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A couple of Google Voice questions...

s-one

s-one

Well-Known Member
So I'm really liking the Droid and the whole Google experience. I do however have a couple of questions regarding Google Voice:

1. Google Voice has an option for "refresh" times and the lowest interval is 5 minutes. This means if someone txt's me to my GV number it would take at least 5 minutes for the txt to arrive. Is there any way around this?

2. Does this 5 minute interval also apply to voice mails received by GV?

3. If I were to not use the virtual number provided by GV and use my Verizon number + GV (which I heard that's now an option with GV), does the same 5 minute interval apply or are txt and voice mails instantaneous?

Thanks much!
s-one
 
I realized that since sms is not pushed, it will only update at whichever interval you have set in GV.

Not a full solution but a workaround to get instant txt is to enable the option in GV to receive the txt via email and since email is pushed, you'll get the txt instantly. Once you received the GV Email of the txt you then can reply to that email with your response and GV will send it back as a txt. Or hence you can go into your GV app on the Droid, manually refresh and correspond txting normally.

I wish Google would include sms as part of the push process but given that they included it as part of the refresh intervals for voice mails makes me think they are trying to avoid any FCC or carrier lawsuits of free txts.

s-one
 
The reason that it's only on a 5 minute interval is that google hasn't added push support to anything related to google voice. Google voice is still a very new service. The application alone is extremely new. Give it a few months, and it may have push functionality then.

The way that I actually use google voice is this:

On google voice, edit your phone and make sure the type is mobile. Check the option to forward sms to your phone.

On the google voice application, disable notifications (otherwise you will get double notifications). Due to this though, make sure that you get texted or emailed when you receive voicemail.

Now text messages will come through like a regular text message would. However the phone number that you see for the contacts will not be the contact's number, but a google voice assigned number for that contact. So what you need to do is to add that contact number to the contact as another number, usually under the "other" category. When texting, text to this number. When making calls, use the regular number.

This will allow you to use the native messaging app, and have text messages pushed immediately.
 
so is this why when I left myself a voice mail (was testing out the visual voice mail) I didn't see it show up for a few minutes?
 
Yes. In the GV app you can set the intervals of when to refresh. The lowest interval is 5 minutes. GV App > Settings > Refresh and Notifications > Refresh Inbox
 
I use google voice but I split the numbers i give out.

Friends and family get real number and business and such get GV number.

As great as GV is and people give it rave reviews there is a number of flaws that until fixed will affect ur decision.

1) google voice does NOT do mms. just sms. So if a friend u gave ur GV number tries to send a photo via mms, it will go into the great unknown. u wont get it. hence me giving my friends and family cell number.

2) google voice does not handle sms via gateways. what this means is if someone sends your gv a sms messege from say AIM or yahoo messenger, you wont get it cause they use gateways. So if you have a friend on AIM who doesnt want to waste a txt from home and u have unlimited so they sent u a sms while signed into AIM or windows messenger or yahoo messenger GV wont get..ur normal cell will.

there is a number of other 'shorcomings'..so do ur research and dont get it just cause a million fanboys cry its an 11 out of 10 super. I love google but as with all things, do ur research.
 
Excellent points GA! Since having the Droid this has been my one dilemma... to go full fledged GV or to just use my Verizon number. You certainly shed the light on that deal. I'll most likely use it the same way.

Greatly appreciated!
s-one
 
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