Help Sprint and Google Voice?

[killtheaquitted]

I just got my invite to Google voice and I was super excited, but then I found out there were some issues with Sprint playing nice with GV. I have a couple of questions for any of you using GV with sprint network. FYI, I have the any mobile any time plan. Questions:

1. I understand that sprint treats GV as a landline call, does this mean that it will eat my minutes with every call? also, is there a workaround for this?

2. should I get a google number or keep my number

3. if i get a google number can people still call my old number?

4. I read a lot about call forwarding and some *28 and *73 options, but i couldn't wrap my head around what to actually do. I know sprint dropped some 20 cent charge, but I also read that in some situations that charge still applies.

5. can you cancel out of the service after you have signed up.

Thanks to all who offer any help on this and if I have any invites, I'll hook people up that help!

 

[spartan446]

I just got my invite to Google voice and I was super excited, but then I found out there were some issues with Sprint playing nice with GV. I have a couple of questions for any of you using GV with sprint network. FYI, I have the any mobile any time plan. Questions:

1. I understand that sprint treats GV as a landline call, does this mean that it will eat my minutes with every call? also, is there a workaround for this?

2. should I get a google number or keep my number

3. if i get a google number can people still call my old number?

4. I read a lot about call forwarding and some *28 and *73 options, but i couldn't wrap my head around what to actually do. I know sprint dropped some 20 cent charge, but I also read that in some situations that charge still applies.

5. can you cancel out of the service after you have signed up.

Thanks to all who offer any help on this and if I have any invites, I'll hook people up that help!

My first post here, but I've been using Google Voice on my Hero for a while now.

1. Yes, GV will be treated as a landline call. I'm not sure if there's a workaround for this, but it does eat up your minutes. This has never been an issue for me, so I can live with it, but it does mean you lose the benefit of unlimited mobile to mobile.

2. I would get a google number. This will give you more flexibility to link other phone numbers to your GV number in the future, even if you only want to use it for your Sprint cell # right now.

3. Yes, they can still use your old number. You lose the benefits of GV if you do this, but it still works. I've told everyone to only contact me on my GV # because I can't think of a time when I wouldn't want to use GV.

4. not really sure about this

5. I don't see why not. At the very least you can delete all of your phone numbers out of your google voice account and have people contact you using your cell # again.

hope this helps

 

[rolltrain]

I can't think of a time when I wouldn't want to use GV.

Why? What makes GV something that you don't want to not use it? School me on GV...

 

[spartan446]

Why? What makes GV something that you don't want to not use it? School me on GV...

Well, I mean I can't see why I would want someone to contact me directly instead of using my google voice number.

I personally like getting email notifications of calls/text messages, transcriptions for my voicemail and being able to send text messages from my PC. That's mainly how I use it.

 

[rolltrain]

Ah, so you don't really talk to people, you just reply to a text of what they said? That the biggest function of GV?

 

[spartan446]

Ah, so you don't really talk to people, you just reply to a text of what they said? That the biggest function of GV?

No, you can talk to them, but they call your google voice number and then google voice calls you. And you call the google voice number when you want to call out, but the Android app handles all of that for you so all you need to do is dial out normally.

You can also set up multiple phone numbers on the same google voice account, so if people call your google voice number, it will call out to multiple phone numbers (for your work phone #, landline phone #, etc) but I don't really use it that way.

 

[marctronixx]

as for #4, you need to have a certain plan in order to keep the 20 cent charge off.

if you have a plan that does not waive the 20 cent fee, AND if you want to use GV to intercept your voice mail, you need to FIRST let the call RING your SPRINT number, then after no answer from you it can then roll over to GV. doing it this way keeps the charge off your plan.

if you just automatically let GV intercept your voice mail without EVER having the call hit your sprint number THEN you get hit the charge.

this is ASSuming you dont have a plan that waives this charge.. i think you need to have a 70 dollar and higher plan..check the sprint website for more info on that.

 

[brooose]

Actually, the *28 thing is conditional call forwarding. You type in *28 and then a 10 digit phone number and then SEND and it forwards all calls when your phone is off or you don't answer. It has always been free with Sprint but they only recently made it possible for you to do it from your handset. You turn it off by typing *38 SEND. This is different from unconditional call forwarding, which you do the same thing but with *72 and then the number and SEND. This still costs 20 cents per minutes. With conditional call forwarding (*28 thing), you can forward your calls to your google voice number and then access all of your voicemail on the internet (and get a transcript texted to you if you like).

 

[kennyidaho]

I would like to point something out as far as number one goes. If you set GV to show the callers # instead of the GV number when people call you....if they are calling from a cell phone you will not be charged usage. So if you don't make a lot of outbound calls with it then it's a good deal.

Personally I have the Pick 3 free option and I have my GV and the weird number the GV app calls listed as free numbers so it works okay for me. I use my GV # for business; friends and family have my normal number which forwards to the same GV account.

 

[treborcj]

I got my invite too. Will be trying it out.

 

[Wayne Wonder]

Theres is a GV work around It took me a while to set it up, but basically I went into the app store "market place" dwnload "Sipdroid" which allows me to make VOIP calls through wifi or 3G. Its really cool I dial a number it beeps then i hang up it calls me back I answer and it connects the number that i originally called.
If anyones interested and want some info im more than willing to share.
Oh and you do need a google voice number.

So heres 1 senario you go on vacation say mayber Paris or anywhere international just find a wifl hot spot and make free calls back home

 

[lunatech]

Theres is a GV work around It took me a while to set it up, but basically I went into the app store "market place" dwnload "Sipdroid" which allows me to make VOIP calls through wifi or 3G. Its really cool I dial a number it beeps then i hang up it calls me back I answer and it connects the number that i originally called.
If anyones interested and want some info im more than willing to share.
Oh and you do need a google voice number.

So heres 1 senario you go on vacation say mayber Paris or anywhere international just find a wifl hot spot and make free calls back home

That's a pretty cool tip to know. Thanks.

 

[Th3sandm4n]

I would like to point something out as far as number one goes. If you set GV to show the callers # instead of the GV number when people call you....if they are calling from a cell phone you will not be charged usage. So if you don't make a lot of outbound calls with it then it's a good deal.

Personally I have the Pick 3 free option and I have my GV and the weird number the GV app calls listed as free numbers so it works okay for me. I use my GV # for business; friends and family have my normal number which forwards to the same GV account.

Sorry to revive an old thread, but just got my voice account and am reading a bit. I was wondering why just changing the number that GV shows makes a difference of where it comes from. Isn't it still coming from GV's landline?
I still got more research before I start actually using the number, like this whole pick 3 deal and the mysterious other number that is used

 

[kennyidaho]

There is some proper terminology used when talking about Caller ID and detecting the true billing number versus the number transmitted. Something like ANI blah blah blah I am really to out of it to remember.

However for some reason or another Sprint does not seem to be looking at things in such details...or Google is doing something magical...but Sprints billing system seems only to care about the number. So if Joe calls my GV number from his mobile (and I have GV set to forward to my sprint phone - and set to display his number) then Sprint seems to count it as a mobile number so it does not use minuets. Could this change down the road - you bet. Frankly I don't know the technical details of how Sprint is determining what is a mobile number and what isn't.

Good luck getting the pick 3.

The mystery number is just an access number. I have a few theories on why it's handled this way; bit more complicated then what this post requires though. Just be aware that in some areas the access number appears to change or at least rotate between a few different numbers - probably load balancing.

 

[Th3sandm4n]

Well for incomming calls if this is true, then I don't even need the pick 3. Everyone has a cell that I talk to. And I don't make enough outgoing calls to really be worried I think. It should be the same as I am currently. I think the only way the pick 3 would come in handy is if Sprint DID change it, then I would have to add the GV somehow. But even then, calls aren't as frequent as the other crap I do.

Yeah I was reading about the rotation, especially that the thought is it rotates more in larger cities (which I am in).

 

[biker1]

I would like to point something out as far as number one goes. If you set GV to show the callers # instead of the GV number when people call you....if they are calling from a cell phone you will not be charged usage. So if you don't make a lot of outbound calls with it then it's a good deal.

Personally I have the Pick 3 free option and I have my GV and the weird number the GV app calls listed as free numbers so it works okay for me. I use my GV # for business; friends and family have my normal number which forwards to the same GV account.

I have been doing a lot of investigation regarding the **-227-2000 number used from GV App on Android, and am not sure if that is not being charged, if made a pick 3 number. I hear that when the app dials out on the 2000 number, the system randomly chooses numbers.
I also have pick 3 and a previous GV number. I was confused re the App GV # for outgoing i was seeing, so I started looking around. I then deleted the app and reinstalled and realized the 2000 number was an access number the GV app was using.

I had already changed my Pick 3 # from my original GV # to the GV 2000 number, but i am in the process of changing them back again, and will manually dial calls from my Evo using my original GV #. I really like the seamlessness of the App BUT I don't feel comfortable I won't be charged even though it would be a Pick 3 #
I feel more comfortable with the GV # I received months ago, although I am unsure if that is a certainty anymore due to a post I read about something changing with GV regarding random picking of numbers in the system. Although the post I read may not mean anything or carry any truth to it. Either way, the app appears to be questionable as to whether the 2000 number gets charged on the invoice even though it is chosen as a pick 3.

I came to the above conclusion, even though it is not a definite one, from reading the questions and replies on the GV web site.

 

[T 980]

Google Voice is the main reason I went with an Android phone instead of blackberry. I love having a GV number because I can check everything I need to online (Voicemail, blocked calls, texts), so I almost never use my phone while at home.

The biggest downside at this very moment about GV is the app itself. Actually, to be honest, I'm not sure if it's the app or the limitations of the phone but sometimes the app can be very laggy.

Overall, if you go full force with GV, you'll never look back. Sometimes I wonder how I got by without being able to text online, lol