This guide contains a complete end-to-end update of our 2013 Google Voice guide, chock full of new ideas, completely new articles, and amazing tips.
You'll learn how to port your landline to Google Voice, how to set up phone handsets, how to integrate Google Voice into your iPhone and Android experience, how to set up a multi-line office, how to get the most out of using Google Voice and SMS, and even how to use Google Voice effectively and safely in your car, and lots more.
So brew up a cup of coffee or your favorite tea, grab a few snacks, and prepare to discover how plain 'ol phone calls are about to be transformed into something virtually indistinguishable from magic.
What is Google Voice?
Let's get started with a quick overview of the service itself. Google Voice provides a number of unique features that will transform how you receive and make phone calls and text messages.
The Google Voice number
To me, the single most valuable feature of Google Voice is its ability to separate your phone number from your phone service. This is a big step beyond number portability, and here's why.
Showing posts with label googlevoice canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label googlevoice canada. Show all posts
Google Voice on Your iPhone or Android Smartphone
How to Use Google Voice on Your iPhone or Android Smartphone
Google Voice allows you to make phone calls using a Google Voice number, as well as to send and receive free text messages, and to manage your voicemail as if it were just another part of your email. If you already have a Google Voice number (or if you would like one), Google Voice is a useful app to own. Here's how to set it up on your smartphone or tablet.
Step 1: Install Google Voice
Google Voice is a free app. Open your device's native app store and search for Google Voice, or go to the appropriate Web-based store page to grab and install Google
Google Voice allows you to make phone calls using a Google Voice number, as well as to send and receive free text messages, and to manage your voicemail as if it were just another part of your email. If you already have a Google Voice number (or if you would like one), Google Voice is a useful app to own. Here's how to set it up on your smartphone or tablet.
Step 1: Install Google Voice
Google Voice is a free app. Open your device's native app store and search for Google Voice, or go to the appropriate Web-based store page to grab and install Google
Set up Google Voice in Canada – Free Long Distance
Google Voice Overview
Google Voice is one of the greatest innovations in telephony. I am a huge fan of it and I have used it to pretty much nullify my phone bills, or at least drastically reduce them. Google Voice fixes many of the annoyances that people have with telephones now, as well as helps to use current communication technology to connect us at a very low price.
Some of the things I hate doing is checking my voicemail through the phone system and monitoring how many text messages or daytime minutes I have left. I particularly hate not knowing if a call is going to cost me long distance charges or not. I’ll show you how to use some of Google Voice’s features to reduce your telephone costs in Canada and in the US including getting free long distance in Canada (even from your cell phone) and getting a telephone line at home through VOIP (data).
This post will be about how to set up your Google Voice
Google Voice is one of the greatest innovations in telephony. I am a huge fan of it and I have used it to pretty much nullify my phone bills, or at least drastically reduce them. Google Voice fixes many of the annoyances that people have with telephones now, as well as helps to use current communication technology to connect us at a very low price.
Some of the things I hate doing is checking my voicemail through the phone system and monitoring how many text messages or daytime minutes I have left. I particularly hate not knowing if a call is going to cost me long distance charges or not. I’ll show you how to use some of Google Voice’s features to reduce your telephone costs in Canada and in the US including getting free long distance in Canada (even from your cell phone) and getting a telephone line at home through VOIP (data).
This post will be about how to set up your Google Voice
Making Google Voice Work in Canada
So, I admit that I have been completely absorbed by the Googleplex. And… I kind of enjoy having a Google-centric life, actually. So when I moved to Canada and faced giving up my Google Voice, I cringed and cried and wept piteously.
And I did NOT leave denial and move into acceptance! Instead, I plotted and schemed and conspired to bend Google .. itself! … to my will! Muhahahaha! They called me mad at the Sorbonne… mad, I tell you – MAD!
So! After a few hours of research, I had some good leads. After a couple of false starts and some experimentation, I found what seems to be the optimal (and cheapest!) solution.
While you can definitely adapt this method to your own needs, bear in mind it was originated for my own situation: having a US cell phone with a Canada/US calling package and an unlimited Canada/US data plan ($147/mo from Verizon on my DROID). That being said, onward to the good stuff!
I then went into the “followme settings” for my account, and set the FollowMe mode to “Always Forward” and added my local landline’s 780 phone number as the FollowMe number. To make sure GVoice picked up for vmail and not FPL’s native service, I set the “Number of seconds [to ring before going to vmail]” to 72. GV vmail picks up after 30s.
And I did NOT leave denial and move into acceptance! Instead, I plotted and schemed and conspired to bend Google .. itself! … to my will! Muhahahaha! They called me mad at the Sorbonne… mad, I tell you – MAD!
So! After a few hours of research, I had some good leads. After a couple of false starts and some experimentation, I found what seems to be the optimal (and cheapest!) solution.
While you can definitely adapt this method to your own needs, bear in mind it was originated for my own situation: having a US cell phone with a Canada/US calling package and an unlimited Canada/US data plan ($147/mo from Verizon on my DROID). That being said, onward to the good stuff!
Getting a Google Voice number
Since I already had Google Voice from when I was living in the US, I didn’t have to spoof my IP to be able to register an invite. If you’re reading this in hopes of copying my set up, there are plenty of tutorials on how to use public web proxies like hotspot shield to make it look like you’re in the US. And the method I’m going to describe DOES let you register with Google Voice without having to get an US ph#.The 403 area code hack + FreePhoneLine.ca
There is some quirk in GV that lets it accept 403 numbers, so I went to FreePhoneLine and registered for a 403 area code number (Calgary). They also have a Skype-like softphone you can download and install if you like that sort of thing, but I didn’t bother as I don’t need it. (plus it was Win or Mac only anyway)I then went into the “followme settings” for my account, and set the FollowMe mode to “Always Forward” and added my local landline’s 780 phone number as the FollowMe number. To make sure GVoice picked up for vmail and not FPL’s native service, I set the “Number of seconds [to ring before going to vmail]” to 72. GV vmail picks up after 30s.
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