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Google Voice, what's the point?

Barbara said:
I think it might be best to get the GV number. You don't have to use it but you have it if you ever decide you want to use it. (Like giving it to a service person when you don't want them to have your cell number.) Everyone else can still have your real number.

If you elect to just use your own number you can not go back and change to a GV number later unless you get a new invitation and an new account.
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oh really??? so i can use my real original number for GV??
 
rawness said:
In the graphic it IS enabled (Enable Screening is checked, and screen ALL unknown callers is seleceted). My settings are currently exactly the same as in the graphic.

Yet still, with the Call Presentation set to OFF, I'm directly connected and the caller is not screened. Only when I set Call Presentation to ON is the caller screened.

To be sure, I did change the option to Screen only callers with blocked caller ID, yet with Call presentation set to OFF I'm still directly connected.
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One question, you're testing this with a number that you've programmed as one of your GV forwarding numbers? If so, GV is already going to "know" you. If not, it seems that Call Presentation has to be ON for the call screening to work.
 
iPhoneMilk said:
oh really??? so i can use my real original number for GV??
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Not exactly. The calls that come to your number would not go through google voice so you wouldn't get the notification or the transcript. They would have to call the GV number for that service to be activated. So if you want the gv abilities (although you don't get quite as many when you use your own number) with your actual number, you would have to select your own number option.
 
Barbara said:
Not exactly. The calls that come to your number would not go through google voice so you wouldn't get the notification or the transcript. They would have to call the GV number for that service to be activated. So if you want the gv abilities (although you don't get quite as many when you use your own number) with your actual number, you would have to select your own number option.
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Actually, you can set your voicemail from your phone to forward through to google voice, and the transcript works just the same. I had a call come through this morning to my cell, and it was forwarded. I also have the transcription.
 
JoeC said:
One question, you're testing this with a number that you've programmed as one of your GV forwarding numbers? If so, GV is already going to "know" you. If not, it seems that Call Presentation has to be ON for the call screening to work.
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I've only put my cell phone number into GV, I'm calling from my house phone which I haven't put into GV.

Unless someone else knows otherwise, it does appear that Call Presentation must be set to ON in order for screening to work. That would be a bummer, as I don't want calling me to be a chore. Nor do I want to have to listen to voice message everytime I answer my phone (especially since 90% of the time the number is not blocked.

I want Caller ID OR voive ID, not both.
 
Fadelight said:
Actually, you can set your voicemail from your phone to forward through to google voice, and the transcript works just the same. I had a call come through this morning to my cell, and it was forwarded. I also have the transcription.
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Excellent point. Such a simple thing and I hadn't thought of that.
 
Barbara said:
Excellent point. Such a simple thing and I hadn't thought of that.
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I had missed the link to do so when I was discussing keeping my You Mail account open. JoeC is the one that pointed it out to me. The setting is on this page...

l_e09948d6c4bb4e1ea9965622e453a9ed.jpg


It is the link next to your mobile number. Mine says "Deactivate google voicemail on this phone", but if it isnt active, it will say "activate" instead.
 
Fadelight said:
I had missed the link to do so when I was discussing keeping my You Mail account open. JoeC is the one that pointed it out to me. The setting is on this page...

l_e09948d6c4bb4e1ea9965622e453a9ed.jpg


It is the link next to your mobile number. Mine says "Deactivate google voicemail on this phone", but if it isnt active, it will say "activate" instead.
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Thank you! Since I'm switching service providers on Friday I think I will wait and activate it at that time.
 
iPhoneMilk said:
I don't know about this... =( i mean the guy told me he invited me... but it doesn't work yet.


computermilk@gmail.com
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I was invited... 20 seconds later I got an activation email... 30 seconds to set up the account and it was up and running.

I think he might be pulling your leg about the invite. Either that or he got your email address wrong when he entered it.
 
I figure this is the best place to ask right now....

I already saw in this thread that if you chose an initial GV number, that you don't have the option to now use your current mobile number. Why?! That seems foolish because the only reason I got a GV number was because I wanted to try it out as soon as possible, and since at the time porting was NOT possible, I figured once it was I could bring my number over. It's all tied into my one gmail account so I don't want to go through getting invited all over, and setting up a new GV account with another email account.

I think thats silly, am I not seeing something?

Also, in regards to that unlimited calling mobile-to-mobile question, I can see why that sucks too (I don't have unlimited incoming either) but one thing you can do if you pay for enough minutes, is just adding the GV number as your Friends and Family. That's what I would do anyway, then you would literally use NO minutes haha so I guess either your screwed without the fav's kind of promotion, or your completely covered under them. Thats what I always thought was silly about that, even without google voice, you pay more just to get favorite numbers calling for free, but once you do, you don't come anywhere close to the amount of minutes. ha!
 
Scottyent said:
I figure this is the best place to ask right now....

I already saw in this thread that if you chose an initial GV number, that you don't have the option to now use your current mobile number. Why?! That seems foolish because the only reason I got a GV number was because I wanted to try it out as soon as possible, and since at the time porting was NOT possible, I figured once it was I could bring my number over. It's all tied into my one gmail account so I don't want to go through getting invited all over, and setting up a new GV account with another email account.

I think thats silly, am I not seeing something?

Also, in regards to that unlimited calling mobile-to-mobile question, I can see why that sucks too (I don't have unlimited incoming either) but one thing you can do if you pay for enough minutes, is just adding the GV number as your Friends and Family. That's what I would do anyway, then you would literally use NO minutes haha so I guess either your screwed without the fav's kind of promotion, or your completely covered under them. Thats what I always thought was silly about that, even without google voice, you pay more just to get favorite numbers calling for free, but once you do, you don't come anywhere close to the amount of minutes. ha!
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Actually it is if you choose to use your own number, you can not go back and get a GV number. If you choose to get a GV number you can use it or not use it. If you use it, you can still use your own number. I can have all of my family using my real number and give out the GV number to those I'm not sure of or those that I want to screen or those that I want to screen at certain times and then unscreen. It gives you a great deal of flexibility.
 
Barbara said:
Actually it is if you choose to use your own number, you can not go back and get a GV number. If you choose to get a GV number you can use it or not use it. If you use it, you can still use your own number. I can have all of my family using my real number and give out the GV number to those I'm not sure of or those that I want to screen or those that I want to screen at certain times and then unscreen. It gives you a great deal of flexibility.
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can you still block calls if you give people your REAL number with GV?
 
Really, you just have to think of Google Voice as a fancy call forwarding system.

If you have people call your GV number, you can forward, block, enable custom greetings, screen calls, etc.

If you have people call your cell phone's number, you can use GV as a voicemail system with free message transcription.

I use it both ways, and it works well.
 
JoeC said:
Really, you just have to think of Google Voice as a fancy call forwarding system.

If you have people call your GV number, you can forward, block, enable custom greetings, screen calls, etc.

If you have people call your cell phone's number, you can use GV as a voicemail system with free message transcription.

I use it both ways, and it works well.
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Joe you say that you use it both ways, is that because you have 2 google voice accounts?

Or you just when you signed up you chose a google number
 
Grenade said:
can you still block calls if you give people your REAL number with GV?
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No, you can't. If you have a GV account, first set it up with a GV #, then you can add your cell # to the voicemail feature, bypassing your carrier's vm. You'll get the full features with your GV# and limited vm features with your cell# (transcription, visual vm, custom greetings; but no blocking, forwarding, or sms)
GV does not allow you to completely port an existing # in, but it may in the future.
 
iPhoneMilk said:
Joe you say that you use it both ways, is that because you have 2 google voice accounts?

Or you just when you signed up you chose a google number
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I do, but that's not what I mean.

I have a Google Voice number AND I use Google Voice as the voicemail for my cell phone.

If you look back on this thread, you'll see how it's done.
 
JoeC said:
Any GV call is not considered a cell phone call. The type of call is not determined by CID.

Therefore, calls from one's GV number, forwarded to your cell, are NOT mobile-to-mobile minutes.
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hmmm, so if I use the GV number as one of my "Fav 5" numbers then does that mean all calls to GV number are free?


If so GV just got SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT!!!!!!

(I don't know if I emphazied just how sweet that would be)
 
SugarCoatedTape said:
Okay, somebody help an idiot out. When I (inevitably) get my Google Voice invite, I'm still deciding whether or not to use my own number or a GV number. Is it possible for someone keeping their own number to have people who call that number get routed to Google voicemail?

Sorry if this is a stupid question. I'll probably get a GV number, but I just wanted to make sure that people who I don't give my new number too get routed to the same voicemail inbox. Thanks.
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Get a GV number just in case. You can still enable all the Voicemail features on your current number without using the GV number, but if you pass on the GV number now, you'll have to fork out $10 for a new number, I believe.
 
QrafTee said:
Get a GV number just in case. You can still enable all the Voicemail features on your current number without using the GV number, but if you pass on the GV number now, you'll have to fork out $10 for a new number, I believe.
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Actually I think you might need a new invite and account. Once you choose to use your own number, you cannot go back on that account and get a GV number. (At least that is what I read on other forums.) The $10 is if you have a GV number and want to change it to a new GV number.
 
Someone needs to make a BOLD RED INSTRUCTION FAQ/NOOB POST so some of us non techno first timers dont screw up, by lets say skipping over picking the GV number by accident. Someone, please? :o
 
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