Replacement for Verizon Lumia 928 visual vm, MetroTalk, Google Voice? - May coming soon...

[frankelweeze]

There's an 800 pound gorilla in the room.
Correct me if I'm missing something on how WP8 voicemail works....

I see reviewers even from this site sporting MetroTalk on their phones, which will promptly STOP working in May, along with ANY 3rd party Google Voice app in the market.
The way I understand it - if you're a Verizon Nokia Lumia 928 customer, it appears Verizon stripped out any native WP8 visual voicemail capabilities? (please correct me or show me if I'm wrong, I'm really looking for help too)
That means you're forced to subscribe to their "Visual Voicemail" service for $2.99 per month and you have to pay for and use their awful Verizon Visual Voicemail app?

Android switchers like myself found a home in the WP ecosystem with MetroTalk.
Google is pulling support for 3rd party Google Voice (GV) apps in May 2014 like MetroTalk.

So............what's the replacement?
So far NONE. We're staring down the barrel of NO MORE visual voicemail capabilities on Verizon Windows Phones.

I tried YouMail and it was very spammy. They tent to try an send out txt msges on your behalf to your clients advertising themselves etc.
Skype has become a joke. I think it's gone totally backwards. It would suit the need except you cannot listen to voicemail on a Windows Phone (but you CAN listen on Android and iPhone). Currently looking at replacements and most seem very flakey at best.

What do you use to sort visually your voicemail messages on Verizon Windows Phone?
Any suggestions and things to try? Upcoming apps?

I truly have ZERO faith Skype will announce anything important at Build coming up in April. At least it won't offer visual voicemail capabilities - that's just my speculation.
Would love for someone to tell me this is built in and I'm missing something.....

 

[tgp]

You should still be able to use Google Voice VM. I never tried it with a WP but I don't believe the OS makes any difference. The only thing is I'm not sure how the app is involved, or if the VVM will still work. I don't know if Google is cutting support for the entire functionality of 3rd party apps, or just the calling with WiFi part. I use it on an Android so it's all first party. The visual voice mail is pretty good, and free.

 

[psiu_glen]

You should still be able to use Google Voice VM. I never tried it with a WP but I don't believe the OS makes any difference. The only thing is I'm not sure how the app is involved, or if the VVM will still work. I don't know if Google is cutting support for the entire functionality of 3rd party apps, or just the calling with WiFi part. I use it on an Android so it's all first party. The visual voice mail is pretty good, and free.

They are killing off all 3rd party clients May 1st -- they have no support for WP -- ergo no GV on WP. Also means people doing stuff like using the ObiHai VoIP adapters will be SOL come May 1st as well. Google, going ever more proprietary and closed every day.

edit: yeah, I have no freaking idea either OP. :\ I use the texting when I need to supplement my not unlimited plan but now I won't be.

 

[user928]

Correct me if I'm missing something on how WP8 voicemail works....

...if you're a Verizon Nokia Lumia 928 customer, it appears Verizon stripped out any native WP8 visual voicemail capabilities? (please correct me or show me if I'm wrong, I'm really looking for help too)
That means you're forced to subscribe to their "Visual Voicemail" service for $2.99 per month and you have to pay for and use their awful Verizon Visual Voicemail app?

To answer your question, Visual Voicemail is built into Windows Phone. However, the carrier must support the function in order for it to work because it intergrates with carrier network functionality.

The following is from the Windows Phone website:
"Depending on your mobile operator and current phone plan, you may have the option to set up visual voicemail, which lets you see your voicemail messages in a list and play them. Visual voicemail isn't available for all mobile operators and it uses your cellular data plan. If it's offered by your mobile operator, it must be enabled on your mobile phone plan, and your mobile operator might charge extra for it."

Verizon didn't "strip" anything out, you are not "forced to subscribe" and I venture that you haven't even used their "awful" Verizon Visual Voicemail app.

 

[tgp]

They are killing off all 3rd party clients May 1st -- they have no support for WP -- ergo no GV on WP. Also means people doing stuff like using the ObiHai VoIP adapters will be SOL come May 1st as well.

Except I don't believe this will affect using Google voicemail. That's just tied to a phone number. Basically it's using conditional call forwarding from your carrier to send the call to GV. My understanding is that Google VM should still work on a WP. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

 

[frankelweeze]

Verizon didn't "strip" anything out, you are not "forced to subscribe" and I venture that you haven't even used their "awful" Verizon Visual Voicemail app.

When I first got the phone last year I signed up for a trial of visual voicemail and purchased the app from Verizon in the app store.
When you open voicemail by clicking the voicemail button you have to wait for another visual voicemail app to open.
Sometimes it doesn't open and hangs. You have to uninstall and reinstall app It sucks.
Metrotalk's developer finally helped me install Metrotalk on my phone so I dumped the trial and the app.

Both Android phones and the iPhone I've had on Verizon had visual voicemail built in and working on Verizon without having to pay extra for an inferior service and deployment.
Verizon is to blame but Microsoft is too as they knew what happened.
But see, here's the thing, I asked for suggestions and help which you offered none, so thanks for trolling my thread when I asked for help and suggestions.

 

[frankelweeze]

Except I don't believe this will affect using Google voicemail. That's just tied to a phone number. My understanding is that Google VM should still work on a WP. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

TGP, I tried to use Google Voice voicemail from IE and the web interface and it won't play the voicemail messages.
UC browser allows you to download the messages and listen, but it's damn sloppy.

 

[tgp]

TGP, I tried to use Google Voice voicemail from IE and the web interface and it won't play the voicemail messages.
UC browser allows you to download the messages and listen, but it's damn sloppy.

You can have a .wav (or .mp3, I guess I never checked what it is. I just tap it and it plays.) file of the voicemail emailed to you.

 

[frankelweeze]

You can have a .wav file of the voicemail emailed to you.

That's definitely an option I considered but haven't tested. Thanks for reminding me.
Also, the conditional call forwarding, thanks for that bit of info and we'll see. I hope only calling thru GV and txt are crippled and it's still possible to use Metrotalk just for voicemail.
I use fb messenger for txt messaging mostly now anyway because GV never added mms support.
I'll try to setup a separate email account and just use that for voicemails and test.

Again, if anyone knows of an alternative method of voicemail besides Verizon visual voicemail or YouMail, please pass along. Suggestions welcome!

 

[tgp]

I hope only calling thru GV and txt are crippled and it's still possible to use Metrotalk just for voicemail.

You shouldn't need any app at all for Google voicemail. It uses conditional call forwarding from your carrier. Basically, you don't answer your phone, so your carrier forwards the call to your Google Voice number. Google Voice takes the call, records the voicemail, and then sends you a transcription via SMS and/or email, and emails the sound file (depending on your settings).

 

[user928]

Well now, that's real efficient: Call is forwarded, recorded, transcribed and a .wav file is emailed. I would rather spend $2.99/mo., click to see sender, click to listen to vm and click to call sender (never a problem) but that's just me. Here is a suggestion. Click the voicemail icon in the Phone app, it will dial *86 or whatever and listen to your voicemails.

 

[psiu_glen]

Well, it's not particularly efficient, compared to using Metrotalk which has your GV experience including VM transcripts all nicely wrapped up in a single package. Thus the request for help. Sounds like he tried the Verizon VVM solution and found it wanting as well.

Between this and the inevitable shutdown of any support for jabber based gchat, my use of any Google service is about at an end.

 

[user928]

I search with Bing. Recently canceled my Gmail account and am using Outlook.com. Integrates perfectly with wp8. Using two aliases, one for business, one for personal. I am definitely becoming more and more anti Google. myTube is the one last tie and that is 3rd party.

 

[frankelweeze]

Sounds like GV could possible be shutting the doors down on the service. Whether it's part of Hangouts or not, it won't be the same. Finally the rumors may be true.
Although MS occasionally screws up a nice service, or does nothing with it after purchasing, at least they're not as bad as Google.
Google can take a nice thing, strip it, chop it up, and shut it down in a few years. Now when I hear a service is purchased by Google, it could be time to migrate from it because 3 to 4 years that service could close and leave everyone hanging. Just one of the reasons why I came to WP to start with after 2 android phones, which were slow compared to WP BTW.

 

[psiu_glen]

Yeah, I saw that news yesterday.

When Google bought Nest they were immediately removed from future consideration (and look, we're buying a house right now). Guess I'll get some regular thermostat and program it up and call it good.

 

[jleebiker]

You shouldn't need any app at all for Google voicemail. It uses conditional call forwarding from your carrier. Basically, you don't answer your phone, so your carrier forwards the call to your Google Voice number. Google Voice takes the call, records the voicemail, and then sends you a transcription via SMS and/or email, and emails the sound file (depending on your settings).

This.

 

[jleebiker]

Well now, that's real efficient: Call is forwarded, recorded, transcribed and a .wav file is emailed. I would rather spend $2.99/mo., click to see sender, click to listen to vm and click to call sender (never a problem) but that's just me. Here is a suggestion. Click the voicemail icon in the Phone app, it will dial *86 or whatever and listen to your voicemails.

It's actually quite efficient for a free system. If the caller is in your Contacts, it will even Caller-ID the transcribed message. It can also forward the transcribed message to an SMS and/or email. There are times when I am on the phone and I am taking multiple calls and I can't switch callers. The GV system will send the messages to a mailbox and I can see who is calling and decided which ones are the important ones and what they are trying to say WITHOUT having to break from the call I am on.

 

[jleebiker]

Sounds like GV could possible be shutting the doors down on the service. Whether it's part of Hangouts or not, it won't be the same. Finally the rumors may be true.
Although MS occasionally screws up a nice service, or does nothing with it after purchasing, at least they're not as bad as Google.
Google can take a nice thing, strip it, chop it up, and shut it down in a few years. Now when I hear a service is purchased by Google, it could be time to migrate from it because 3 to 4 years that service could close and leave everyone hanging. Just one of the reasons why I came to WP to start with after 2 android phones, which were slow compared to WP BTW.

Interesting. I'm actually part of an organization that pays for Google Applications and GV is one of them. I wonder how this will affect those of us who pay for it.

 

[DavidinCT]

Verizon didn't "strip" anything out, you are not "forced to subscribe" and I venture that you haven't even used their "awful" Verizon Visual Voicemail app.

Verizon did, They could of spent the time to work with the carriers/Microsoft to get the built in Visual VM working but, they chose to release a crappy app to work with it. I use it but pay the $2.99 a month for it. The App is crappy and crashes, very poorly written.

This will **** a lot of people off but, did you know the iPhone has built in Visual Voice mail and it is FREE with a iPhone ??? We have to pay $2.99 for it. I had a long discussion with CS about this and how it should be free for a basic VV on Windows Phone and she agreed with me, as it's free on the iphone it should be free on all phones.

For google voice, I used the Spare Phone app (Spare Phone | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)) about 2 months ago. It's VOIP app for google voice. This lets you make calls over Cell data or Wi-fi. I was out of the US for a business trip for a week, when I was in the hotel, verizon wanted $0.80 a min and $3.00 per mb, the hotel wanted big money for international calls. I used this app with the Hotels Wi-FI and I was calling everyone on I wanted and it cost nothing to call. I was in the beta program for it so it was free at the time (beta expired) but, it's $3.49, I would buy it but, with GV not working in May (from rumors), I cant see spending a lot on it...

But, if your in a pinch, traveling it's a nice option not to spend big $$ on calls...

 

[user928]

Verizon did, They could of spent the time to work with the carriers/Microsoft to get the built in Visual VM working but, they chose to release a crappy app to work with it. I use it but pay the $2.99 a month for it. The App is crappy and crashes, very poorly written.

I will say it again, Verizon didn't "strip" anything out of the built in visual voicemail and again, you are not "forced to subscribe".

The OP started this thread with the following: "Correct me if I'm missing something on how WP8 voicemail works...."
I will repeat the following from the Windows Phone website (which caused the OP to accuse me of trolling):
"Depending on your mobile operator and current phone plan, you may have the option to set up visual voicemail, which lets you see your voicemail messages in a list and play them. Visual voicemail isn't available for all mobile operators and it uses your cellular data plan. If it's offered by your mobile operator, it must be enabled on your mobile phone plan, and your mobile operator might charge extra for it."

The iPhone may have built in free Visual Voicemail. Windows Phone visual voicemail is built in to the OS. It just isn't free. It is your choice to pay the $2.99 a month for an app that is "crappy and crashes, very poorly written".