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Google voice, worth it? Mainly used for texting.

Chango99

Well-Known Member
Jun 1, 2010
149
12
I personally would only have one use for Google Voice, and that would be free texts. Sure, there's better voicemail features, cheaper international clocking, blocking numbers, etc., but these features I would almost never use, at least for the next couple years of my life.

Now is that worth it? Some issues I have with it, although i'm very new to it are:

-Having to update everyone that I changed my phone number
-People text my regular number but I have no text plan
-Does not use my phone's native interface which leads to

Now about the texting... If I have no text plan but let's say some guy never updated my number and texts me through my regular number, do I get charged when I receive it? Or if I open it?

How about MMS? I hardly use it, but how will MMS work?

Is it worth it for me? I actually don't have the phone, I plan to get it soon. My cousin just bought it a couple of days ago, switching from ATT to Verizon. His brother is going to join him eventually, switching it to a family plan. I will also eventually switch when my iPhone 3G contract expires. And another cousin might also join us on the line.

All of us aside from his brother will be texting to some degree. 2 of us will have the incredible and make an effort to use google voice. The other cousin, we are not sure what phone he will be getting, but it's most likely a smart phone. We also don't know if he will take the effort to use google voice for texting. So eventually, should we switch to unlimited texts to reduce the hassle, or stick with google voice?
 
Now about the texting... If I have no text plan but let's say some guy never updated my number and texts me through my regular number, do I get charged when I receive it? Or if I open it?

You will be charged, however, You can call Verizon and tell them you want to block all text messaging. You will not be able to send texts out from your phone or receive them, so you won't get charged. But the Google Voice texting will still go through. This is how I have my phone set up.
 
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You will be charged, however, You can call Verizon and tell them you want to block all text messaging. You will not be able to send texts out from your phone or receive them, so you won't get charged. But the Google Voice texting will still go through. This is how I have my phone set up.

i'm interested in doing this. so basically you have two phone numbers? your normal carrier number (verizon), that people call you on and then you have a different number (google voice) where people can send you text messages?

and then for outgoing stuff, your calls go out through verizon, and texts go out through google voice?

how hard is it to get google voice invites? i typically only get text messages from about 5 or 6 different people, so notifying them would not be hard to do. however, if i disabled my texting through verizon (like you mentioned above) and someone sent a text to my verizon number by mistake, would they get an undeliverable message or something to let them know that i didn't receive it?? that'd be my only real hesitation, however if it's a real urgent matter, i would expect them to call me instead of texting.
 
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i'm interested in doing this. so basically you have two phone numbers? your normal carrier number (verizon), that people call you on and then you have a different number (google voice) where people can send you text messages?

and then for outgoing stuff, your calls go out through verizon, and texts go out through google voice?
No, if you set up google voice properly you can have calls and texts go through your google voice number. So you would only need to give out one number, the google voice number.
 
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No, if you set up google voice properly you can have calls and texts go through your google voice number. So you would only need to give out one number, the google voice number.
This is how I have mine set-up. And since my Google Voice number can ring all my other phones (work, Gizmo5, etc.) I don't have to worry about anything.

My only concern was: when you make an outbound call with Google Voice enabled on the Incredible, it says "Calling _____ using Google Voice #234-555-6789". That made me worry that when I'm calling my girlfriend (who is also a Verizon customer) that I would be using minutes, since it's going through that Google Voice port, which I couldn't assume counted as a Verizon number (and that number itself changes from call-to-call, I think).

I called Verizon (611 from my Incredible) to ask about this and the guy confirmed that I would not use minutes this way. I asked repeatedly and he said he was sure (even had me wait on hold to confirm with others). I asked him to make a note of our conversation in the records, which he said he did.

I'm still a little nervous, but I did everything I think I could to assure my calling is exactly how I want it.
 
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No, if you set up google voice properly you can have calls and texts go through your google voice number. So you would only need to give out one number, the google voice number.

it can be setup so that you have two numbers though? one for talking and one for text? i think i might actually prefer that, as odd as that sounds.

if you did change both talking and text numbers to your google voice number, what would happen if someone called your "old" verizon number? would it forward? or do they both work? i apologize for all of the questions that can probably be answered by searching - you guys are making me lazy with your fast answers!
 
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if you did change both talking and text numbers to your google voice number, what would happen if someone called your "old" verizon number? would it forward? or do they both work? i apologize for all of the questions that can probably be answered by searching - you guys are making me lazy with your fast answers!
If someone called your old Verizon number, only your Verizon phone would ring.

Imagine these are your phone numbers:
555-WORK is your work number
555-CELL is your Verizon number
555-HOME is your land line number
555-GOOG is your Google Voice number

If you set Google Voice up to forward to the 3 other numbers, then if someone calls 555-GOOG, all of your phones will ring. If someone calls just your 555-HOME number, only your house will ring.

And yes, you can use Google Voice for text only, BUT you have to have it tied to at least 1 phone number. (Though you don't have to have the calls forwarded if you don't want. Google gives you plenty of customization options for that.)
 
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okay, you have all sold me on google voice. i wants that! :)

does begging for an invitation work? or should i buy one on ebay? are they hard to come by? or is it as easy as it was back in the day to get a gmail invite?

I've begged and pleaded, but I think there are soooo many people out there that want an invite, that's it's impossible to get. I'm thinking about bidding on ebay.
 
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My only concern was: when you make an outbound call with Google Voice enabled on the Incredible, it says "Calling _____ using Google Voice #234-555-6789". That made me worry that when I'm calling my girlfriend (who is also a Verizon customer) that I would be using minutes, since it's going through that Google Voice port, which I couldn't assume counted as a Verizon number (and that number itself changes from call-to-call, I think).

I believe you are correct in your fears. I was under the impression that is why you need a Friends/Family plan to use GV for calling. Because it's using your Verizon # initially, then connecting to the GV # for the actual call which uses minutes. It's just that if you have your GV # set up as a F&F number, it views all the calls as falling within the unlimited category. The system doesn't see the final recipient, only the connection to the GV # so that's why you can call out of network and it's still viewed as a F&F call.

Consequently, your GF's phone would be accepting a call from your GV # so she would be taking a call from an "out of network" phone too causing a double whammy right? If you guys are banking on unlimited mobile to mobile that is.

Hopefully I didn't confuse the issue further but that's how I THOUGHT it worked and it's why I haven't pursued using GV for calling since I don't have F&F on my plan. Someone please correct me if necessary because I'm admittedly not sure.
 
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I believe you are correct in your fears. I was under the impression that is why you need a Friends/Family plan to use GV for calling. Because it's using your Verizon # initially, then connecting to the GV # for the actual call which uses minutes. It's just that if you have your GV # set up as a F&F number, it views all the calls as falling within the unlimited category. The system doesn't see the final recipient, only the connection to the GV # so that's why you can call out of network and it's still viewed as a F&F call.

Consequently, your GF's phone would be accepting a call from your GV # so she would be taking a call from an "out of network" phone too causing a double whammy right? If you guys are banking on unlimited mobile to mobile that is.

Hopefully I didn't confuse the issue further but that's how I THOUGHT it worked and it's why I haven't pursued using GV for calling since I don't have F&F on my plan. Someone please correct me if necessary because I'm admittedly not sure.

I use GV exclusively but I still have mobile to mobile usage listed on verizon's website. I'm not sure exactly how M2M works with GV...
 
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This is how I have mine set-up. And since my Google Voice number can ring all my other phones (work, Gizmo5, etc.) I don't have to worry about anything.

My only concern was: when you make an outbound call with Google Voice enabled on the Incredible, it says "Calling _____ using Google Voice #234-555-6789". That made me worry that when I'm calling my girlfriend (who is also a Verizon customer) that I would be using minutes, since it's going through that Google Voice port, which I couldn't assume counted as a Verizon number (and that number itself changes from call-to-call, I think).

I called Verizon (611 from my Incredible) to ask about this and the guy confirmed that I would not use minutes this way. I asked repeatedly and he said he was sure (even had me wait on hold to confirm with others). I asked him to make a note of our conversation in the records, which he said he did.

I'm still a little nervous, but I did everything I think I could to assure my calling is exactly how I want it.
I'm pretty sure you WILL use minutes calling through Google Voice. If you add it to your friends and family list though, then it will be free.
 
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I use GV exclusively but I still have mobile to mobile usage listed on verizon's website. I'm not sure exactly how M2M works with GV...

it doesn't. you're not calling another verizon number, you're calling thru a special GV number so there's no such thing as mobile-to-mobile (unless another VZW phone calls your direct VZW number, not your GV number).

at least, i'm 99.9% sure that's accurate...
 
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I have free text and calls with google voice and gizmo5 set it up with sipdroid(for incoming calls) and GV dialer (for outgoing calls)

I dont have Friends & family so this is the best way to have free calls....

For those who been waiting a long time for a GV Invite u can buy it here...

Google Voice Invitations

u can get a gizmo5 account and a gv invite for 10 bucks...

Not bad if u dont want to use ur minutes.
 
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Wow GV invite prices have skyrocketed on ebay. I paid 2 bucks for mine about a month ago. On topic, I use GV exclusively for texting and calling. My number looks like a fake one though since it starts 777-7***. I get funny reactions when people ask for my number.

Ummm thats Weird...
i have 2 google voice accounts and on both of then when i first got it had the choice of pick any number... with my same area code.
 
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