how do i get a Google Voice number?

[garybeck]

I'm trying to get Google Voice working so I can make free wifi calls.

I installed the app. When I start to make a call on my (LG Optimus V) phone, it just goes through like before. Nothing pops up and asks me if I want to use my regular number or my Google Voice number to make the call. When I'm on the desktop and I log on to google voice, I can click on "make a call" but the only option is to use my cell phone number; there is no google phone number to use.

I looked in the app's help files and it says "if you have a google voice number, it will prompt you...."

So evidently I have the google voice app, I have a google voice account, I have a google account, but I don't have the google voice number that I need to make outgoing calls on wifi through google voice.

I searched all through the app on my phone and I even logged on to Google on my desktop, found google voice on my account, but I don't see anything about getting a number.

Before I installed the app, for quite a while I've been using my google email account for sending text messages. I noticed that there is a phone number associated with that (when I send a text message through google email, it is received as coming from a phone number that I can also text, and it works.

Sooooooooooooooo. I'm wondering if that number is also my google voice number, now that I have google voice? And if so, how do I tell google voice that I have a google phone number now?

Or, if I need a whole new number to use google voice, different than that text messaging number for google email texts, how do I get this new google voice number? I can't for the life of me find any button to click on to get the number. It only says in the help "if you have a google number...." but not how to get it.

If anyone can help me with this, I'd really appreciate it!!!

thanks!
gary in vermont

 

[drdoom]

On a computer, go to google.com/voice and sign up for an account using your gmail sign in.

 

[Crashdamage]

Go here:
Google Voice Help
Do some reading.

 

[Deleted User]

Just to clarify, do you have the expectation that using the GV app on your cell phone will make calls via wifi? That is not the case, when calling with your GV number it just dials an access number transparent to you, it uses the cell network, not the data network. There are ways to do it but not with the standard GV app.

The only way to use GV over a data network is to make/receive calls with it via gtalk.

 

[garybeck]

Just to clarify, do you have the expectation that using the GV app on your cell phone will make calls via wifi? That is not the case, when calling with your GV number it just dials an access number transparent to you, it uses the cell network, not the data network. There are ways to do it but not with the standard GV app.

The only way to use GV over a data network is to make/receive calls with it via gtalk.

yes, I want to be able to make a phone call over wifi, when I don't have cellphone reception to make a call the "normal" way.

I guess I need to look at Gtalk, not Google Voice for this?

 

[drdoom]

yes, I want to be able to make a phone call over wifi, when I don't have cellphone reception to make a call the "normal" way.

I guess I need to look at Gtalk, not Google Voice for this?

Search for Groove IP on the Android market; I believe that will be what you are looking for.