This app, in conjunction with Google Voice, lets you make unlimited calls to any phone in US or Canada using the data connection of your mobile device without using up any of your mobile minutes.
Requires a free Google Voice account. For more information on Google Voice visit the Google Voice web site at http://www.google.com/voice.
I'm trying to get a phone with only a data plan and need a way to make calls for free through it. Will this work for my needs? (It can't route any calls through the normal phone dialing system and phone number. It would charge me an arm and a leg with no plan for voice.)
Will it integrate with the normal calling functions - Dialing and routing through this automatically, answering, contacts, etc..?
Thanks snrb. Finally, you got around to writing the app that I had been wating for 8 months. I purchased it, I am able to make out going calls fine. But incoming calls are not coming in.
As I guessed it may be due to the pbxes settings, so I disabled pbxes by changing my password. Now although I get the incoming call in gmail on the computer but not on the app on phone.
Any ideas what could be it?
- J
Okay, it seems the issue is that if you have gmail logged on computer and if the call gets forwarded to it. Then it doesn't come to the app on the phone.
I though that incoming calls would be forwarded to all logged in instance, but apparently it is not so. So you need to make sure to log out at other places.
Last edited by jacjb0x; April 24th, 2011 at 08:42 AM.
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I'm trying to get a phone with only a data plan and need a way to make calls for free through it. Will this work for my needs? (It can't route any calls through the normal phone dialing system and phone number. It would charge me an arm and a leg with no plan for voice.)
Will it integrate with the normal calling functions - Dialing and routing through this automatically, answering, contacts, etc..?
How easy is it to setup?
Looking forward to your reply!
It should work just fine for your needs. One of the reasons we wrote the app is because we had a few phones that no longer had service but could still connect to WiFi.
The app has it's own dialer that you can dial from. Alternatively you can use the built in dialer and configure all calls to go out GrooVe IP since you won't have any mobile network.
If for some reason you do run into problems, email us, and we'll work with you to get it working.
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Thanks snrb. Finally, you got around to writing the app that I had been wating for 8 months. I purchased it, I am able to make out going calls fine. But incoming calls are not coming in.
As I guessed it may be due to the pbxes settings, so I disabled pbxes by changing my password. Now although I get the incoming call in gmail on the computer but not on the app on phone.
Any ideas what could be it?
- J
Okay, it seems the issue is that if you have gmail logged on computer and if the call gets forwarded to it. Then it doesn't come to the app on the phone.
I though that incoming calls would be forwarded to all logged in instance, but apparently it is not so. So you need to make sure to log out at other places.
Thanks for that information. I'll see if there's anything we can do differently so calls get routed everywhere you're logged in. Until then I'll add that to the help. Glad you were able to resolve the problem.
Thanks for that information. I'll see if there's anything we can do differently so calls get routed everywhere you're logged in. Until then I'll add that to the help. Glad you were able to resolve the problem.
The incoming call is forwarded only to that instance of the gmail login which was active most recently.
I wish that you could add calls made and received into the call list of native phone dialer.
In 1.0.5 and later, on an incoming or outgoing call we query the phones contacts and show the contact name as well as the phone number as the caller id. We also added a button that brings up your phone's contacts, so that you can dial from your contacts in our dialer screen.
Don't believe there's any reason why we can't do what you're asking for. You just want us to update the native call log with calls made & received by GrooVe IP correct? Will start looking into that.
Last edited by snrb; April 26th, 2011 at 06:44 AM.
In 1.0.5 and later, on an incoming or outgoing call we query the phones contacts and show the contact name as well as the phone number as the caller id. We also added a button that brings up your phone's contacts, so that you can dial from your contacts in our dialer screen.
Don't believe there's any reason why we can't do what you're asking for. You just want us to update the native call log with calls made & received by GrooVe IP correct? Will start looking into that.
Yeah, you got my request right. Thanks for the clarification above.
Could you also tell what is the role of sipgate in this whole process. Doesn't the app communicate directly with google's servers. And if so why is it like this.
Yeah, you got my request right. Thanks for the clarification above.
Could you also tell what is the role of sipgate in this whole process. Doesn't the app communicate directly with google's servers. And if so why is it like this.
Where do you see sipgate? The app communicates directly with google's servers.
I just downloaded your app and I think it's an awesome Idea I'm glad finally I have an app that I don't need any other account other then just my google voice I've only used it for one short outbound but I had my friend call me to test the in-bound and I could not figure out how to answer the call and on top of that after my friend stopped calling it kepted vibrating my phone until I restarted it. I understand that this is newly in development and I think it's awesome I can actually talk to you instead of getting no support anyways my phone is an HTC Thunderbolt on bamf 1.5 rom which is android froyo anyways hopefully you can fix what ever the problem is keep up the good work!
I just downloaded your app and I think it's an awesome Idea I'm glad finally I have an app that I don't need any other account other then just my google voice I've only used it for one short outbound but I had my friend call me to test the in-bound and I could not figure out how to answer the call and on top of that after my friend stopped calling it kepted vibrating my phone until I restarted it. I understand that this is newly in development and I think it's awesome I can actually talk to you instead of getting no support anyways my phone is an HTC Thunderbolt on bamf 1.5 rom which is android froyo anyways hopefully you can fix what ever the problem is keep up the good work!
I'm so sorry you ran into that. It seems to be a very rare issue, but that it happened is just unacceptable. What happened is that Google Voice couldn't figure out where to route the call and by the time it sent it to our app your friend had either hung up or been sent to voice mail. This caused the call to hang at signalling. We don't show the answer or hang-up buttons at signalling since normally that state only lasts a few milliseconds and the incoming call (signalling) screen isn't visible. I'm putting up a work around that will add the hang-up button to the incoming call (signalling) screen so at least you'll be able to stop the call if this ever happens to you again. We're working on the real fix to timeout the call if signalling goes on too long.
Where do you see sipgate? The app communicates directly with google's servers.
Under Advanced Settings/Troubleshoting. Override STUN Server.
If enabled then the default STUN Server (stun.sipgate.net:10000) will not be used. The STUN Server configured below will be used instead.
That to me makes it sound like that either the sipgate's STUN Server or some other user configured STUN server will always be used.
Under Advanced Settings/Troubleshoting. Override STUN Server.
If enabled then the default STUN Server (stun.sipgate.net:10000) will not be used. The STUN Server configured below will be used instead.
That to me makes it sound like that either the sipgate's STUN Server or some other user configured STUN server will always be used.
Ah, right. We use the STUN server only to determine your public IP. Some phones don't need a STUN server configured. You can override and clear out the STUN server text box if you don't think you need one, but it may cause one way voice if we can't figure out your public IP.
This app has been exactly what a majority of virgin mobile users have been looking for. So thank you very much for this, but I do have a few questions before I buy and use this app.
1. How are calls routed? Are they communicating directly with google voice or are your (the developer's) servers acting as a gateway?
2. What precautions have you taken to secure the phone calls?
My biggest concern is my phone calls being passed unencrypted from server to server all around the world just to make a call down the street.
This app has been exactly what a majority of virgin mobile users have been looking for. So thank you very much for this, but I do have a few questions before I buy and use this app.
1. How are calls routed? Are they communicating directly with google voice or are your (the developer's) servers acting as a gateway?
2. What precautions have you taken to secure the phone calls?
My biggest concern is my phone calls being passed unencrypted from server to server all around the world just to make a call down the street.
Thanks for all the hard work!
They're encrypted and sent directly to google voice. We have no server and receive no traffic. Hope that helps. Feel free to ask if you have more questions or if something isn't clear.
In order to receive incoming calls - do I need to do anything special? Any changes w/in GV itself?
edit: tried outbound - works perfect on only 2 bars of Virgin Mobile 3G on my Optimus V. Thank you!
Shouldn't have to do anything special to receive incoming calls. But like jacjb0x mentioned, you need to make sure you're not logged in to gmail anywhere else otherwise Google Voice may route calls there instead of to the app.
Updates are handed out from the market place automatically.
At what interval, the app has been updated a few times and I am still stuck with 1.0.5. Is there a way to manually force an update check? I have moto droid.
They're encrypted and sent directly to google voice. We have no server and receive no traffic. Hope that helps. Feel free to ask if you have more questions or if something isn't clear.
Thank you for answering my questions! I just bought the app and it works much better than my setup with pbxes.org. Those crooks deleted my FREE account and demanded a monthly subscription from to restore it. This is going to be such a popular app!
One suggestion for the interface. For answer options, you should let the user know that "always use Groove IP" will use your mobile phone when a data connection is not available. I like that the feature is built in, but I didn't know it would do that until I tried. It could catch some people off guard, and they will end up with huge phone bills. Maybe even provide three options:
Only use mobile.
Only use Groove IP.
Use Groove IP when possible and mobile when not.
Thanks again!
Edit:
I just noticed that the "Always use Groove IP" option doesn't function with android's built in dialer/contact list on my phone. It only works with Groove IP's contact list. If I dial from the android dialer, it will flash the Groove IP screen and close. When I select "Ask every time", it will provide the options of "Groove IP" and "Mobile Network" and will function correctly.
Last edited by mmarz; April 28th, 2011 at 04:59 PM.
At what interval, the app has been updated a few times and I am still stuck with 1.0.5. Is there a way to manually force an update check? I have moto droid.
Hi,
You have to open the Android Market app on your phone. If you press menu there should be a menu for My Apps. That will show you a list of apps that have updates available. You can update them one by one or just update all.
Thank you for answering my questions! I just bought the app and it works much better than my setup with pbxes.org. Those crooks deleted my FREE account and demanded a monthly subscription from to restore it. This is going to be such a popular app!
One suggestion for the interface. For answer options, you should let the user know that "always use Groove IP" will use your mobile phone when a data connection is not available. I like that the feature is built in, but I didn't know it would do that until I tried. It could catch some people off guard, and they will end up with huge phone bills. Maybe even provide three options:
Only use mobile.
Only use Groove IP.
Use Groove IP when possible and mobile when not.
Thanks again!
Edit:
I just noticed that the "Always use Groove IP" option doesn't function with android's built in dialer/contact list on my phone. It only works with Groove IP's contact list. If I dial from the android dialer, it will flash the Groove IP screen and close. When I select "Ask every time", it will provide the options of "Groove IP" and "Mobile Network" and will function correctly.
Wow thanks for that information. Didn't even think of what would happen when your data connection isn't there. Also didn't know the option was broken (will fix it in the next drop).
I guess I could go with 4 options
Only use mobile.
Only use GrooVe IP (call fails when not registered)
Use GrooVe IP when possible and mobile when not.
Always ask between GrooVe IP and Mobile
What do you think? I generally use Only use mobile at work and Always ask when I'm at home.
I like Option #4. I have used alternative software and that's option always worked best for me. But all those options, are good. It gives people a choice. I will be purchasing this software very soon. Thanks for the support. If I have anymore questions or comment's, I will be back.
Dev: You have a thread over at AndroidCentral. Feel free to chime in over there. The Virgin Mobile community ($25 unlimited data, 300-minutes, unlimited text) is very big over there. So you can see, why they would love your app (for when low on minutes). You could post a thread in the Application Forum as well.
Last edited by Takenover83; April 28th, 2011 at 06:47 PM.
You have to open the Android Market app on your phone. If you press menu there should be a menu for My Apps. That will show you a list of apps that have updates available. You can update them one by one or just update all.
Wow thanks for that information. Didn't even think of what would happen when your data connection isn't there. Also didn't know the option was broken (will fix it in the next drop).
I guess I could go with 4 options
Only use mobile.
Only use GrooVe IP (call fails when not registered)
Use GrooVe IP when possible and mobile when not.
Always ask between GrooVe IP and Mobile
What do you think? I generally use Only use mobile at work and Always ask when I'm at home.
Perfect!
I pretty much only use voip myself, but options are nice.
While you are taking suggestions. Here are some settings that would be awesome to have adjustable in the settings or advanced settings:
Online registration check frequency
Log off / log on buttons
Turning off incoming calls all together
Ringtone selection - to distinguish between voip and regular calls
I have seriously been through every single voip option for android, and yours is by far the best. Keep up the good work!
I pretty much only use voip myself, but options are nice.
While you are taking suggestions. Here are some settings that would be awesome to have adjustable in the settings or advanced settings:
Online registration check frequency
Log off / log on buttons
Turning off incoming calls all together
Ringtone selection - to distinguish between voip and regular calls
I have seriously been through every single voip option for android, and yours is by far the best. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the suggestions! I'm adding them to my list. Related to ringtone selection, one of the things I've been thinking of adding is playing any custom ringtones people have configured for contacts. I know people assign different rings to different contacts.
I like Option #4. I have used alternative software and that's option always worked best for me. But all those options, are good. It gives people a choice. I will be purchasing this software very soon. Thanks for the support. If I have anymore questions or comment's, I will be back.
Dev: You have a thread over at AndroidCentral. Feel free to chime in over there. The Virgin Mobile community ($25 unlimited data, 300-minutes, unlimited text) is very big over there. So you can see, why they would love your app (for when low on minutes). You could post a thread in the Application Forum as well.
Thanks for the link and tip! I'll go check it out.
After reboot, the green notification icon does not show in the android notification bar until the app is opened. I assume that means the service is not running and so incoming calls Gtalk/GV calls won't be received?
Personally, I would like to see at least the option for the service/app to open automatically in background upon android boot so one won't have to remember to manually invoke the app.
By the way, I have also tried many of the Android VOIP/SIP apps and you have a real winner here -- both in concept and execution. Thanks for your hard work in developing this product.
After reboot, the green notification icon does not show in the android notification bar until the app is opened. I assume that means the service is not running and so incoming calls Gtalk/GV calls won't be received?
Personally, I would like to see at least the option for the service/app to open automatically in background upon android boot so one won't have to remember to manually invoke the app.
By the way, I have also tried many of the Android VOIP/SIP apps and you have a real winner here -- both in concept and execution. Thanks for your hard work in developing this product.
Thanks for the feedback! Someone else also mentioned that we should add an option to start the app when the phone starts. Somehow that never occurred to us, guess we just got use to starting the app when our phones started. I've added the feature request to our todo list.
I am liking it. I had a issue where the other party could not hear me. I enabled the workaround in Advanced Settings/Troubleshooting (Audio Routing Hack) and that did help. It's actually very clear over EDGE, but also delayed. I am not sure if there is any hope for those of us without 3G/4G. Maybe bandwidth profiles? More robust sip clients often offer a range of codecs. But I think google voice only supports certain codecs. Of-course, it's sounds amazing over wifi, and the delay is hardly noticeable. The popup asking if I want to use Groove IP or Dialer is working fine (when using native dialer). I can tell it still needs some work but it's shaping up very nicely. Well worth the asking price.
You will be getting 5 stars from me, because I can see the issue's will be resolved. I am very happy to cutout the middle man (google voice - sipgate - GV callback = just google voice)
Hey thanks for the update I have a request if it's possible could you make it so the screen turns off when i put the phone to my ear like it does when i make normal calls? that would be awesome! Thanks a lot.
You may want to nab (in the open source sense) some interface code from cSipSimple since they've already figured out a lot of the interface/integration/call screen stuff.
You may want to nab (in the open source sense) some interface code from cSipSimple since they've already figured out a lot of the interface/integration/call screen stuff.
Thanks for the tip. I took a look at their license and it would require me to publish my source code.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Link_of_Hyrule
Hey thanks for the update I have a request if it's possible could you make it so the screen turns off when i put the phone to my ear like it does when i make normal calls? that would be awesome! Thanks a lot.
Sure, I'll add that to the list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Takenover83
Just purchased it.
I am liking it. I had a issue where the other party could not hear me. I enabled the workaround in Advanced Settings/Troubleshooting (Audio Routing Hack) and that did help. It's actually very clear over EDGE, but also delayed. I am not sure if there is any hope for those of us without 3G/4G. Maybe bandwidth profiles? More robust sip clients often offer a range of codecs. But I think google voice only supports certain codecs. Of-course, it's sounds amazing over wifi, and the delay is hardly noticeable. The popup asking if I want to use Groove IP or Dialer is working fine (when using native dialer). I can tell it still needs some work but it's shaping up very nicely. Well worth the asking price.
You will be getting 5 stars from me, because I can see the issue's will be resolved. I am very happy to cutout the middle man (google voice - sipgate - GV callback = just google voice)
Unfortunately Google Voice only supports G711. We actually almost finished implementing GSM before we realized they didn't support it...so many good ideas abandoned just because they won't work
Can you tell me what phone you have? I'll try and set the routing hack by default for that phone type.
For outgoing calls are you peering with Gtalk (like Talkatone or pbxes.org), because I believe Gtalk supports multiple codecs. Incoming GV only supports G711u.
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For outgoing calls are you peering with Gtalk (like Talkatone or pbxes.org), because I believe Gtalk supports multiple codecs. Incoming GV only supports G711u.
Will find out more info, one of the other guys was the one who looked into supporting more codecs. Would love to add them if it's possible.
Noob here. Just bought the app last night and looks very promising. This should work with an N1 on AT&T correct? For some reason when I use the built in dialer it says "not currently registered with Google Voice". I double checked username (full gmail.com) and password and they are both correct. When I use my phone's dialer it works fine (it calls google voice then the number I dialed) How can I tell if its really working?
I have had alot of problems today with the other party not being able to hear me. And that is with the Audio Routing Hack enabled. Anyone else hitting this snag?
These calls were outgoing. I have to test some more on incoming before providing feedback.
Noob here. Just bought the app last night and looks very promising. This should work with an N1 on AT&T correct? For some reason when I use the built in dialer it says "not currently registered with Google Voice". I double checked username (full gmail.com) and password and they are both correct. When I use my phone's dialer it works fine (it calls google voice then the number I dialed) How can I tell if its really working?
Do you see a green GV icon or a red GV icon in your notification bar? If it's red that means you're not registered. Are you using 3G? If so, you need to ensure the Allow 3G/4G Calling checkbox is checked. Hope that helps!
I have had alot of problems today with the other party not being able to hear me. And that is with the Audio Routing Hack enabled. Anyone else hitting this snag?
These calls were outgoing. I have to test some more on incoming before providing feedback.
Are you using WiFi or the phones data plan? You may have to increase the microphone gain settings. The voice may just be too quiet for the other person to hear. We tried to pick some sane defaults but I know the optimal setting is wildly different from phone to phone.
I have been testing on wifi. Sometimes they can hear me, other times they can not. I will tinker with the gain settings. (I have already put it at 0. The default was -2)
I have been testing on wifi. Sometimes they can hear me, other times they can not. I will tinker with the gain settings. (I have already put it at 0. The default was -2)
Can you always hear them? Even on the calls when they can't hear you?