• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Google voice wifi only question

N

nicholasya

Lurker
Hello,
So I use google voice for texting for free over wifi to cut down on # of texts as to avoid my limit. However, my top priority is to have low-no data usage aswell.

When im out and about and am on my mobile netowork and not on wifi, I'm wondering if there is a way to have my phone automatically know to use regular sms texting and not google voice as to elimnate data charges. Any solutions, suggestions, references are welcome.
 
This is true but i cant get service at my house, but i can send text via wifi with google voice. If i use gvoice outside the house though, it uses data; and data is not cheap.
 
I don't get it. So paying for a regular text message is cheaper than paying for the very minimal data GV would use to send a text message over data? Aren't regular text messages something like US$.10 a piece? How much data does one GV text message use?
 
Good question; i dont know the data cost of one gv text, but it should be free over wifi. Also, I'm assume sending a regular sms is cheaper than a 3g gv data text since data is overpriced for most plans.
 
If it is true that regular sms are cheaper than a gv data texts, then my real question was: is there a way to set it so my phone knows to use gv over wifi and regular sms over 3g.
 
nicholasya said:
Also, I'm assume sending a regular sms is cheaper than a 3g gv data text since data is overpriced for most plans.
Click to expand...
I don't know if that's a safe assumption. Sure, data is overpriced, but so are regular text messages.

For example, on AT&T's GoPhone pay-as-you-go plan, one text message is $.20. Data is $.01 per 5 KB. So basically a Google Voice text message would have to use 100 KB of data for it to be the same cost as a text message.

That's just one example. I'm almost certain data for a GV text message is cheaper than an actual SMS, unless you have an unlimited texting plan.
 
May be everyone should get back to OP's 'real' question.

I am in similar boat. I have no reception in my apartment (and I live on the hill, All towers in my neighborhood are on the hill, go figure). Hence, I am using cheapest pay-as-you-go plan and planning to do pretty much same as OP.
So far failed to find any solution.

Thanks in advance for all suggestions.
 
I don't think there's a solution to the OP's question. I've Googled and couldn't find anything that would do this automatically (not even Tasker can change your default applications).

I think the best solution (if we're deciding that texting-on-demand is somehow cheaper than data-on-demand-to-text, which I'm arguing is not the case) is not to set a default messaging application, and when you message someone to have it just come up and ask you if you want to use Messaging or use Google Voice. Then you decide based on whether you have a wireless signal or not.

Also not sure which version of Android you're using, but every version I've used has had a setting with which you can turn off data altogether. That way you're using either wifi... or nothing. So no accidentally GV texting when you don't have a wireless signal.
 
Thanks for the suggestions aisyu and everyone else; all relevant tips. I suppose there just isn't a streamline solution to this cheapassery hypothesis I had.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom