Just bought a Nexus 4! Need someone knowledgeable with G Voice and sims!

supremekizzle · February 2nd, 2013, 10:46 PM

I'm so excited for my N4 to arrive, but I want to sort out a couple of questions regarding my number. Ok, so I looooove my cell number. I have had it since I was 16 and it's so easy to remember and give to people. So, could I use Google voice kind of like a vault for my number? Like, could I port it TO GV from Verizon for whatever reason, not use it for a while, and 6 months down the road port my number from GV to straight talk or T-Mo?

Secondly, regarding sims; I anticipate that I am going to be trying multiple MVNO's for the first few months of owning my new N4 to find out which one I like the most/works best for my needs. So if I buy a ST sim, port my number to it, use it for a month then decide I want to try T-Mo and port my number to a T-Mo sim. Can I come back to the old ST sim after a month and port my number back onto it? Or am I going to have to buy new sims every time I want to come back to a pre-paid service that I have had previously? I hope this isn't the case because ST's sims are $15 a pop! Thanks to anyone who can help me out and is more knowledgeable when it comes to going pre-paid. I'm so excited to give verizon the big fffuuuuu in two short weeks!

Crashdamage · February 3rd, 2013, 08:46 AM

Port your cell number to GV and you can try all the providers you want without having to port it over and over.

Linux user #266351. Android since v1.0

supremekizzle · February 3rd, 2013, 10:40 PM

What about reusing a sim that has been off for a month or two?

shiv81 · February 4th, 2013, 08:41 AM

You cannot reuse a ST sim, but if you call them up, they'll send you another for free.

runtmms · February 4th, 2013, 08:03 PM

If you port your number to Google Voice l don't really see a reason to port it out - I ported my ancient number there so I wouldn't have to worry about porting over and over again. I didn't try different MVNOs, but I did a stupid amount of research. Solavei (TMobile MVNO) turned out to be the best option for me. One of the least talked about advantages with them is they support conditional call forwarding so it's easy to use GV voicemail for both your GV number and your sim number. Solavei is also doing the affiliate sign up thing which I think is pretty neat.

Like ST it also appears that Solavei won't reactivate a sim. I don't know for sure, but I would guess this is a precaution to prevent fraud.

pendetim · February 5th, 2013, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by runtmms

Like ST it also appears that Solavei won't reactivate a sim. I don't know for sure, but I would guess this is a precaution to prevent fraud.

Can you clarify this, please?

If I have a ST SIM and do not refill it for a month or so, can I come back later, add money and get it working again? or do I need to get a new SIM at that time. I am not planning to port my number out of ST.

runtmms · February 5th, 2013, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pendetim

Can you clarify this, please?

If I have a ST SIM and do not refill it for a month or so, can I come back later, add money and get it working again? or do I need to get a new SIM at that time. I am not planning to port my number out of ST.

I believe that after a sim goes unpaid for a certain amount of time, it can't be made active again. I don't know what happens to the number in that case. That's a question for customer service.

I believe with Solavei service is canceled 30 days after a missed payment. I don't know about ST, I was going off what the previous poster said about not being able to reactivate a ST sim.