NEWB Needs help with Google Voice and VOIP

[fsand]

Hi all, I am a very new NEWB! So be easy with me please!

This is my first cell phone in 10 years. There has long been 0 service in my area here in the woods, and now that there finally is I am ditching my home phone for this lovely Droid X.

I was able to get my Verizon rep to get me this droid for $25 and a 2 year contract, which seemed to be a pretty darn good price. I have spent a few days trying to get familiar with all the features, but there are so many it is crazy. In any case, I love the phone and need some help.

Here's my issue:

It was told to me that using Google Voice I could set my phone up to use VOIP calling so when I was in vicinity of a hot spot I could use that service rather than burning my minutes. It was also hinted to me that I could somehow use my data plan and Google Voice to make VOIP calls as well. Further, they said that there was a way to use that same Google Voice to send and receive free text messages so there was no need for a texting plan.

My problem is just simply I can't figure out how to do it. I am quite sure you guys have already been there and done that, so maybe one of you could be kind enough to help me do it?

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Thunder_sl]

have you ran Google voice on your phone yet? It pretty much walks you through it...the calls and texting doesn't work unless you get a Google phone number..

 

[fsand]

I ran Google Voice on my phone.
I used my computer to sign up for a new number as it asked.
I believe I set it all up as it walked me through, what I am not sure of is whether or not it is still using my minutes or not. I was under the impression that just doing the basic setup was not enough for it to not be using my minutes, and using instead VOIP.

 

[Thunder_sl]

you should be set on free texting then...just go to your gmail inbox, hit menu, then compose and your off and running...

the free calling is a bit more complicated from what I understand. I don't use it myself, so I am not going to try to give you a step by step. From what I have read there are a couple ways to do it. Hopefully someone else will come along and help you out!

In the interim, you can read these searches I found. The posting dates seem a little old, but best I could find. It may help you...or confuse you more...

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-faq/2758-google-voice-faq.html

Add VoIP Calling To Android Phones Now - ThinkMobile

Good luck!

 

[fsand]

Well if the texting is good then I am a little farther there than I thought

Now all I need to know is how to get the calling part done and I should be good. I am gonna check those searches too, as all I found were old posts and I didn't know if they still applied or not which is why I opened the new thread. Hopefully someone will come by and give me a hand.

Thanks for your help as well

 

[Thunder_sl]

Yeah...texting is free..as long as you use the app and don't forward it. What the first link describes about that is still true. I do know that the "friends" option for incoming calls still works..the VOIP link is somewhat recent..so it should still be the way to go.. Hope you get it figured out!

 

[km75]

The one major step that you have to do is make sure you change the caller id function option on ur google voice settings so that its set to show ur google voice number instead of ur carrier number. The downside to this is that when someone calls ur gv number u will not be able to see the callers I.D. Call it a necessary evil if u will. There is no way to work around this. U also have to have a plan that has friends and family. Hence u would need to have a plan that includes this feature. On an individual plan that would entail getting the 900 minute plan so u can get the 5 numbers u could talk to for free. Make sure u include ur google voice number as one of those numbers. Now when u actually make an outgoing call what u need to do is dial ur gv # and it will then direct u to the menu to place a call by dialing whatever number or contact u want. If u do the steps correctly u will hear the words " this is a free call". The concept behind calling ur gv # is since ur carrier recognizes it as one of ur friends and familly numbers when ur calling it then its always free. As long as people calling u call u using ur gv# the inbound calls are free as well. If u need further help PM me.

Sent from my DROID2 using DroidForums App

 

[fsand]

I feel like such an idiot, the more I use this phone the stupider I feel.

I am not a big text messager person, I'll grant you all that. But I downloaded the Google Voice Application from the market, and it downloaded, and auto installed, and it asked a slew of questions that I answered. But now here I am searching for the text messaging portion of it, and I will be damned but I can't find it anywhere. I hate to ask this, but can you tell me where I can find it?

As to the voice portion, now every time I try and dial a call it prompts me with :

Call with Google Voice
Call without Google Voice

So maybe I actually installed it right. I just don't know I am so freakin frustrated. I feel like just bringing the phone back and saying "Thanks but this smart phone is too smart for me"

 

[km75]

You don't actually use the app to make calls. Because if you do it that way ur minutes will be effected. But u do use the app to text.You have to dial ur gv number 1st. It took me a minute to get it right to so don't get frustrated. There is an excellent article on how to do this on the life hacker site. Unfortunately I don't know how to repost urls. But I could email it to you and it would make the process a whole lot easier to understand. But u definitely do have the process started correctly.

I feel like such an idiot, the more I use this phone the stupider I feel.

I am not a big text messager person, I'll grant you all that. But I downloaded the Google Voice Application from the market, and it downloaded, and auto installed, and it asked a slew of questions that I answered. But now here I am searching for the text messaging portion of it, and I will be damned but I can't find it anywhere. I hate to ask this, but can you tell me where I can find it?

As to the voice portion, now every time I try and dial a call it prompts me with :

Call with Google Voice
Call without Google Voice

So maybe I actually installed it right. I just don't know I am so freakin frustrated. I feel like just bringing the phone back and saying "Thanks but this smart phone is too smart for me"

Sent from my DROID2 using DroidForums App