Google Voice - Choose which contacts to call by default with GV

[wsutliff]

I use google voice on my Motorola droid and love it. Never had to change my AZ number now that I'm in TX. Problem is, I set it to make all calls from my GV number and was shocked to see my verizon wireless bill because now I'm over on my minutes. Since i have a family share plan with free mobile to mobile, it now doesn't count when I call from GV. So now when I call my wife it gets counted as an out of network call.

I've searched everywhere and still haven't found a way to be able to set which contacts I want to call with GV and which to call with my default number. I know I can set it to ask me every time, but that is so annoying and just one extra button to push with each call. There are certain people I will always call with google voice and certain people I will never call with google voice. I want to set it as default for most, except for a few of my contacts.

Does anyone know of an app that can do this, or does anyone know if google will make this a feature for a future release of their app?

 

[Taylored]

I am not aware of an app which will do this (I would like to know if you or someone else finds one).

If you have the friends and family plan (if not let me know. You should be able to get it regardless of what the idiot CSRs at VZW tell you), you should be able to find a solution to your problem with or without the APP.

When you make a call on GV it calls an Access Number. That number is out of network, so you get charged for those calls. If you set the access number (you will notice it pop up for a couple of seconds when you make a GV call) as one of your F&F numbers you will never be charged for a call. There are a few threads about this already.

http://androidforums.com/support-troubleshooting-incredible/87102-google-voice-questions.html

 

[takeshi]

(nevermind -- didn't even read the 1st reply before hitting reply)

 

[takeshi]

If you set the access number (you will notice it pop up for a couple of seconds when you make a GV call) as one of your F&F numbers you will never be charged for an outbound call.

Corrected.

 

[2krazee2]

I have solved your problem - actually found it by accident and have been using it for about a month now. Using your own GV number, not the access number which can changed, download Flex Dialer.
This allows you to set who is called using GV and who is not by utilizing the profile. In addition, should you have more than one GV, it allows you to enter up to a total of 4 GV numbers.

 

[OstrichSaK]

I have solved your problem - actually found it by accident and have been using it for about a month now. Using your own GV number, not the access number which can changed, download Flex Dialer.
This allows you to set who is called using GV and who is not by utilizing the profile. In addition, should you have more than one GV, it allows you to enter up to a total of 4 GV numbers.

I installed the Lite version and it makes no sense to me. Either the dev needs to describe each option better or something needs to change because it's not very intuitive. All I want to be able to do is specify which numbers use Google Voice for outbound calls and which get the Verizon number so I don't have to deal with that pop-up every time asking me which I want to use. Would be nice to have it only pop up for manually dialed numbers.

 

[paradox183]

I installed the Lite version and it makes no sense to me. Either the dev needs to describe each option better or something needs to change because it's not very intuitive. All I want to be able to do is specify which numbers use Google Voice for outbound calls and which get the Verizon number so I don't have to deal with that pop-up every time asking me which I want to use. Would be nice to have it only pop up for manually dialed numbers.

Did you go to the dev's web site to read the instructions? Once I looked through them I found them fairly easy to comprehend.

Flex Dialer: Maplekey Company Mobile Android Apps

Basically, for each contact that you only want to call via Google Voice, in their phone book entry you will type your GV number instead, and then a command to enter your PIN (if any), then the command to place a call, and then your contact's phone number.

Personally, I won't use Flex Dialer because I don't want to have to wait 20 seconds for the call to be connected. Think I'll be looking into Google Voice Dialer since I will almost always have 3G/4G/Wifi and don't mind relying on those if it makes the call connect faster.

 

[mrbofus]

One solution could be having a dialer in the Google Voice app itself. i.e., if you call a contact from within the Google Voice app, it uses your Google Voice number, and if you call a number from outside the Google Voice app, it uses whatever setting [always use GV, ask everytime, etc...] you have set.

I know it's not ideal, but it'd be nice to have that option.

I only use Google Voice for dealing with people whom I don't want knowing my actual number, so having my phone always use Google Voice isn't an option, and having it ask me everytime is annoying. Being able to dial from inside Google Voice would solve that issue.

 

[Deleted User]

I agree this would be a great feature to add, I've thought about it before. Then you can go through your contacts and select which to call with GV and which to not.

 

[mrbofus]

Indeed; I've found it interesting since on the iPhone, which does not have a native Google Voice app, when you go to the Google Voice webpage, it defaults to a dialer. I had assumed that the official Google Voice app would have this functionality since the webpage had it.

 

[drz400sm]

I think android should have another field in each contact that lets you set the dailer to be GV or the phone native dailer.

This can't be that hard for the developers to add. It would save everybody an extra step on every phone call.

 

[OstrichSaK]

I think android should have another field in each contact that lets you set the dailer to be GV or the phone native dailer.

This can't be that hard for the developers to add. It would save everybody an extra step on every phone call.

And while they're at it add a category for birthdays too. I can add a birthday from a PC but I can't do so from my Droid? What's up with that?

 

[wsoldier]

+1

Totally agree this should be in the contact profile.

 

[MR_2FNGRZ]

I use GV as well. I have my GV # set up in my friends and family. This "supposedly" allows your calls to be free if you are using your GV #. It's supposed to act ascall forwarding when you do this thus your GV # being the one that your friends and family recognize (if you have VZW) . So what I'm not getting is, if F&F is supposed to recognize the GV #, why the access #s when every time you make an outbound call it accesses a different #? I have it set up so whenever I make an outbound call I can choose to use GV or not

 

[sockrebel]

I use GV as well. I have my GV # set up in my friends and family. This "supposedly" allows your calls to be free if you are using your GV #. It's supposed to act ascall forwarding when you do this thus your GV # being the one that your friends and family recognize (if you have VZW) . So what I'm not getting is, if F&F is supposed to recognize the GV #, why the access #s when every time you make an outbound call it accesses a different #? I have it set up so whenever I make an outbound call I can choose to use GV or not

If you have the newest version of Google Voice (v0.4), the F&F option will not work. In the previous versions, the GV app would dial a gateway number and use data to make the call. That gateway number would be the number (not your GV number) that you put in your F&F for free outbound calls.

v0.4 uses the unique number assigned to each of your contacts by GV to call and you can't use the free outgoing call trick AFAIK.

 

[Tre Lawrence]

The flex dialer option should still work for free outbound calls, as long asyou use your actual GV number (not the gateway numbers).

 

[srqspearo]

If you have the newest version of Google Voice (v0.4), the F&F option will not work. In the previous versions, the GV app would dial a gateway number and use data to make the call. That gateway number would be the number (not your GV number) that you put in your F&F for free outbound calls.

v0.4 uses the unique number assigned to each of your contacts by GV to call and you can't use the free outgoing call trick AFAIK.

I second that! Every each time I dial someone with my GV it will dial a getaway number first. Every time different getaway numbers. There is no way to add so many numbers to F&F. So the free calls are not free anymore. :/

 

[sockrebel]

I second that! Every each time I dial someone with my GV it will dial a getaway number first. Every time different getaway numbers. There is no way to add so many numbers to F&F. So the free calls are not free anymore. :/

I never updated my google voice and still have free outgoing calls. You can get the old version of google voice:
http://androidforums.com/support-troubleshooting-incredible/153809-anyone-got-old-google-voice.html