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Answering machine for Android ?

I asked this question a few days ago (thread: http://androidforums.com/android-applications/311872-android-voice-answer-machine.html ) and with a bit of help found Hullomail.

There is a free version (with ads) and and a paid version (exactly the same but without ads) and it is brilliant. For all those who scoff at users who don't have free voicemail, some of us don't - and have to pay for it. This app is great and does exactly what it says on the tin.

As Nick-B says, it will answer your call if you can't take it, play a standard (or recorded) message and will send an mp3 message directly to your phone. You then have a list of missed calls with the number of the sender, along with the 'voicemail', take them in any order, play back as often as required - or even keep them.

Great app - BUT .... I think that it only currently works in the UK.

The problem with hullomail is that you have to pay for the call forwarding to their service, my networks takes it out of my inclusive call allowance but those on payg or networks that charge for call forwarding it can work out pricey if you get cold called..
 
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Great app - BUT .... I think that it only currently works in the UK.

Looking at their website, it is available outside the UK but only to a few countries: Get vocal with HulloMail, so isn't going to be a solution for Busha, hopefully they'll keep expanding and include more countries. Apologies for not noticing where you were from Busha.

The problem with hullomail is that you have to pay for the call forwarding to their service, my networks takes it out of my inclusive call allowance but those on payg or networks that charge for call forwarding it can work out pricey if you get cold called..

Good point, I had forgotten that as I get a free booster with my account and have chosen free landline calls which covers the forwarding and retrieval of voicemail.
 
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FYI -- I don't think this is mentioned anywhere in the thread but a VM/answering machine app won't do any good for those times that you don't have coverage or your phone is off. That's why carrier VM is set up the way it is. If your phone is unreachable the VM system can still handle unanswered calls for you.

The problem with hullomail is that you have to pay for the call forwarding to their service, my networks takes it out of my inclusive call allowance but those on payg or networks that charge for call forwarding it can work out pricey if you get cold called..
Any VM service will. How else would it be able to handle unanswered calls for you unless the service is set up like Google Voice (with a GV number)?
 
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Great, do you mind giving us a step by step process to "get around" that problem?

If I have to call a number that is long-distance from me, then it doesn't work. I'm in the Toronto area. I need to call a 905, 289, or 416 number or it's long distance for me.

Use Seven Proxies when registering for a Google Account. You just need to make sure(When registering for Google), you appear to be in the US.

So, in your case, just drive across the border, use an open wifi there, and register your new google account.

How long it will work for? Who knows, but work-arounds tend to break, so be aware.
 
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I too found this thread while looking for a "answering machine" app, and not for the possibility of "free voice mail", but because I miss the old school days when one could screen ones calls (before CallerID). I was hoping someone had made an app that could allow you to play a message to the caller and be able to listen to the caller's message in real time, and if you choose to, talk to them. I think that's what the person was looking for, or maybe not (I kinda skipped over all the other nonsense about whether voice mail is free in Croatia... focus people, focus!)

Anyway, thats why I'm here. Maybe someone knows someone that can write an app for that. Just remember you heard it here first! :D

H
--
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. - A.C. Clarke
 
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When I had a symbian phone, things were so easy. I used IVCM (interactive voice call master) to handle incoming calls.
This app is near to perfection, it can distinguish callers (in address book, in some whitelist, in a blacklist, unknown callers and, last but not least, private numbers)
For any of those you can define a suitable treatment, invoke the answering machine after xx seconds, play a notification then hang up, forward the call to another number, play the busy tone, and more options.
Furthermore you can schedule the behaviour, so the phone switches to answering machine at once during the night, let only friends reach you in the evening etc...
Outgoing messages can be personalised by address group, country (=different language!), friends, private number callers etc..
This is a call to the Android developer community. Please build us an app with a similar usability, picking things up where IVCM stopped.
I will be your first customer and prepared to pay well for it!
 
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Hey guys am from India..here we cant use the google voice features yet...but i have seen an application in Samsung Wave 2 bada OS (Arabic Version) which had in built voice answering machine in it..no bugs at all working completely fine..hence I have also placed a request in this forum for such app in android to the developers..the post is as follows...

Hey Developers,
Yesterday I came accross an application in Samsung bada OS which had built in voice answering machine. I tried to search for the voice answering machine in Android, there were all text answering. I was wondering, if any developers can develop such application for android OS.
The application was like if anyone calls us the caller would hear the answering machines recorded voice and after the beep the caller can leave a message, which gets stored in the SD card and user can later listen to the voice message.
The application had 3 things in the settings. First-Activate/Deactivate ans machine. Second-After how many seconds the call goes to answering machine, there were 3 options in there 10s, 20s, 30s. Third-Recorded voice for the caller, that also had 3 options in there Male voice asking to leave msg, Female voice asking to leave msg and User default greeting.
 
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Hey guys am from India..here we cant use the google voice features yet...but i have seen an application in Samsung Wave 2 bada OS (Arabic Version) which had in built voice answering machine in it..no bugs at all working completely fine..hence I have also placed a request in this forum for such app in android to the developers..the post is as follows...

Hey Developers,
Yesterday I came accross an application in Samsung bada OS which had built in voice answering machine. I tried to search for the voice answering machine in Android, there were all text answering. I was wondering, if any developers can develop such application for android OS.
The application was like if anyone calls us the caller would hear the answering machines recorded voice and after the beep the caller can leave a message, which gets stored in the SD card and user can later listen to the voice message.
The application had 3 things in the settings. First-Activate/Deactivate ans machine. Second-After how many seconds the call goes to answering machine, there were 3 options in there 10s, 20s, 30s. Third-Recorded voice for the caller, that also had 3 options in there Male voice asking to leave msg, Female voice asking to leave msg and User default greeting.
 
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I don't use voicemail. I prefer missed calls. And TMO won't let me use the stuff I'd want for the message (SIT tones and profanity). I only keep VM for one doctor's office that has the most screwed up way of reminding for appointments that I have ever seen.

I never checked the landline answering machine when we had a landline. Mostly pests anyway.
 
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I don't use voice mail and would love a phone-based application that will record messages. Callers wouldn't even know what system you're using when they're asked to leave a message, so if they'll leave a message on voice mail, they'll leave one on a phone application.

So why don't I use voice mail? Because I have to pay to access it and most times it's a waste of time as I know that someone has been trying to contact me anyway and if it's someone who matters I can call them back.

We don't all live in the U.S. you know! I go to mainland Europe frequently and if I had to be continually accessing voice mail for messages left by U.K. callers, it would cost me a lot of money.

I'm sorry to say this but occasionally I find the attitude of some members of this site very irritating. When a member asks for an app such as this, I assume that there's a good reason why he wants it. Others just seem to suggest that he's some kind of idiot because all he has to do is turn on his voice mail! Give people credit for knowing what they want and don't assume that everyone lives in the US, never goes to a foreign country and gets free voice mail access. Some of us don't fit the stereotype!
 
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i can't see the possibility of an app existing for this purpose

afaik, android doesn't allow recording and saving incoming voice calls.

I think you are correct. I asked this question on another forum a year ago and someone thought it was such a good idea that he/she was going to write a app. Later on it was mentioned that "android doesn't allow recording and saving incoming voice calls" so nothing more happened.
I hope I am correct on this.

Jim
 
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Indeed!
In fact that 'stereotype' represents only 4% of the global population. So it's not a stereotype at all, but actually a small minority, an exception!

Oh come on! A large proportion of that 96% don't even have electricity, let alone smartphones. I think you'll find that the largest number of members of this forum are US based.

You tend not to get many Finns, Chinese, Tibetans and Peruvians on this forum. I suspect that the language may be a problem!
 
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