Help Google Voice to send text messages

[robphelan]

So, I finally got GV visual voicemail working using my carrier number as my GV number. it took 2 days of frustration...

now, from what I understand, i should be able to use GV to send text/SMS messages.. is that true?

when i launch GV app, i don't have any options to compose messages. how is that supposed to work?

 

[flashbox]

Click your menu button and you should see a whole gambit of things to do. I love the free texts to and from my GV number. They work just like normal texts. You don't have to be in the app to get new ones. I love it so much i blocked incoming and outgoing texts through Verizon, and now only use GV to text. Saves me $20 a month.

Only down side is because it uses data to send/receive because I'm on VZW i cant do both at once so i need to be off the phone to get or send texts. Its a small price to pay for not having a price to pay.. GET IT?!

 

[robphelan]

hi,

when you state "Click your menu button ", do you mean from inside my Voice app?

When I click the little bottom-opened rectangle with 2 lines on it button, a menu appears with 5 choices:
1) Refresh
2) Labels
3) Balance
4) Settings
5) Help

I must not have something set properly....?

 

[robphelan]

if I drill into a voicemail i left for myself while testing, then click the menu button, I get the option to Text back..

however, nothing on the first screen that opens when i launch the app (inbox screen)

 

[Max Tempest]

That's weird, after GV opens up, I touch Captivate's menu button, and there's a Compose button right above the Balance button.

I use GV to text all the time, great money-saver.

 

[robphelan]

Max.. and your app is "Voice" or something else?

 

[robphelan]

i think my issue may be that i'm using my own carrier's phone number as my GV number. I think the feature set is limited when you do that.

EDIT: found it on their helpsite

Using a Google number vs. a non-Google number : Getting Started - Google Voice Help

there are a lot of features unavailable if you don't use a google #.. i guess it's time to get one.

 

[Max Tempest]

Google Voice app

You didn't choose a Google Voice number?

 

[robphelan]

nope.. see my edited post above.. i'm going to have to get one now.

 

[robphelan]

now this presents a problem....

if I use a GV generated number (instead of my carrier's number) will I lose my visual voicemail?

EDIT:

I changed my number to a GV number... my visual voicemail works great.. I now see the other options, such as Texting, too.

thanks alot.

 

[mi04se1]

I set up GV to do my sms today. Im still getting a text throughATT and GV and I want to eliminate ATT. I know I read somewhere about double notifications, but I canmt find it. Can anyone help?

 

[Mide]

Yeah I just setup GV to handle all of my VM and SMS. I also called ATT and told them to block all texts from my account. Yeah to avoid double notifications you log onto google.com/voice and go into settings and change it there. Next you tell all of your contacts to send to your GV number.

 

[jeremytanner]

Just be aware that, unless something changed very recently, Google Voice doesn't do MMS. That's the one reason I haven't completely switched for all my text needs.

 

[mi04se1]

Yeah I just setup GV to handle all of my VM and SMS. I also called ATT and told them to block all texts from my account. Yeah to avoid double notifications you log onto google.com/voice and go into settings and change it there. Next you tell all of your contacts to send to your GV number.

I sent a text with my GV number and recieved a text to my GV number. I checked how many texts I sent with the ATT app before. I sent 1 and recieved to the message number went up by 3. I'll try to change the settings in GV.

 

[viny2cool]

Thanks guys, Now I am using GV for my free testing. I was using text plus before, that was good too...but little slow and confused with contacts lol...great to use to Google apps in Google OS. Now I have 2 questions?

1) Can I use it for MMS?
2) Can I integrate text with my Messaging App? means I should get texts in my default messaging App rather than GV?

Thanks for answering in Advance.

 

[mi04se1]

No MMS and if you ge texts in your phones messanger, your being billed for them. What I did was go on the GV website, click on settings (upper right corner), click on voice settings, click edit on phone, make sure phone type is set to mobil and uncheck recieve text messages. I was getting double notification when I first setup GV sms, but after changing the settings, I only get one notification. Also before I changed anything, my usage messages went up. After I changed the settings, I made probably 10 texts and the usage stayed the same. I checked last night and this morning to be sure. I have unlimitted data, so that isnt a problem because GV sms uses data.

 

[BookLover]

Thanks guys, Now I am using GV for my free testing. I was using text plus before, that was good too...but little slow and confused with contacts lol...great to use to Google apps in Google OS. Now I have 2 questions?

1) Can I use it for MMS?
2) Can I integrate text with my Messaging App? means I should get texts in my default messaging App rather than GV?

Thanks for answering in Advance.

1) GV does NOT support MMS -- so you need to ask your friends to send MMS to your email addy, which presumably you have set up on the phone, so shouldn't be a problem for you...but may be a change for your friends. But if any of them had friends with iPhones before, then it may not be too bad of a transition for them as they probably got used to doing it for their iPhone pals before iPhone got MMS.

2) Not that I know of. A PITA to have to check two apps, but at some point your texts should all be in GV...or some enterprising developer figures how to create an app that integrates the carrier SMS with GV.

 

[viny2cool]

Another question? is it possible to use my phone number, instead of GV number to send texts? Its confusing for all my friends to have texts from some random number.....

 

[BookLover]

Another question? is it possible to use my phone number, instead of GV number to send texts? Its confusing for all my friends to have texts from some random number.....

Not if you want to use your data plan to SMS.

Just shoot them all a group SMS to change your number in their phones to your GV number. They can both call and SMS to the GV number. Just can't MMS to it.