Google Voice is simply awesome. It gives you the most powerful phone number you’ve ever had.
When you pick your phone number you can even search nationwide for a combination of letters or a phrase that you want in your number. You can probably even find your name in a number!
You can currently only open a number while you are in the US.
With the number itself you can:
-Make free calls to the US and Canada.
-Have it forward to a number of phones, so that it will ring your cell phone and home phone simultaneously for example.
-Get voicemails transcribed and sent to you via SMS or email.
-Voicemails are saved permanently.
-Screen calls to decide whether you want to accept the call or have the caller identify themselves before answering the call. You can even listen in during the voicemail and then decide whether to pick up the call!
-Calls from select (or all) numbers can be set to ring different phone different times of the day, or set to go straight to voicemail.
-Block people from calling you, giving them a disconnect notice when they try.
-If you have a Gizmo5 account you can make calls from your computer while you are anywhere in the world for free back to the US and Canada.
What else do you use your Google Voice for or what’s your favorite feature? Hit the comments!
Leave a Reply
25 Comments On "Google Voice Phone Numbers Are Now Free For All!"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
Can i port a # from a line i am currently paying for, over to a google voice #?
i think the link is wrong
can we call with google voice with an apple computer?
2 questions:
1. do the minutes i use on google voice when i call from att phone count towards my plan?
2. if i live in israel, is this a way of calling US for cheap?
@yaakov:
You can port, but I believe that you won’t get all of the features of the regular GV numbers.
@mendel:
Link fixed, thanks.
I don’t see why not?
@bochur:
If you are using wi-fi it won’t use minutes, but if you are using the network it will use minutes.
If you can get your hands on a Gizmo5 account then calls to the US are free from your computer. Otherwise maybe a techie will be able to chime in with other programs that can be set up to make calls via your computer.
@Dan :
Unfortunately Gizmo5 invites are almost impossible to get after Google bought them out. Lifehacker recently ( http://lifehacker.com/5349506/make-free-voip-calls-from-google-voice) had a great tutorial on how you can accomplish basically the same thing using Sipgate. I followed those instructions and they worked. I can now have my google voice number ring on my mac as well as any other number you like. Sipgate has computer clients for both mac and pc.
looks like fun
If I make a call from a cell phone to Canada from USA will I be charged international charges? Or it will call out from Google so it won’t?
I found a number that ends in Y-E-C-H-I
@Dan/Ctownbochur: “You can port, but I believe that you won’t get all of the features of the regular GV numbers.”
Any tip how to port?
@al613:
Not sure, but here is a page with some info:
http://www.google.com/support/voice/bin/answer.py?answer=164819
@Herman:
You can actually just call your Google Voice number from your associated cell phone or landline, enter your pin, push 2, and then dial a number.
Calls to the US and Canada are free and other calls are very cheap as well.
@Herman: thats what I use to call Canada. Just preprogram it into your phone (With 2 second pauses) and it works like a charm
Some cell services in israel allow you to call one number for a discounted rate – use your GV # and then call back to israel (or the usa) and it comes out cheaper than calling from the israel cell – so instaed of .25 to a landline, like some israeli cells chg, it’ll be .10 for the call to GV and .02 for the call back to israel…
You should alwaysd say its a home number because you get 2 googles per home but a cell only gets one. you wont get the text features nut i would rather get 2 numbers
does it make sense to cancel my home fone service and port my # to GV?
Some fineprint: “Depending on the Google Voice service you sign up to, you may be required to pay fees in connection with the Services, as stated by Google. There may be additional fees if you request a change in any Services. Depending upon the level of Services selected by you, there may be charges for calls to or from certain locations, including without limitation payphones and areas within extended calling zones. There may also be applicable charges for any special or enhanced services you use.”
I beleive they have a call back feature which can be used when traveling when you have free incomming calls on your cell phone.
Anonymous:
I have had google voice for months. Though all the features are great in no way would i substitute it for any permanent phone being that it hasnt yet proven to be as reliable as a reg phone. calls dont always go through. people have tried calling and it will go straight to voice mail. otherwise it is really cool..
1) there is an aplication to use on I phone BB??
2) its possible to put it on a VOIP modem box (like the vonage stile)but with the one you buy unlocked?
3) i have 2 box from lingo any one know how to unlock them??
@Hocker:
how can i program it to the phone?
@chuchem: @chuchem:
Google Voice itself is NOT a VOIP service. it only forwards to other numbers. what you’re looking for is something like Gizmo5 (currently closed to new customers) or Sipgate, which CAN be programed to such boxes.
when you combine one of those VOIP services with Google Voice, you can have outgoing calls count as incoming, and therefore free
FROM GOOGLE VOICE WEBSITE:
Using Google Voice for your non-Google number, allows you to set up Google voicemail with your mobile number. Along with Google voicemail, you’ll be able to use Google Voice to make outbound calls and cheap international calls. While, Google Voice for your non-Google number offers you these features, this does not give you the ability to port your current mobile into Google Voice.
In order to use features like the forwarding functionalities to ring multiple phones and Google Voice SMS, you will need to sign up for a new Google number. You won’t be able to port your current mobile number into Google Voice to use the Google Voice forwarding and SMS features.
Hope this helps!
@yaakov:
you can however set up your phone’s voicmail to forward to GV (which can then forward back to your phone, and wherever else you want)
with Sipgate, it says it has a Virtural PBX, but I dont see it in the specs. any body know how that works?
what area codes do i need to use to get a google voice number