), but later on when i think "what was that message again?" and I go to go back to the program I cannot find a way to get in.
* There is no program in the "all programs" page (accessed by the arrow)
* There is no widget (other than the one to change how i want google voice to make calls for me)
What am I missing? I cannot figure out how to get into the program.
I could go to the mobile site, but that just seems silly when i know that the program is on my phone. I just can't find an icon to access it.
Please tell me I'm blind, and missing something obvious.
-AndyS-
realmrealm said:
* I have google voice setup correctly
* I have the application from the market installed
* I am receiving notifications in the form of text, and through the notification bar in android.
What I cannot figure out is how to opened the darn program when i want to get back into google voice to look at the messages in the inbox. i can get in when a message icon is in the tray (i just click on it and google voice comes up), but later on when i think "what was that message again?" and I go to go back to the program I cannot find a way to get in.
* There is no program in the "all programs" page (accessed by the arrow)
* There is no widget (other than the one to change how i want google voice to make calls for me)
What am I missing? I cannot figure out how to get into the program.
I could go to the mobile site, but that just seems silly when i know that the program is on my phone. I just can't find an icon to access it.
Please tell me I'm blind, and missing something obvious.
-AndyS-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only guess that you're looking for an icon that says "Google Voice" when actually the icon just says "Voice"
yikes!
@thematrixkid17 - see, I asked for something obvious and you gave it to me
I'm really pretty embarrassed considering the time that I was trying to figure this out, and that it was in front of me the whole time.
Thanks for the quick reply.
-AndyS-
laufine said:
According to GV surport forum. If somebody(cellphone) calls ur GV number and transfer to ur sprint number. It should be counted as Mobile to Mobile. However, if you called somebody else through ur GV number, it will be conted as you call a landline.
link is here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint has a feature called "Sprint to Home" for $5 /month. If you add that to your plan ALL calls going to and from google voice are free. I use my phone ALL the time and only manage to rack up a 20-30 minutes a month .
realmrealm said:
@thematrixkid17 - see, I asked for something obvious and you gave it to me
I'm really pretty embarrassed considering the time that I was trying to figure this out, and that it was in front of me the whole time.
Thanks for the quick reply.
-AndyS-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. I knew that was probably your problem, because I had to do a double-take the first time I installed it too. Voice sounds really generic and has a pretty generic looking icon, so its not hard to overlook. I should add a picture of the icon to my guide
biggoan said:
Sprint has a feature called "Sprint to Home" for $5 /month. If you add that to your plan ALL calls going to and from google voice are free. I use my phone ALL the time and only manage to rack up a 20-30 minutes a month .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard about that. So you use google voice to dial to everybody? Cause I have 300 mins/month(Family plan,1500mins, 5ppl), if next month I use more than 300 mins, I'll call sprint to add this service.
anyone happen to happen an invite
[email protected]
so could i use this as my primary voicemail with my sprint number or would i have use the gv one? which i would see no point in if you don't use the gv number? thanks to whoever can clear this up for me
ko0pa11 said:
anyone happen to happen an invite
[email protected]
so could i use this as my primary voicemail with my sprint number or would i have use the gv one? which i would see no point in if you don't use the gv number? thanks to whoever can clear this up for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can use it as primary voicemail, while still using your Sprint number. That's how I primarily use mine, since I'm on a 1500 minute 5 line family plan with free mobile to mobile any network, and we barely use 200 anytime minutes COMBINED. So it doesn't make sense for me to use GV for calls, when everyone already has my Sprint number. just follow the section in the guide "google voice as voicemail" or the setup instructions on GV.
What is nice about GV for voicemail is that you get visual voicemail via the GV android app, access to voicemail on your pc, its easy to archive messages, custom greetings for different groups of callers, and a bunch of other stuff. Voicemail transcription isn't great yet, but makes it nice to get an idea of what callers are saying if you can't listen (class, meeting, etc)
Invites are pretty sparse. I only ever got three, which I've used for my close friends, or i'd hand them out.
Again, i'll be updating the guide semi-daily based on questions in this thread
laufine said:
I've heard about that. So you use google voice to dial to everybody? Cause I have 300 mins/month(Family plan,1500mins, 5ppl), if next month I use more than 300 mins, I'll call sprint to add this service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of the family plans now have the free mobile to mobile any network, so if you mainly make mobile calls, you might take a look at that as an option too. (sorry if I keep bringing this up, but it did really do a killing on my plan; my sister used almost 9000 free minutes last month because of this)
Hello,
Has anyone figured out how to use GV on the Tab? I assume that due to the lack of a phone on the Tab, it can't be done. I was hoping to use GV for my text messaging. Thanks.
just download the app and text. simple. it works just fine. i use GV for texting. if you wanna make calls, it works too. but u need to install the euro firmware and make sure ur connected to the internet. google voice will work fine. i use it all the time. search the general thread for info on flashing.
davehries said:
Hello,
Has anyone figured out how to use GV on the Tab? I assume that due to the lack of a phone on the Tab, it can't be done. I was hoping to use GV for my text messaging. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're using a verizon tab I know there can be problems if you don't have the txt messaging plan.
Log into google voice from a laptop or pc and add a phone to your account from the strutting menu; use your tabs phone number. When the confirmation/verificarion window comes up... Just close it.
Go back to your tab and install the app... It should skip thw sending txt message part this time.
Done.
Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA App
This may help you out http://voiceofandroid.com/component...ext-works-on-t-mobile-samsung-galaxy-tab.html
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab
I had no problem installing GV to my T-Mo US tab.
You still can't receive cellular phone calls, of course. But you can set up GV to ring any other phone. There is no dialer on the T-Mo US tab, but you can call back from your GV inbox: Press the menu key and "call" on the tab, will ring on whatever number you set up in GV including Gizmo5/VoIP if you have that.
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.
This is my work around for t-mobile calling for non-t-mobile branded phones or t-mobile phones with customized ROMs/ iphone 5 and earlier iphone versions.
Things you need:
1. Andriod phones with customized ROMs/ non-T-Mobile branded Android phones / iphone 5 and earlier iphone versions.
2. T-Mobile service/ working T-mobile SIM card of the phone above.
3. Gmail account with activated Google Voice number.
4. Google Hangouts App
5. Google Hangouts Dialer App (only for Android, IOS has the dialer already merged to the Hangout app by default)
6. Off course WIFI connection.
7. a compurer
Okay let's start.
1. Download the Google Hangout and Google Hangout dialer on your android/ only google Hangout App to IOS.
2. Log in your google Voice/Gmail account in the Hangout App.
3. Go to Hangout setting, press on your email add, go to google voice (within the setting) and and enable/check "Incoming phone calls".
4. Now you have to activate CF NRC (Call Forwarding if Not Reachable) for your T-Mobile number. This will forward your incoming calls when you are not reachable only. We will be forwarding your incoming call to your Google Voice number. (Callforwarding will consume your minutes if you do not have unlimited voice minutes). From your phone, go to the native phone dialer (not the Hangout Dialer) and dial **62*YOURGOOGLEVOICENUMBER# then send.
-- note- to deactivate CF NRC if you change your mind go to native dialer and dial ##62# then send
5. Now go to a computer and log in to your Google Voice account, go to setting and uncheck "calls forward to" your T-mobile phone number. If you do not do this, your incoming call will go into an unending loop of voicemail forwarding and your incoming voice call will not ring to your Hangout/Google voice number.
6. Now you can receive you incoming voice call via hangout. Unfortunately, you will use your free outgoing voice calls via hangout only if you do not have a T-Mobile signal.
Tip:
When I do not have a good T-Mobile signal and have a WIFI connection, I put my phone to Airplane Mode and turn on WIFI connection after so that you battery will not die quick. You can still receive your phone call and make VOIP outgoing calls via your WIFI connection.
The moment you have T-Mobile signal, you should receive your incoming call normally since you will be "reachable" so you do not have disable the CF NRC.
Unfortunately this does not work on your text messages so I use my google voice Hangout text message which is also unlimited.
Enjoy.
Nicely done. I previously configured Google hangouts with the dialer but never thought of actually doing the Call Forwarding NRC on the T-Mo line. Clever.
Are you experiencing high CPU usage (like not able to even bring up the home screen in under 10 secs) when on a Google Hangouts dialer voice call? I've notice that on mine, and I've noticed considerable battery drain. I'm thinking this is just one of the trade offs, but wanted to see if others were experiencing this too.
Nicely done indeed! IMO T-Mobiles WIFI calling feature is a very useful feature. That is one reason I am reluctant to switch to a custom ROM. I'll have to check out your workaround and see if I like it. Another tool in the toolbox.
I've been looking for something like this, great work!!!
So basically, you are forwarding your T-mo calls to your GV account to receive your T-mo calls via wifi.
What about outgoing calls? When making calls over wifi, do you make calls via GV or T-mo? When you call someone over wifi, does it show your GV number or your T-mo number?
Your outgoing call will be by google hangout dialer app using your Google voice number (voip).
You will be using your Google voice number for outgoing on wifi. Not T-Mobile.
Nice. i will add this to my list. Thanks
vonage mobile app
Download the Vonage Mobile App, its free. Sign up then verify with the pin code texted to you. This will allow outgoing calls to show your T-Mobile (or any other carriers) outgoing number on caller ID.