How do the pros use Google voice?

Jerethi · Oct 19, 2013

I've been itching for some time now to use Google voice. But, frankly, I'm at a loss to completely understand how it can enhance my mobile experience.

So, I'd like to put a question out to all the experienced Google voice users out there - how do you use Google voice? What is the best use for it? What will I be missing out on if I don't have Google voice and Hangouts on Android finally updates to include Google voice (for that matter, why is that such a big deal?)

Thanks everyone!

pool_shark · Oct 19, 2013

I don't use hangouts, but I use Google voice only for voice mail.

I like that I can choose which voice mails to listen to or delete without listening to and without having to wait for the Verizon voice mail prompts.

MLSS · Oct 19, 2013

I have hangouts on my phone but never use it anymore and I have no reason to use Google Voice

Clementine_3 · Oct 19, 2013

I love GV!! I use it for voicemail (love the transcriptions, they are soooo funny sometimes!), texting and as an actual phone number.
I give that number out more than my actual cell number, I like have the option of a 2nd number to use.
Since I have a Verizon plan that has Friends and Family I've listed my GV there, I can make and receive unlimited calls on my 1400 minute family plan. It takes some setting up but I can use 0 minutes if I want.
There is no downside to have GV, but a lot of pluses!

kate · Oct 19, 2013

When you don't have unlimited talking you can save your minutes by using Google Voice and a phone app.

It's possible to call people over WiFi with Google Voice using Talkatone without using your phone plan minutes. For texting you can also use Talkatone for free over WiFi.

Jerethi · Oct 19, 2013

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I'm definitely interested in seeing everyone's perspective!

One question I have is, when I go to sign up for Google voice, I have the option to get a new number or to port my existing #. My sense is that it makes more sense to get a new number. Are there any reasons why I'd want to port my existing one though?

Clementine_3 · Oct 19, 2013

Personally, I'd opt for a new number.
If you port your number then you will need to get a new one through your carrier, and if you are still on contract may run into ETF's and just a big headache. If you aren't on contract you still need a new number w/your carrier but it may not be so bad.
If you get a lot of MMS I'd think twice, right now it doesn't work for them. That may change with Hangouts but it may still be an issue.
I guess in the end it doesn't really matter but I like to err on the side of caution

Jerethi · Oct 19, 2013

Clementine_3 said:
Personally, I'd opt for a new number.
If you port your number then you will need to get a new one through your carrier, and if you are still on contract may run into ETF's and just a big headache. If you aren't on contract you still need a new number w/your carrier but it may not be so bad.
If you get a lot of MMS I'd think twice, right now it doesn't work for them. That may change with Hangouts but it may still be an issue.
I guess in the end it doesn't really matter but I like to err on the side of caution

Thanks for your response. This actually gets to one of the core questions I have about getting the most from Google voice. I would love, love, LOVE to be able to send and receive text messages from my tablet. The rumor mill seems to believe that a coming upgrade to hangouts will permit sending and receiving texts, which I have been interpreting to mean that I can finally send texts from my tablet using hangouts. Am I off base on that? Will I need to have a Google voice account in order for that to be a reality?

I know it's hard to guess at these questions since no one can predict the future, but any informed comments and guests are always welcome!

Clementine_3 · Oct 19, 2013

Right. That's the big who knows.
As of today I can SMS text anyone. If it gets rolled into Hangouts will everyone need to be using Hangouts? I know my iPhone toting family won't do that. Will it turn into a Whatsapp kind of thing, if you don't all have it it's useless? Will calls still work the same? Too many questions and no real answers right now.
I'm all for a better GV experience, but not if loses the current functionality. It's a wait and see for now.

jhawkkw · Oct 19, 2013

Google voice dramatically helps 2 groups of peoples. Those without unlimited minutes, and those who prepaid carrier hop. As mentioned, using G-Voice with a VoIP app like talkatone or GrooveIP will allow you to make and receive calls using WiFi or your mobile data. It also helps you escape the clutches of Verizon/AT&T and go with a cheaper carrier with a smaller coverage map because as long as you have WiFi, your phone will still work fine. However the second group of people are those who hate being tied down to a carrier and will hop between prepaid providers based on coverage or best $ deal. That way you don't have to let everyone know when you change carriers and get a new number or have to worry about porting since certain prepaid carriers don't port numbers nicely.

Another positive is the extra privacy. There's extra protections to prevent solicitors and if someone is spamming that number, then it's easy to change numbers

Google Voice is what allows me to manage being on T-Mobile's 30 dollar prepaid plan that offers 100 minutes, unlimited texting and unlimited data (throttled after 5GB)

Jerethi · Oct 19, 2013

Jhawkkw,

Thanks so much for this detailed response. I'm curious - you said Google voice is what allows you to use the plan you currently have. Why is that? Is it because the majority of your calls are voip calls rather than coming from your monites
Also, does that mean the # you primarily give people is your Google voice number?

jhawkkw · Oct 19, 2013

Jerethi said:
Jhawkkw,

Thanks so much for this detailed response. I'm curious - you said Google voice is what allows you to use the plan you currently have. Why is that? Is it because the majority of your calls are voip calls rather than coming from your monites
Also, does that mean the # you primarily give people is your Google voice number?

For the most part, yes. My Google Voice number is actually the main number I had/used when I was with Verizon. When I got tired of Verizon's corporate politics and left them, I ported the number over to Google Voice. Whole process took about a day. So everyone still has that number and only 4 people in my contact list of 75+ has my T-Mobile number.

As for allowing me to use my plan, you would be correct that about 85% of my calls are done via VoIP. When making calls on WiFi or LTE, it is decent enough quality. Not perfect, but good enough considering I'm only paying 30 dollars a month for my entire cell phone bill. Plus if I am in a signal deadzone, WiFi still works.

gbsa · Oct 19, 2013

I use GV for voice mail and my business phone, the calls to my GV # are forwarded to my cell, or I can just send them directly to VM. If for some reason I change my cell # my business # will remain the same.

aysiu · Oct 19, 2013

These are the main appeals to me:

No need to port my number when/if I change carriers.
Ability to text from my computer and my phone (and tablet).
Voicemail transcriptions are usually inaccurate but still give you a general sense of what the message is about.
If you never give out your real cell phone number, you can use Google Voice to block numbers (some wireless carriers make it difficult to block numbers or have blocking limits.

Jerethi · Oct 20, 2013

jhawkkw said:
For the most part, yes. My Google Voice number is actually the main number I had/used when I was with Verizon. When I got tired of Verizon's corporate politics and left them, I ported the number over to Google Voice. Whole process took about a day. So everyone still has that number and only 4 people in my contact list of 75+ has my T-Mobile number.

As for allowing me to use my plan, you would be correct that about 85% of my calls are done via VoIP. When making calls on WiFi or LTE, it is decent enough quality. Not perfect, but good enough considering I'm only paying 30 dollars a month for my entire cell phone bill. Plus if I am in a signal deadzone, WiFi still works.

This is great stuff! Thanks so much. So, this actually makes me wonder if I should wait and hold off on getting a Google voice # until I'm on a month to month with my carrier. That way, I could port my # to Google voice.

kate · Oct 20, 2013

Jerethi said:
So, this actually makes me wonder if I should wait and hold off on getting a Google voice # until I'm on a month to month with my carrier. That way, I could port my # to Google voice.

That would be the way to go if you want to keep using your current number through Google Voice. Also:

1. Porting your number automatically cancels your line with the previous provider, so porting while under contract could result in ETF costs.
2. Google Voice charges $20 to port your number.

jhawkkw · Oct 20, 2013

Jerethi said:
This is great stuff! Thanks so much. So, this actually makes me wonder if I should wait and hold off on getting a Google voice # until I'm on a month to month with my carrier. That way, I could port my # to Google voice.

Porting you current wireless number will cancel your line of service, as kate mentioned. Because of that, I would only recommend doing so if you're going to change carriers. However, if you choose to take a new number from Google voice and later decide that you want to port you carrier number, it's easy to get rid of your random G-Voice number and have it pick up the carrier number.

Jerethi · Oct 20, 2013

If I ported a number to Google voice and decide, for whatever reason, to port that number back to a carrier, is that possible as well?

jhawkkw · Oct 20, 2013

Jerethi said:
If I ported a number to Google voice and decide, for whatever reason, to port that number back to a carrier, is that possible as well?

Though I have never done it myself, I have seen people post that they've been successful at doing just that.

aysiu · Oct 20, 2013

Google has an article on it:
Port your number out of Google Voice

Jerethi · Oct 20, 2013

Wonderful, thanks! I'll probably cross the Google voice threshold sometime this week...

Jerethi · Oct 21, 2013

One last question occurred to me. If I sign up for Google voice, can I still use an SMS app of my choice to send and receive texts from my phone, or do I have to use the Google voice app?

jhawkkw · Oct 21, 2013

Jerethi said:
One last question occurred to me. If I sign up for Google voice, can I still use an SMS app of my choice to send and receive texts from my phone, or do I have to use the Google voice app?

It depends. There are a couple apps that support native Google voice messages, but not many. GrooveIP is one of them, which you might use for voip calls. Another option is that if you run a custom rom based on cyanogenmod, they have developed a nifty little add on that routes all Google voice texts through the stock messaging app.

aysiu · Oct 21, 2013

Jerethi said:
One last question occurred to me. If I sign up for Google voice, can I still use an SMS app of my choice to send and receive texts from my phone, or do I have to use the Google voice app?

You can use whatever you want. If people text to your Google Voice number, you will receive the texts through Google Voice. You can, however, set up Google Voice to forward texts to your actual mobile number, and when you reply to those texts using the regular messaging app, the replies will appear to come from your Google Voice number.

Personally, I use Google Voice for normal texting, the regular Messaging app for any automated short codes I need to receive, and WhatsApp for any international texting.

Jerethi · Oct 27, 2013

aysiu said:
You can use whatever you want. If people text to your Google Voice number, you will receive the texts through Google Voice. You can, however, set up Google Voice to forward texts to your actual mobile number, and when you reply to those texts using the regular messaging app, the replies will appear to come from your Google Voice number.

Personally, I use Google Voice for normal texting, the regular Messaging app for any automated short codes I need to receive, and WhatsApp for any international texting.

Thanks for this response. When you say I'd receive the texts through Google voice so you mean the the Google voice app? Or any SMS app on Android?

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