Free VoIP Calling Using Google Voice + Sipdroid

[lexluthor]

Before anyone tells all of their friends, family, and business contacts to start using their Google Voice phone number, keep in mind that Google has indicated that they will start charging for those numbers next year. So depending on Google's pricing, you may end up telling everyone to start calling you at your real phone number in January 2012.

Source, please.

All they've said is that making calls using google voice inside of gmail will be free through 2011. Originally, they had said through 2010.

No real reason to think it won't get extended again or even that it'll have any effect on using google voice through a regular telephone or android/iphone app.

 

[RazzMaTazz]

Google just announced it a few day ago. Google it.

Google and everybody else will probably continue to allow free PC-to-PC calls forever since that doesn't cost anything. But there is no way that Google (or anybody else) can afford to give out local phone numbers and let people make free phone-to-phone long distance calls forever (as I'm doing now with Google Voice). That costs them money, and they're currently getting no offsetting revenue from that service. It's been obvious from the outset that their plan is to get you to use one of their phone numbers as your primary number, and then start charging you once you've convinced everybody you know to start calling you at that number. Maybe their fees will be completely worth it. But rest assured that sooner or later you'll have to pay the piper.

In the meantime, one big drawback of using a Google Voice phone number and transferring those calls to your cell phone is that any would-be "free mobile-to-mobile minutes" will count against your "anytime" minutes.

 

[lexluthor]

Source, please.

I didn't think so.

Stop spreading wrong rumors.

 

[RazzMaTazz]

Lex: I think you either don't understand what I'm saying, or you don't understand the phone business. I'm not talking about Google Voice as in PC-to-PC calls. That stuff is free forever. I'm talking about Google Voice as in the service where they give you a local phone number that you can forward to any other number (like your cell phone or home phone). Unlike the trivial cost of a Gmail acccount, Google has to pay a significant recurring fee to the CLECs for each of those phone numbers that they are currently giving away for free. So unlike Gmail, Google can't keep giving those numbers away for free. No way.

You and I are looking at the same announcements where Google says that Google Voice will be free at least through 2011. You seem to interpret that to mean that it will be free forever. I interpret that to mean that they will eventually charge for it.

You never hear Google say that Gmail will be free at least through 2011. Right? That's because Gmail costs them almost nothing and they have no plans to charge for it. But I can guarantee you that eventually they'll charge a recurring fee for a Google Voice number because they have to pay a significant recurring fee to buy and retain those phone numbers.

Do you have a source that says Google Voice will be free forever? I didn't think so.

Why do you think Google makes announcements that Google Voice will be free at least until 2011, but they don't announce that Gmail will be free at least until 2011?

 

[RazzMaTazz]

That being said, I do thank you, Lex, for posting the instructions for using Google Voice and SipDroid. The next time I go on an international business trip, I'll just leave an outbound message telling people to call me at my Google Voice number so they can reach me via SIP.

 

[lexluthor]

You proclaimed there was a recent announcement saying it won't be free after 2011. Please post a source. I didn't proclaim anything.

Stop saying people to not use gv when you have zero basis for it. It's just a guess on your part.

 

[jj2me]

RassMaTazz,

You're also speculating as if there's no value to Google in offering Google Voice. I've always thought it might be another avenue to suck up our contacts. Gmail use only requires a few easily remembered e-mail addresses, which can mostly be accumulated on the fly from received e-mails. But to use a phone, we don't want to look up each 10-digit number and type the number in. So we're more tempted to import all our contacts into Gmail just so we can use Google Talk more easily. (Android itself is another contact-sucking free service, much moreso than Google Voice.)

Of course, I'm also speculating. We all have to speculate about any long-run free service (like this re-incarnation of Grand Central). There must be something in it for Google. I believe I also heard that they may be, or hope they can eventually be making enough in overseas toll revenues to defray the costs. I don't know. But just because we don't know the value proposition, doesn't mean it's not there.

As a gullible noob (a little over a week of Android, and running sipdroid), I'm grateful to Lex for questioning your statement that Google "will start charging," as I'm sure some others are also.

 

[Kurt85]

So I just signed up for my Google Voice number, even though with any mobile any time i dont really have any issue at all with the amount of minutes I use. Is there still benefit to this for me?

Also, is anyone else concerned with offering up the gmail password in order to do this?

Thanks for the write-up though, seems straightforward and easy. Just want to clarify the security first.

 

[killer_raj]

Of course I did. I have followed every steps in every post in here. It just won't work for me :/

hey there
i read all the post of this thread...and i hav seen that even if u couldnt configure ur own ac..still u helping ppl..
well i was also facing the same problem as u were facing..but somehow i m able to configure...i can share what i did...so u can do that as well..
that is if ur ac is still not configured...
just let me know..so i can share what i did...and where i was goin wrong..

 

[Woxxy]

Hey, thank you for the great post. I was wondering if maybe you had a mirror of the blog this was posted on? I can't get it to load for the life of me. Is anyone else having this issue?

 

[RazzMaTazz]

Lex: You're dealing in semantics rather than addressing the harsh reality of my point. Yes, Google said that Google Voice will be free through 2011. No, they didn't specifically say that they would absolutely, positively charge for it after 2011. But it's pretty easy to read between the lines, especially if you know (as I do from working in the industry) that they are incurring significant recurring charges for each phone number that they hand out. (That's why Skype, Magic Jack, et al have to charge an annual fee for assigning you a real phone number.)

It's interesting that you avoided answering my question about why Google doesn't make announcements about Gmail being free at least until 2011, but Google does make announcements that Google Voice will be free at least through 2011. Can't you answer that for me, please?

Are you saying that you seriously think Google won't charge for a Google Voice number for the next 4 years?

I didn't say that people should NOT use Google Voice. I said that before they tell everybody they know to stop calling their real phone number and start calling a Google Voice number, they had better beware that Google will start charging them a recurring fee for that phone number. And if Google's pricing is higher than they are willing to pay for the convenience, then they may have to tell all of their friends, family, and business contacts to start calling them at their real number.

I love Google Voice. I've grabbed about 10 local Google Voice numbers (with 10 phantom gmail accounts) which enables me to make free long-distance calls to my long-distance friends and family from my home phone. I hope Google offers that service for free forever, but that's obviously not sustainable. So I can absolutely guarantee you that they'll start charging. And until I see their pricing structure, I'm not going to tell over a thousand friends family, and business contacts to start calling me at Google Voice number that I may end up abandoning in a year or two when Google decides to start charging.

However, I respect anybody's decision to take that risk-- especially those who only have a few dozen contacts.

I'm really looking foward to your direct answers to the above 2 questions. Thanks.

 

[lexluthor]

Ok, I finally have time to reply from my PC, so let's put an end to this.

First of all, it's you who started this by making a statement that, I quote, "keep in mind that Google has indicated that they will start charging for those numbers next year."

I just accurately refuted that statement, which is incorrect. I don't need to answer any other questions. I don't want people here to be misled.

Also, you are completely misunderstanding what they did announce.

See this article from Google itself.
Google Voice Blog: Free calling in Gmail extended through 2011
It's titled "Free calling in Gmail extended through 2011".

What they did announce is that using google voice through the gmail web interface will be free through 2011.

They haven't said a thing either way about free calling when using google voice through a traditional phone interface.

They very well might have some sort of revenue sharing agreement for termination fees and may be able to support the service in some fashion that way. They would make some sense as to why they would eliminate free calling via the internet.

When I make a google voice call from my Verizon Wireless phone using the app, Verizon Wireless is making an outbound call to some number (in the case of the call I just made, it's to 617-871-9263) to connect to the GV system. That number is serviced by Bandwidth.com. Verizon Wireless has to pay Bandwidth.com a fee to terminate that call. I pay for terminating the call as part of my Verizon Wireless bill. It's quite possible that Bandwidth.com is paying part of that fee back to google. Of course then google has to make an outbound call to connect you and they have a cost of that, but things might not be as negative as it might seem on the outside. Bandwidth.com charges probably somewhere between $.0075/min and $.009/min to the originating carrier to terminate that call and Google probably pays somewhere around $.008/min to make the outbound call. So, if google voice is getting a chunk of that terminating fee, they aren't doing as bad as it would seem.

Again, now you see why they might not want free calls via gmail. There's no originating call to get revenue back from.

If I haven't convinced you that you are wrong yet, I never will and I'm done replying.

 

[RazzMaTazz]

jj2me: I'm not speculating that there's no value in Google Voice services. I'm saying that Google can't afford to give out free phone numbers to anybody who wants one, free of charge because each of those phone numbers costs Google a significant recurring fee. If the economics were there, then Skype, et al, would have done it years ago. The gravy train will end, but I will happily ride it until it goes off a cliff. I'll admit that I'm speculating... much like we're all speculating that the sun will rise tomorrow. I'm also speculating that Lex will never answer my simple questions.

 

[lexluthor]

Hey, thank you for the great post. I was wondering if maybe you had a mirror of the blog this was posted on? I can't get it to load for the life of me. Is anyone else having this issue?

Not working for me either and I don't have a mirror or copy anywhere, sorry.

 

[RazzMaTazz]

Lex: It's interesting that you took the time to write all of those paragraphs but you couldn't bother to answer my two simple questions. That speaks volumes. Thanks.

 

[lexluthor]

Wow, are you ever clueless.

I'm not sure you read or understood anything I wrote.

I'm done with you. At this point you are just a troll. I will not be replying on this subject again. Enjoy your last word, which I'm sure you'll take.

 

[killer_raj]

anyone using bluetooth to make n receive calls...
as for me

when i try to call or receive...when my bluetooth is connected..the call is connected but i cant hear anythin..
and sometime when i hear it....the other party cant hear it...
though i know its on experimental basis..still just askin...

 

[RazzMaTazz]

Lex: I understood exactly what you wrote. I also understand that despite all of what you wrote, you still refuse to answer my 2 simple questions which strike at the heart of my initial warning-- that Google has effectively indicated that they'll eventually charge for Google Voice numbers, so people should beware before they tell everybody they know to start calling them at a Google Voice number.

Instead of addressing that key point or answering my simple questions, you repeatedly avoid answering by changing the subject, harping on semantics, name-calling me "clueless" and a "troll", and ultimately just saying that you refuse to answer. Apparently you think that's the way civilized adults make intelligent counterpoints. Since you have repeatedly refused to answer those simple questions, I'll assume that you also believe that Google will eventually charge for Google Voice numbers, and therefore my warning is reasonable.

 

[PSkeptic]

Before anyone tells all of their friends, family, and business contacts to start using their Google Voice phone number, keep in mind that Google has indicated that they will start charging for those numbers next year. So depending on Google's pricing, you may end up telling everyone to start calling you at your real phone number in January 2012.

I'd like to be able to flip a switch so that Sprint would forward my calls to a SIP account when I'm overseas in WiFi coverage. I don't even care if they debit it against my minutes. I'd just like for the phone to be used internationally.

Google will not start charging for inbound calling. Just for outbound (Maybe) after 2011.

 

[gabba-hey]

Just wanted to let you all know that this works just fine overseas. Am in Munich, Germany, the only issue is finding a hotspot. Before my trip, I added funds to my Google Voice account, thinking it would be necessary (per Google Voice, they charge you for calling internationally), but after using the line numerous times, all that money is still there.

Never the less, it works. It drops out sporadically, but it beats having to buy a second phone altogether.

 

[PSkeptic]

Just wanted to let you all know that this works just fine overseas. Am in Munich, Germany, the only issue is finding a hotspot. Before my trip, I added funds to my Google Voice account, thinking it would be necessary (per Google Voice, they charge you for calling internationally), but after using the line numerous times, all that money is still there.

Never the less, it works. It drops out sporadically, but it beats having to buy a second phone altogether.

If you are calling US and Canada, it's free

 

[lexluthor]

Just wanted to let you all know that this works just fine overseas. Am in Munich, Germany, the only issue is finding a hotspot.

Thanks for reporting that back. If you get can internet access abroad, this is a great way to communicate back with the US and save a lot of money.

 

[RazzMaTazz]

Google will not start charging for inbound calling. Just for outbound (Maybe) after 2011.

PSkeptic: Google won't likely start charging for inbound calling per se, but they will eventually start charging a recurring fee for you to have a dedicated Google Voice phone number which can receive phone calls. Google has to pay the phone company for each such Google Voice number. (It's about $10-$12/year last time I looked into it.) So eventually Google will start charging a recurring fee of probably at least that amount. More likely, I'd guess that they'll start charging around $19.95/year for unlimited domestic long distance (and inbound calls) like Magic Jack, except that they'll have cooler features than Magic Jack, like voice-to-text and easily assigning the phone to ring at multiple, easily configurable locations. Google's service may well be worth the price that they'll eventually charge, so I wish they'd quickly figure out their pricing and announce it.

 

[Snow02]

I was hoping I wouldn't have to suggest reading this entire thread on the subject on the DroidX forum like I did (unfortunately, I had to go through 29 pages to find something that worked for me). The OP there has been wonderful, answering everyone's questions.

Thanks jj. I'm sure that's where the op ran across it.

I've included illustrations since my original post. It should be pretty easy to follow.

 

[jalanmidgett4]

how do I get incoming calls to work with sipdroid, outgoing works just fine, please help