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Using My Phone Without Service

Sly Drum Guy said:
Does anyone know if I can use the phone number that I have now via the Google Voice and Groove IP method?
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Yes, you can port your number to Google Voice, but they charge you $20


Number porting is a feature in which your existing mobile number will become your Google Voice number. It allows you to take advantage of the full set of the Google Voice features like, one number to ring all of your phones, online voicemail, and more.
Porting your number will require a one-time fee of $20, payable via Google Wallet.
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From: https://support.google.com/voice/answer/1065667

Hope you're able to afford service with Straight Talk, Ting, or another carrier soon. Good luck job hunting.
 
Alright. So, it appears that I have another question or two.

I was looking at Google Voices' FAQ and it says that you can't use Google Voice without a service plan from a provider. Is that true? I thought the whole point of everyone recommending it to me was to be able to use my phone to make and receive calls, as well as send and receive texts without a service plan from Verizon or another provider...

Or, is that what Groove IP is for? I'm confused! :(
 
Sly Drum Guy said:
Alright. So, it appears that I have another question or two.

I was looking at Google Voices' FAQ and it says that you can't use Google Voice without a service plan from a provider. Is that true? I thought the whole point of everyone recommending it to me was to be able to use my phone to make and receive calls, as well as send and receive texts without a service plan from Verizon or another provider...

Or, is that what Groove IP is for? I'm confused! :(
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That's what GrooveIP/Talkatone is for. Without them, just using software published by Google, you cannot use Google Voice for calls on your cell phone or tablet without service...though you can still use it on the computer in gmail.
 
As long as you have GrooveIP or Talkatone, the one I use with my Tab2, you can make/receive calls and text. My tab is wifi only. I also got a GV phone number, which comes in handy at times. I can have that number fowarded to other phones, such as my cell or home phones.
 
Wait, so do I need Google Voice AND Groove IP, or JUST Groove IP?

If I'm understanding everything properly, I can port my number with Google Voice which will cancel my service with Verizon (which I have to do anyways), and then in order to be able to continue using my phone for calls and texts over WiFi, I have to buy and install Groove IP onto my phone. Then, once everything is properly configured, when connected to WiFi my phone will work just as it does now.

Correct? Oh, and can my GPS still be used without service from Verizon? The navigation, not Google Maps.
 
You will need google voice, along with grooveip. I believe groove have a free & paid version. I use talkatone, the free version. And yes, you can port your number over, as long as you're paid up with verizon, I guess carrier can stop the porting if not fully paid.

It works fairly well while using wifi. It will not be as good as regular service, but it will do. I'm not too sure about the gps, I thought it works as long as you have wifi connection.
 
If you still have Vzw service now, why not just go ahead and setup GV & GIP to see how things will work out, before your service is disconnected.

You may have to get a GV phone number but again, it may come in handy just to have it. It's free. I have my cell number & a GV number.

I'm not sure if you port a number over, if you can have a free GV number. I didn't port any number.

Just a thought!
 
Sly Drum Guy said:
Wait, so do I need Google Voice AND Groove IP, or JUST Groove IP?

If I'm understanding everything properly, I can port my number with Google Voice which will cancel my service with Verizon (which I have to do anyways), and then in order to be able to continue using my phone for calls and texts over WiFi, I have to buy and install Groove IP onto my phone. Then, once everything is properly configured, when connected to WiFi my phone will work just as it does now.

Correct? Oh, and can my GPS still be used without service from Verizon? The navigation, not Google Maps.
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Think of it like this: GrooveIP/Talkatone is the equipment. Google Voice is the carrier.

saptech said:
If you still have Vzw service now, why not just go ahead and setup GV & GIP to see how things will work out, before your service is disconnected.

You may have to get a GV phone number but again, it may come in handy just to have it. It's free. I have my cell number & a GV number.

I'm not sure if you port a number over, if you can have a free GV number. I didn't port any number.

Just a thought!
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Go sign up for Google Voice right now. Don't be shy, it's not scary. Don't port your number yet (if you're not ready). You can port it later. For now you'll get to choose a number. (You can even keep the chosen number AND your ported number later.) Start testing with Talkatone or Groove IP Lite (so you don't have to invest money in an app yet). It's all very friendly, if complicated, and there's nothing that can go wrong and break your existing setup until you port your number.
 
Alright, here's an update.

I signed up for Google Voice and got a free phone number. I also installed Groove IP Lite and configured both of them the way I'd like them. Now I just have to test it out and see how it works. If all is well and okay, then I just have to find a way to pay up my balance with Verizon and port my number to Google Voice (I don't want to have to give everyone a new phone number to reach me at).

Does anyone know if Handcent SMS will still work once I port my number? Meaning, after I no longer have service with Verizon, if someone texts me or I text someone, can it still be done through Handcent SMS?
 
I doubt Handcent will work, you'll probably be stuck using the Google Voice app or GrooveIP/Talkatone for texting.

Talkatone has an Android Integration menu with these options:
  • Intercept Dial Intent
  • Prompt to Complete Calls with Talkatone
  • Prompt to send SMS with Talkatone
  • Add calls to device call log
I just tried sending an SMS from my default messaging app and it seems that Talkatone did NOT intercept it.
 
Google Voice has the ability to send your messages through the stock SMS app, so that is the other option.
 
Alright, here's another update.

I used my mom's phone to call my Google Voice number, and the problem I'm having is that first, the Groove IP dialer comes up to accept or decline the call. If I hit decline, the native dialer then comes up and asks the same thing, and the phone won't stop ringing until I either answer or decline. Also, after I decline with both dialers, the phone keeps ringing on my mom's end until it goes to voicemail (it doesn't go straight to it after I decline the call).

Is this normal? I'm assuming the native dialer won't show up after I no longer have Verizon service, or perhaps it can be disabled with the paid version of Groove IP (the native dialer options in the settings menu are grayed out in the lite version).
 
Sly Drum Guy said:
Alright, here's another update.

I used my mom's phone to call my Google Voice number, and the problem I'm having is that first, the Groove IP dialer comes up to accept or decline the call. If I hit decline, the native dialer then comes up and asks the same thing, and the phone won't stop ringing until I either answer or decline. Also, after I decline with both dialers, the phone keeps ringing on my mom's end until it goes to voicemail (it doesn't go straight to it after I decline the call).

Is this normal? I'm assuming the native dialer won't show up after I no longer have Verizon service, or perhaps it can be disabled with the paid version of Groove IP (the native dialer options in the settings menu are grayed out in the lite version).
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No, this is unusual. I just tested it myself and that didn't happen. Granted I'm using the pro version because I need it to work with mobile data.

You set calls to forward to gmail, right?
 
Sly Drum Guy said:
Alright, here's another update.

I used my mom's phone to call my Google Voice number, and the problem I'm having is that first, the Groove IP dialer comes up to accept or decline the call. If I hit decline, the native dialer then comes up and asks the same thing, and the phone won't stop ringing until I either answer or decline. Also, after I decline with both dialers, the phone keeps ringing on my mom's end until it goes to voicemail (it doesn't go straight to it after I decline the call).

Is this normal? I'm assuming the native dialer won't show up after I no longer have Verizon service, or perhaps it can be disabled with the paid version of Groove IP (the native dialer options in the settings menu are grayed out in the lite version).
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You've set Google Voice to forward calls to your cell phone number. Turn that off so only GrooveIP receives Google Voice calls.
 
I fixed the problem with both the Groove IP and the Native dialers displaying when someone calls me, but the problem of the call ringing until the voicemail picks up even after I decline the call is still persisting. Is this a problem with the way I have something configured, or is it just how Google Voice / Groove IP work(s)?
 
That is something that is always present. I think a GrooveIP doesn't send the signal back to the caller that it was rejected so it continues to ring the normal amount until voicemail would normally pick it up.
 
jhawkkw said:
That is something that is always present. I think a GrooveIP doesn't send the signal back to the caller that it was rejected so it continues to ring the normal amount until voicemail would normally pick it up.
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Alright, that's good to know. I don't usually decline calls anyways, but I was just wondering if that was something I hadn't configured right or if it was a native feature to one or both of the programs.

Oh, I almost forgot. I installed the Google Voice application on my phone, but it keeps getting stuck. The first time I installed it, I signed in with my e-mail address and then after I set everything up, the app got stuck on the "adjusting call settings" screen. I tried to force stop it, clear the cache, and even removed and installed it again. After that, it got stuck signing in with my e-mail address...
 
Forget the Google Voice app, it's worthless...all it does is SMS.

Try Talkatone instead of GrooveIP, see if it handles your incoming calls more gracefully. I don't recall having the problem you described but trying a different app is always a good way to try to solve that sort of thing.
 
divinebovine said:
Forget the Google Voice app, it's worthless...all it does is SMS.

Try Talkatone instead of GrooveIP, see if it handles your incoming calls more gracefully. I don't recall having the problem you described but trying a different app is always a good way to try to solve that sort of thing.
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Alright, I'll give it a try right now.

EDIT: It still does it. Maybe it's something I improperly configured with Google Voice?
 
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