Update 10/27/2009: Google Voice now supports adding voicemail to any old cell phone number without the “Do not disturb” trick. Simply go into ‘Settings’, Enter the ‘Phones’ tab and then click ‘Activate Google voicemail on this phone’. It will give you directions on call forwarding, which are the same as below, customized for your provider. Disable the “Do Not Disturb” setting to set your Google Voice account back to normal. Thank you Google!
For those lucky enough to have a Google Voice account, you’ll know the advantages: forward calls to multiple phones, visual voicemail and audio to text transcriptions. But, since you are not yet able to transfer your current phone number to Google Voice, it is hard to give up your old phone number and start having family, friends and business associates use your new Google Voice number. Also, there is the whole confusion as to your outgoing caller ID, which won’t match if you switch to Google Voice. Some phone platforms have developed software that will integrate your current phone with Google Voice, while others have taken the opposite route of banning them (I’m talking to you, Apple and AT&T!). But, here is the good news: You can switch, at least your voicemail, to Google Voice on any provider and any phone, right now.
Don’t have a Google Voice Account? Google is not yet handing out invites to the service, but you can sign up to be requested into the program here.
To make this magic happen, we are going to utilize a feature that all cell phone networks, and even home phones, have – called “Call Forwarding”. This setting is used to tell the cell phone network what should happen when someone calls you in several situations: when your phone is off or otherwise unreachable, when it rings a certain amount of time with no answer, and when it is available but you are currently on another call. These situations are also known as “Conditional Forwarding”, and their names are: unreachable, not answered and busy.
Follow the two ridiculously easy steps below on How to get Google Voice working to replace your old voicemail account:
Step 1: Enable “Do Not Disturb” in Google Voice. Depreciated, See note above
In your Google Voice settings, go down to the “Do Not Disturb” setting and check it off. This makes it so it does not ring out when the number is called, it will instead send any calls to your number directly into the voicemail box (and therefore have it transcribed and sent back to your cell phone number as a txt).
Step 2: Forward Your Voicemail to Your Google Voice Number
On your Google Voice homepage, you will see your number at the top left. Write/copy this down because you will use it shortly. The next step depends on which provider you use. Since Google Voice is currently United States only, I will only include call forwarding directions for major U.S. providers below. Include a “1″ in front of the number to indication that it is a US Number you are calling to.
How to use the chart below. Find your provider. Each provider has 2 numbers listed. Your phone may also have a shortcut designed to modify these numbers, if it has this feature feel free to use it. After typing the number, hit “send” to activate it. You should receive a message or tone that indicates your command was received.
| AT&T, T-Mobile and other GSM/3G providers | ||
| Enable | Disable | |
| Conditional Call Forwarding: | *004*[Google Voice Number]# | ##004# |
| Verizon | ||
| Enable | Disable | |
| Conditional Call Forwarding: | *71[Google Voice Number] | *73 |
| Sprint ***Warning*** Sprint seems to charge $.20/minute for call forwarding |
| I do not have Sprint to confirm this, but from what I’ve read online, you need to call Sprint customer service, have them remove their voice mail package, and then ask the technical support representative to change the “Call Forward/Unavailable” and “Call Forward/No Answer” fields (and not Unconditional Call Forwarding) to your Google Voice number. |
For other providers, please contact or call technical support, and ask about “Conditional Call Forwarding” and check for any fees.
After setting this up, all voicemails will now be directed to your Google Voice inbox. For even further integration, there are some options available, depending on your phone. If you have an iPhone check out GV Mobile, only available on Cydia, for excellent Google Voice/iPhone Integration. If you have an Android based phone try “GV” in the Android Market.
Let me know your experiences with setting up Google Voice! Does it work well or would you recommend it to others?
Tagged: Cell Phones, Google Voice, Hack, Voicemail
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Blog Post: Use Google Voice for your Voicemail with Any Phone, Any Provider http://bit.ly/y0aGA
RT @ddrager: Blog Post: Use Google Voice for your Voicemail with Any Phone, Any Provider http://bit.ly/y0aGA
More hands-on Google Voice guides: http://bit.ly/OEN4H http://bit.ly/xNoul http://bit.ly/xoZsB http://bit.ly/9cxx0
Now using Google Voicemail for my existing cell number – takes 1 minute, instructions here (U.S. only) http://bit.ly/2Dgpt
[...] that it will officially support any existing phone number on its platform. This means that the hack that I posted previously is depreciated and you no longer need to use the “Do Not Disturb” option – and [...]
31 Comments
I used a Pre for 2 weeks before giving it up. For me, it’s mainly abysmal lack of apps. I’m glad you’re happy with ‘home-brewed’. I’m wasn’t. I have at least 10 apps on my iPhone that either have no alternative on the Pre or the alternative is pathetic.
There really is, at this point, no comparison between the Pre and the iPhone. While the Pre will undoubtably get better, so will the iPhone. I don’t see myself going back any time soon.
But hey, you keep sticking it to the man!
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Nice review. Good to hear from someone with hands-on experience with three leading devices (sorry, WinMo is not leading but Blackberry is pretty good). If you hate AT&T (or Rogers in Canada), then the Pre is a good alternative to the iPhone and I hope it remains a contender since it keeps the others from complacency and evil practices. Palm needs to offer memory versions and a better dang keyboard. A larger screen would also help (and could hide a bigger battery). Android devices continue to disappoint though. Perhaps it’s the lack of focus on a manufacturer/form factor (but that helped not hindered Windows)?
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Yeah, I like WebOS a lot, and hope that it can get the refinements it needs to remain a contender. That being said, despite my less-than-stellar Android end-user experience, I suspect it’ll "win" as the iPhone alternative – w/ a couple dozen devices coming out, it shouldn’t have any problem getting to critical mass (at least 5-10M devices?). And, w/ HTC’s Sense, Motorola’s Blur, and Sony’s Rachel, it also has a number of 3rd party UI’s that should be, at the very least, interesting. I wonder if there’s going to be anyone that tries to compete w/ Apple on fit-and-finish. It seems like right now no one is even *trying* to make a product that has a responsive, non-laggy UI…
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the calendar app. That’s the only thing I really hate about the Pre; it’s often too slow to be at all useful. The thing that really rocks, in my opinion, is the FaceBook integration. I wasn’t expecting that at all. But it’s so great to have someone’s picture show up on the screen when they call– without having had to do anything. Similarly, email addresses and phone numbers just magically appear.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Thanks for your balanced and well written article, I’m a happy iPhone user but I like the look of the Pre and Apple needs the competition. I don’t really get all the angst about app store approvals, as a customer I LIKE the walled garden, It keeps the standards high (in terms of stability etc) and with 70,000 apps and counting, I don’t feel that I’m missing out. Maybe I’m easily pleased.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
I always enjoy hearing about more experiences with other mobile platforms since I only own an iPhone. I am actually developing apps for the palm pre with a friend of mine and I can appreciate some aspects of the device. However, overall I agree with your assessment. The device is a good alternative but doesn’t stand up to the iPhone. Although I really wish the iPhone would do notifications the way the Pre does, so much less intrusive.
I always feel like the odd one out when it comes to AT&T, I get excellent service and coverage. Granted I live in the midwest, which is apparently the area of the country AT&T spent all of its money on.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
FYI: The Pre Reports Your Location to Palm
I’ll pass on that, even though we can’t get the iPhone in the state where I live.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
I have been working with palm pretty closely to try and get an app I have been working on, onto its app store. Keep in mind that their app store is in beta but from my experience its been just like working with the iPhone app store. Very scrutinizing process to the point where Palm is making us make very subjective design tweaks before the app is admitted into the store. And as a designer for the app many of the suggestions I don’t agree with but its make them or don’t get admitted.
It may change but from my experience Palm will be just as picky as Apple is on approving apps to be on the official store.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Re: The App Store. I can understand your complaint. But I don’t understand how switching to Pre helps at all. Doesn’t Palm serve as the gatekeeper in the Palm Pre App Catalog? Admittedly it’s sort of a moot point at the moment since there are, to a first approximation, zero apps for Palm Pre. But if it ever becomes successful, it seems like the same core issue would still be there.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
I know there’s a bunch of Android powered phones coming, but they are an eclectic bunch that will fragment support for the OS. Will games be playable on all devices? Some have physical keyboards, others just the screen, etc. At best it will be a lowest common denominator approach where each app can only be sure it can address the basic functions. Perhaps Google has figured it out somehow (virtual environment) but games, especially, push specs to the limit. Apple and Palm have a lesser problem. Single form factor but different components. Android is certainly a work in progress but Apple and Palm are not standing still.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
I also migrated to the Pre from iPhone. What caused me to switch was
1) superior notifications management
2) and the ability to keep multiple apps open at the same time via the cards metaphor. I wouldn’t have adopted it if it was just a simple task switcher: the way it’s done on webOS preserves context. On the iPhone, to switch from one app to another, you have to press the Home button, go back to the home screen, tap the new app, and it launches. On the Pre, if it’s already open, it’s just a flick away.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
I guess it depends on how you use your phone… For me, the battery is a non-issue. I have my Pre on the dock thinggy (forgot the marketing name for it, sorry
and I usually go out for no more than half a day…
For me the #1 reason I switched from the iPhone to Pre (more on this on my blog, click on my name…) is Sprint vs. ATT. You just can’t compare in NYC. I recently went to the Apple Store in Soho, and for fun, I turned off WIFI on the 3Gs and loaded up apple.com on both at the same time… The page was done on my Pre and the iPhone was still trying to load the navbar…
If there ever is an iPhone on Verizon, then… I guess Id probably switch back. But I’ll definitly miss the notification system and cards UI.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
The iPhone has HTML 5 if you want out of end-to-end apps. The App Store is the alternative app platform, you don’t have to use it. I appreciate having both app models on my phone.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
In theory, Palm and Apple are both gatekeepers, although having multiple gatekeepers is probably preferable to having a single one. In practice, however, my Palm experience has been a lot better – developer mode is easily accessible, which gives full system access, and homebrew apps are available (and tacitly approved) without jailbreaking (and without disappearing w/ system updates).
(While Palm has made some noises about being more developer friendly, they haven’t committed as publicly as Google has to openness, so we’ll have to wait and see I guess.)
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Yeah, I suspect all phones will have built in social addressbook syncing soon. It *is* magical, and actually bumps up the FB usefulness even more. Honestly, I’d rather have a "FBPhone" than a GPhone…
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
You are absolutely right about the dangers of the closed iPhone app model, it’s a disaster for freedom and innovation and the kind of openness that built the internet and the personal computer more generally. The iPhone actually manages to make Microsoft seem open and enlightened. Supporting alternatives like Android and the Pre (or whatever Nokia cooks up) is essential.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
I know what you are getting at but there is an awful lot of red on this page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layo…;
even with webkit’s speed it will be a while for that.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Very selfless of you to use the inferior product just because you believe in competition! Apple’s only real competition is itself, but that seems to be enough to keep pushing itself to excel.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Hey semi-anonymous Internet Jackass. Normally I don’t get baited by mouth-breathers without the self-esteem to post with their true name, but your lack of reading comprehension, simplistic worldview, and my hour-long layover makes this your lucky day.
In case you missed the very first bullet point, the fact that the Pre on Sprint actually has connectivity and doesn’t drop calls really sort of blows away your "inferior product" construct right out of the water.
Now, how about you tell me how many clicks it takes to check new mail messages in 7 inboxes in iPhone Mail? Or how your experience is when you’re typing a text or email and receive notifications? How’s the Facebook sync? Or running background apps?
That’s OK, those are rhetorical questions. That means I already know the answer to those questions because I’ve had an iPhone since literally day 1. And I still carry around my iPhone 3G with me in my bag and I use it both for development testing and for running some sweet apps.
Did your fanboy head just explode that something could be better on different axes, or that multiple things could be good and bad at different things?
Go troll elsewhere (and really, grow the fuck up).
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Your response seems a bit harsh, the article stated "The experience is absolutely not as good as the iPhone", so the term "inferior product" is apt.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
I’m sorry to say that for the most part you are going to receive the same sort of draconian policies from Palm. Their is the homebrew section for those people who will do a rather trivial hack to get the apps on their pre but its no where near the convenience and simplicity their real app store will have when its ready.
I am willing to grant that at this point since Palm doesn’t have to deal with the same app volume as Apple that the feedback from the Palm reviewers is more detailed but their demands on your app are very similar.
Lets just step back for a second and take something in. Apple has a rejection rate of less than .03% So while they are getting some rightly deserved heat over a few of the rejections, I think the process will improve as Apple finally gets more reviewers hired so each reviewer is given more than 10 seconds per app.
I love the Pre. I love its notifications method, its face book integration. And while I prefer to have better battery life than running a game at the same time I compose an email (my silly example is to point out that most of the time we don’t need to multitask), I can still appreciate the usefulness of it. By apple allowing their first party apps to run in the background of the iPhone and allowing third party apps to revive previous states, the lines between running an app on the background on the iPhone have blurred. Many of the videos that Palm showcases about the webos and what it lets you do (write and email and half way through then jump to sms to grab part of the text and copy and paste it into the email in progress) I can do on the iPhone due to what I mentioned above.
What I ulitmately appreciate is people like Lin who take the time to write their reviews of these various platforms. It lets all of us get some perspective on phones that maybe some of us don’t interact with very often.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
OMG the dangers of the iPhone app model! Run for the hills!
People seem to forget that before iPhone there was no such concept as decent software on your phone. And certainly nobody was getting rich off 99 cents sales. Sure the app store suits apple just fine, they love it being closed and completely under their control. But there are still a tonne of reasons to use and support it.
It’s worth being practical if you are a developer or a user IMO.
Regarding the actual article, it was a great read, thanks.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
I’m an iPhone developer, but right now I’d switch to the Pre at the drop of a hat (if it were available in the UK). The reason: the App Store’s draconian review policies – shit sandwich doesn’t even start to address how bad it is. And this is despite having a pretty successful and profitable application. Apple are piling up some serious disgruntlement amongst developers and I totally agree that this is not how we want mobile platforms to pan out.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Very nice review, Leonard. I’m still not buying one. I switched from a BlackBerry to an iPhone and I’m pretty happy about it (so far). No matter how evil Apple has been with te App Store, it’s the best damn mobile device there is.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Yeah, on a better day I would have just deleted the comment, but layovers make me cranky. I have comments enabled for interesting conversation, not for anonymous manchildren to come and crap in my internet living room you know? (there’s cerainly enough space to do that, although I suspect that if more people enforced community standards, that these sort of pointless posts wouldn’t be quite as common.)
As far as inferior product or not, my point is that there are many dimensions. There are aspects of the product itself beyond the UI that contribute to UX, like the service, as well as other things like developer friendliness, openness, etc. Lastly, and perhaps even less quantifiable are the strands of… Justness (this probably gets lumped in by product people as part of brand strategy/identity). "Appleseed" may scoff at that, but it’s what kept Apple alive through the 90s, and although the irony may be lost on him, what get’s people like him to post on random blogs about how awesome Apple is.
This comment was originally posted on random($foo)
Great idea! I’m thinking about taking the Google Voice jump, especially for new business contacts, but was worried about attempting to get all of my friends to start calling my new number. The last thing I wanted was voicemails in TWO places.. This’ll be a great way to test the waters before taking the plunge.
Thanks for the tips!
This is great, except that now you can’t use your google voice number the way it was intended to be used! An ideal solution would let calls from your old number go to Google Voice’s voicemail, but allow calls to the Google Voice number to come to your phone first. I don’t suppose this is currently possible?
The only problem is that even when Do Not Disturb is enabled it still rings 4 times when the call goes to GVoice
@Joe I agree – it does have some quirks to work out but it is a way to get it working, at least until there is a better way to do it.
nice. Just got my google voice. It’s so much better than sprint, wish there was a way to swap voicemails and just kill my sprint one.
I have TMobile prepaid and get a network error trying to do this. I also put the SIM in a basic phone and get the same error.
BTW, does anyway know if this “conditional” forwarding is different from regular minutes? Regular forwarding consumes minutes, what about this?