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Google Voice Help

Jarpee

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2010
124
2
Tennessee
I am starting medical school in the fall and I have to change my number to the area code of that area. I was wondering if I did not change my VZW number, but I created a GV number with the proper area code would that work? Would I still receive calls the same way as my old area code and VZW number? Would the caller ever know the difference? Thanks.
 
Congrats on med school!

If you use Google voice you would be able to set up a number for any area code that you want. You can also link that number with any phone you want. Incoming and outgoing calls to and from that number through your phone (using the Google Voice app) would appear just like any other call to you and the other person on the phone. If you have the Verizon friends and family calling circle thing and included your Google voice number then all incoming and outgoing calls using that number would be free as well. You would also be able to send and receive text messages using that number and the app for free. Free visual voicemail too.
 
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Thanks, here is another question. If I am on the phone and get a call through GV will it show as a call waiting just like normal and vice versa if I am on a call with GV and get another call through VZW will it kick me off the GV call?

Google Voice isn't VOIP so it still functions just like a regular phone call. Call waiting will still work no matter which number the call comes from. Google Voice is more like a switchboard that is routing the call to you. If someone calls the number it simply forwards the call to the numbers you have listed. That is why you have to have the friends and family stuff to get the free calling.
 
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Thanks alot. I am switching from my BB to the Incredible so I have no clue about any of this. So to make a call or send a text through GV do you just go to the app or is it integrated somehow into the regular messaging service?

Calls
You can configure the app to always use Google Voice or ask each time you call or only using it for International calls. I have mine set to always ask. So, I go to the "people" app, search for a contact and click on the phone number to call as normal. I get a pop up to say call via Google Voice (ie, they sees my GV number) or call using my cell phone number (ie, they see my cell number).

Note, when I use GV to call, it actually dials another phone number. Mine is a 615 area code. But, the person you are calling does see your GV number.

SMS
I use the GV app exclusively for text. However, you can use the stock messaging app, but be careful. If someone sends you a text to your GV number your stock messaging app receives it from a 406 number. The first part of the message is the contacts name. I used to save that 406 number to my contacts. When I would initiate a text, I would send it to the 406 number. The person sees it as coming from my GV number. This always works with calling (ie call their 406 number and to them, it looks like your GV number). If you don't want to use the GV app, you can always just use the 406 number. The only draw back I see is to get the person's 406 number, they have to ext you first. So if the person only has a land line, I don't think this method would work.



The way I use it now, I only use the GV app the send / receive texts. Since texts are now push, I get them as soon as they appear on the GV webpage. To call, I always have GV ask me what number to use. With my setup, I unchecked "forward SMS" to my cell phone in GV (via settings on their webpage). Otherwise I was getting double notifications (one via the GV app and one via the stock messaging app) when someone sent me a text.


Hope some of that made sense.....


Edit: where in TN are you? I am just south of Memphis in MS.
 
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I am from Cookeville, will be moving to Johnson City to go to ETSU med school. See they want me to change my number to their area code, but I thought why don't I keep my number and just set a GV number for that area. So I still want to text and call mostly on my VZW number and just have that for the school or anything else up there in JC that would need a local number.
 
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I am from Cookeville, will be moving to Johnson City to go to ETSU med school. See they want me to change my number to their area code, but I thought why don't I keep my number and just set a GV number for that area. So I still want to text and call mostly on my VZW number and just have that for the school or anything else up there in JC that would need a local number.

Google Voice will work perfect for that situation. You can continue to use your VZW number for calls / texts (incoming and outgoing). When someone calls your GV number, it will ring your cell phone (and whatever other phones you setup).

When I choose my GV number, I picked a different area code than where I live. I did this so my family could call my GV number and it would be a local call for them. Similar to what you are trying to do.
 
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Ok, what about texting? What if I get a text from the GV number? Will it show up in my messages?

If you have Google Voice set to send texts to your cell phone, yes, it will show up in the stock messaging app. The phone number it comes from will be a 406 number. If the person who is sending you the text is in your Google Contacts, it will show the persons name in the text message itself. If the person is not in your contact list, I believe it shows the number they are texting from.

When you reply to the 406 number, the recipient sees it coming from your GV number.

You have to go to the GV web page, then settings, the phones to enable / disable texts from being sent to your cell phone.
 
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Ok, what about texting? What if I get a text from the GV number? Will it show up in my messages?

Edit: I see what you said above, so it will be from a 406 number, what if I just reply to that number from the stock messaging app? Will it show from my GV or VZW?

Opps, I replied before I saw your edit.

If you reply to the 406 number, the person will see it coming from your GV number.
 
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You have been a ton of help!!!! Here is my main concern, is GV very reliable? Because I will be getting many important calls/texts from that number and I do not want it to fail.

No problem. You might want to think about setting it up this way:

Do not have GV texts forwarded to your cell phone number. Instead, use the GV app itself. That way, there is no confusion with 406 numbers. And, your texts from / to your VZW number are "separate" from your GV texts. By that I mean your VZW texts are in the stock messaging app. Your GV texts are in the GV app.

You might want to play around with the different configurations to see what works best for you, but given what you want to accomplish, you can surely do it with GV.


I have been using my GV number as my primary number for a few months and have never had a problem receiving calls or making calls or texts.
 
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Ok I have a question about all this... On my plan, I only have 500 texts to non-VZW numbers and 700 non-mobile-to-mobile minutes. So if my friend on VZW calls my GV number and then texts it, would that count towards my usage?

For texts, there are two ways to handle it:

1. Use the GV app. Doing it this way, text messages are sent via data. The GV app has push notifications, so you get the messages pretty much as soon as it is sent. Doing this, make sure you disable sms's being sent to your cell phone numbers in the settings part of the GV website.

2. If you go to the settings on the GV website and have sms's sent to your cell phone number, then you will get a text message from a phone number with a 406 area code. This would count as part of your 500 alloted text messages. And doing it this way, you would not want push notifications with the GV app or you will get two notifications (one from your stock messaging app and one from the GV app).


For calls, yes, calls to you GV number will count against your 700 voice minutes. Some people have gotten around this if they are able to specify a number you can call and receive calls for free. This way, you would set GV to display your GV number when someone calls you. You answer, Google asks you if you want to take the call. To call someone, you would have to call your GV number, then punch in the number you want to call.

I don't have the free calling to a specific number, so any calls to my GV number cost me minutes.
 
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