Google Voice integration

[jasqid]

Now that sprint announced that they have integrated Google voice into their system, has anyone setup their arrive to work with the service? Any app recommendations?

I'm interested in knowing more details on this. I currently use youmail (magicmail) service/app for my visual voicemail needs but this sounds more interesting.

 

[John745577]

I set it up, myself. I did notice that if you've already used Google Voice (non Sprint integrated), I didn't see any way to re-setup with your actual Sprint number.
The service works well, as you'd expect. Features work as you'd expect - visual voicemail (of course, providing the person spoke clearly enough), you can play your voicemails through Google Voice, as well as being able to send and recieve text messages with your own number (the messages YOU send on the phone will automatically show up on Google Voice, which is neat).
I'm not entirely sure I understand how actual calling works - haha. I don't know if it automatically makes calls through your google voice number or from your sprint number, nor do I see a way to tell (as your number and the Google Voice number are the same). I would imagine that it uses your own number, since there's no delay in making calls where the phone would be connecting to GV, which then connects to the number you're calling.
My question, then, is: Do you lose call quality by having it connect through GV, should I be using the GV connection instead of my own?

I don't find the need to use an app on my phone, but I believe the one I have is called FreeTalk (Could be wrong - will update in a moment when I can check my phone).

Hope this helps!

 

[coasterfreak212]

I set it up as well. I did Option 1, where I have my Sprint number as my google voice number.

Everything seems pretty seemless. Now anyone that calls my sprint number will ring my Gmail, my house phone, and my VoIP phones.

What are my VoIP phones? Idk, maybe old phones that can be used with wifi for calling. I'm trying to get Linphone for my old Palm Pre so I can use my Pre as a phone as well as my Arrive all with the same number! And any old android or windows mobile phones that have wifi can do the same. It's pretty cool just to link back for nostalgia purposes.

You can manage calls and texts right from gmail, it's pretty convienient. Replying to txts on gmail is pretty nifty. Also, it makes group contacts (something that Windows Phone 7 doesn't have nativley for some reason) super easy. You can blast a mass txt pretty easily.

What also cool is the voicemail management. You can have different voicemail messages so that say you want to have a fun voicemail message for friends, but not for co-workers or more formal settings. You can control what kind of voicemail message the reciever hears.

I haven't fully customized it to my liking, but there are tons of options like only ringing specific phones during specific days or times. This makes it convienient for when you would rather have your calls forwarded to your house phone during the weekends and to your cell phone during the week.

Try it out, but I wil warn that it is still pretty buggy. Initially my friends told me that my number was different when I txted them and vice versa, I got different numbers back. But now that I'm on day 2 I haven't had this problem. If it does become a bigger issue though I'm going to revert back.

 

[erasure25]

Are you using a Google Voice client on your Arrive? I was just wondering if I should and, if so, which one? I hear FreeTalk and GoVoice are the best. But I'm trying to figure out what benefit an app would provide? Are the WP7 GV apps basically visual voicemail clients for the Arrive? Thanks!

 

[coasterfreak212]

I've been testing out GoVoice mainly, but it keeps on crashing. I think the clients aren't optimized for the new Sprint system. I'm trying Free Talk now. They basically are visual voicemail apps, but it provides other information like txts and such just like the Google Voice on the desktop. What is convienient is that I noticed that if you txt from a Google Voice App you avoid the 160+ limit on the txt messages, meaning you can send out more than 160 characters. When you do this though, your txts aren't stored on your phone, they are stored on your google account.

 

[kingp]

Really no need for an app

I know that the author of GoVoice has made it free (or at least has a free version) but truthfully, there is little reason to even have a google voice app on your Arrive at this point. Everything works well without it.

I chose option 2, since I want to keep my GV number (it's my business number). It's nice to be able to use the native SMS tool and automagically have my GV number show up when I call people.

I also own the HTC EVO and have used the official GV app on that phone. Aside from receiving Voicemail directly (although I have it sent to my gmail anyway), there's simply no need for the app any longer, IMO.

 

[Rhody#WP]

I use GoVoice. I pretty much only use it for visual voicemail and voicemail notification through GVMax. With this app, Google Voice integration is great, IMO.

In fact, I'm thinking of turning on text notifications in GVMax, turning off text forwarding in Google Voice, and unpinning the messaging app on the start screen. That way I don't have to mark texts as unread in both the messaging app and Google Voice.