|Does it use minutes?||dmac0692||7/27/09 5:41 PM|
1st Question: I have Verizon Wireless, lets say I call my Google Voice Number (this uses minutes right) and then connect to someone who also has a Verizon Cell Phone, once I'm connected to that person does it use my minutes? Does it use the other persons minutes, even if they are also Verizon?
2nd Question: If it doesn't use my minutes or the other persons minutes, then does Google Voice just mask my phone number when the Caller ID shows on their phone?
3rd Question: If someone calls my Google Voice Number and leaves a Voice mail does it use their minutes?
4th Question: If someone calls my Google Voice Number and we both use Verizon and I answer does it use my minutes or their minutes?
|Re: Does it use minutes?||joeblow1102||7/27/09 5:49 PM|
1) Yes, because you are calling to your Google Voice number, it uses your minutes. Because the call comes from your Google Voice number, and shows up on their caller id as your Google Voice number, it uses their minutes.
3) I would assume so. Because the voicemail answered the call, the caller would be charged minutes.
4) If somebody calls your Google Voice number, they would be using their minutes. Depending on your Google Voice settings, the call could also use your minutes. If your Google Voice number displays on your caller id when you accept the call, you would be using your minutes. If their caller id displays on your Google Voice number, and you're both Verizon, or they're in your friends and family plan, this would not count against your minutes.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||joeblow1102||7/27/09 5:51 PM|
Sorry, that should say: If their number displays on your caller id, and you're both Verizon....
|Re: Does it use minutes?||dmac0692||7/27/09 5:58 PM|
So basically it uses my minutes to call using Google Voice, but to receive calls from Verizon people would be free
|Re: Does it use minutes?||G-Shock||7/27/09 6:00 PM|
1....When you call your GV ph# it uses up your minutes. When you make a call through your GV ph# it uses up your minutes, including mobile to mobile calls. At this time, you will incur minutes along with the other caller even if both of you are with the same wireless company.
2....The call is routed to GV servers then to the other caller's ph#. (your ph to GV to receiver ph). GV does not merely mask your caller id. It is your caller id (from the receiver's perspective).
3....Yes, it does use up their minutes.
4...Yes, it does use yours and the other person's minutes. You have to understand, they're calling GV which GV then forwards the call to you, so in essence it is not a mobile to mobile call (in network call).
|Re: Does it use minutes?||joeblow1102||7/27/09 6:02 PM|
@dmac0692 It uses your minutes to call. It is only free to receive calls from Verizon if their phone number displays on your caller id when you answer the call. This is a setting in Google Voice.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||dmac0692||7/27/09 6:03 PM|
i have it showing their number, so that means it is Mobile to Mobile and its free
|Re: Does it use minutes?||joeblow1102||7/27/09 6:05 PM|
As far as I know and from all my knowledge from reading this forum, that is correct. Other people have asked the same question and found the above answers to be correct.
The only way you can know for sure is to check out your bill, either online or through print.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||G-Shock||7/27/09 6:16 PM|
If a Verizon caller calls a GV# that gets forwarded to another Verizon subscriber, both the caller and the receiver will incur minutes. This call gets handled by Verizon to GV then to Verizon. This is not a mobile to mobile call.
The above example is for anyone who uses their GV ph#. Of course you can just have your friends call you directly to your cell# to get your mobile to mobile advantage but if you missed their calls the voicemail will not be in GV.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||dmac0692||7/27/09 6:23 PM|
but the meaning of getting forwarded is that you are directly connected to the new phone number, not the one you called and since i see their caller id on my screen wouldn't it be mobile to mobile?
|Re: Does it use minutes?||dmac0692||7/27/09 7:01 PM|
So if i add my Google number to the 10 friends and family i can call for free then Google voice will be free for me?
|Re: Does it use minutes?||G-Shock||7/27/09 10:35 PM|
“but the meaning of getting forwarded is that you are directly connected to the new phone number, not the one you called and since i see their caller id on my screen wouldn't it be mobile to mobile?”
For the most part what I've said on the matter is accurate. Placed calls using GV isn't a direct call. GV will be between you and your caller. Yes, it's a forwarded call and once the call has been placed you don't notice GV when talking to your family/friends, but it's still a forwarded call since either you or the caller dialed in the GV ph#. Check out this link concerning GV call quality. You'll see a good number of GV users have had problems with their call quality. This is due to GV participation in a GV based phone calls which means as you're talking on the phone, your voice carries through your network then to GV's network, then finally the receiver's network during the entire phone call.
To answer your second point, I still would disagree with people that when you (GV user) gets a call (someone on same network as you) and the caller's ph# shows up on your screen (CID) that you (GV user) are now using your mobile to mobile unlimited minutes. This may or may not be true. If it is true, why would I still insist it's not mobile to mobile? You may get the free minutes, but the caller (same network as you) does not. Once the caller realize this, it's a game changer. It's also unfair. The spirit of mobile to mobile is that both parties in a phone conversations benefits and not just one. I hope this makes sense.
“So if i add my Google number to the 10 friends and family i can call for free then Google voice will be free for me?”
Yes, for the time being this would work. At the same time I strongly suggest you read the Verizon's policy on “Friends & Family” and its limitation. By inserting your GV ph# to your Friends & Family was not the intended policy of Verizon, but if you're ok with it then by all means.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||jeprox||8/20/09 7:50 AM|
I know dmac's question is hypothetical, but why would you use google voice to call another verizon user?
|Re: Does it use minutes?||wocochoco||8/20/09 8:47 AM|
Becuase if the person wants everyone to start using the same number for him, he doesn't want his Verizon number to show, or people will start calling that number directly.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||bunjy321||8/26/09 6:15 PM|
I have a t-mobile plans with my faves, I add My GV # as one of my faves when I make a call using my GV#, I don't use minutes but when someone call my GV # it says call forwarded on caller Id then the caller Ph # shows but when I check my statement I don't see my GV # anywhere showing on my statement all I see are the people's number. does that mean when google forwarded my calls they connected that call straight without using my Google number?
|Re: Does it use minutes?||Box7184||8/26/09 6:56 PM|
On the Settings> General tab, look at the setting for Caller ID. Are you displaying your Google Voice number or the caller's number?
If you are displaying the GV number, your t-mobile should recognize this as one of your faves, and connect the call without using minutes. If you are displaying the caller's number, t-mobile sees it as a normal call and will charge you if the number isn't in your faves.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||bunjy321||8/27/09 6:28 AM|
When someone call my GV# first it says "forwarded" then the callers # shows
|Re: Does it use minutes?||Box7184||8/27/09 6:40 AM|
You can change that setting on the General tab of your GV account.
Once it is showing your GV number instead of the caller's number, you shouldn't get charged air time.
And yes, you will no longer see the person's ID. You can't have it both ways.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||bunjy321||8/27/09 10:31 AM|
Thank you! now everything is working fine for me... a Thousand thanks.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||XTEND||9/5/09 2:21 AM|
So if google voice uses your minutes whats so special about it?
|Re: Does it use minutes?||Box7184||9/5/09 7:18 AM|
What's special about GV is that it's a phone integrator. You are looking for a phone service. That's something entirely different.
GV lets you make and receive phone calls on any phone anywhere in the US. Without giving people a new number for each phone you might want to use. They can text or phone you using one permanent number. No matter where you are, you can get their call, or their voicemail message.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||Pacothebandit||10/3/09 12:06 PM|
Ok I have somewhat of a curveball. I have a G1. And make all my calls via GV. Does this use my tmo minutes? And from what I understand if it does then when I call my girlfriend I would be better off using tmo and not GV cause of mobile to mobile. Right?
|Re: Does it use minutes?||Pacothebandit||10/3/09 12:10 PM|
More And to be specific I am using google voice app
|Re: Does it use minutes?||bncase||10/3/09 12:36 PM|
If sprint phone calls my gv # and on my at&t phone it shows their caller id would I be charged minutes?
|Re: Does it use minutes?||Box7184||10/3/09 1:17 PM|
As I understand your question, you are asking if ATT will charge you airtime for answering a Sprint number.
Apparently, some carriers are using the actual in-calling number, rather than the number being forwarded from, as the data for the friends/family/fave "unlimited calls" option.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||jkashuba07||10/22/09 10:53 PM|
Google Voice is extremely useful when having an iphoe or smartphone. because you can browse to google.com/voice
they have a mobile formatted website now... looks perfect on iphone, not sure how it looks on smartphones.
doing this you can enter a number to call, it when then route whatever number you entered (including landlines) and connect you. Then you are using your data instead of minutes, so essentially people will get the dirtiest plan they can get with data plan, and call as long as they like, because they are using data going through a browser instead of their minutes!! even if you browse the web to call over 3G
|Re: Does it use minutes?||pj_ed||3/7/10 9:39 PM|
|Re: Does it use minutes?||ibladefish||5/13/10 11:21 AM|
I just got GV and am curious about this, also. Let me give some specific examples.
My wife & I are on Verizon so our calls AND texts to each other are free. I also have 10 Friends & Family. I have an Eris with the GV app so I have full access to it on my phone. As I understand everything so far, my plan is this:
I would still have my wife use my Verizon # to get the free calls and texts. Everyone else, I would give my GV#. I have GV Caller ID to display the caller's #. So if someone from my F&F calls my GV#, that call would still be free, right? So while I'm not saving any voice minutes, I am getting ALL of my texts for free then, right?
At least there would be some savings. Then I could eliminate any texting plan from Verizon and save some money there. I have a second line on a family plan that I give out to people that I don't want to have my personal#. So whenever GV integrates porting, I can get rid of that line off of my bill, yet still keep the #.
On a side note, I activated both lines to use GV vm. On the 2nd line, I set the forwarding options to Ring my other phones before going to voicemail. This essentially sets the 2nd line to forward calls to my main #. Plus, I have all of the control of GV. So far, I'm a big fan.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||jzd5032||10/19/10 3:42 AM|
This should help all of you. If you have a data plan (esp. unlimited), on a smartphone such as the droid, g1, blackberry, etc...google voice uses your data plan. so if you have an unlimited data plan, you will have UNLIMITED FREE CALLS to U.S. numbers. If you do not have a data plan, it will use your minutes. This is for Verizon. I quote the supervisors from Verizon Wireless... " it uses your data plan, so minutes will not be deducted for incoming, nor outgoing". Call your carrier, and i'm almost positive it is the same for most of them.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||ibladefish||10/20/10 7:22 AM|
I must correct you. I am also on Verizon with an unlimited data plan and I can tell you that GV DOES use your minutes. Whoever told you that from Verizon is wrong. Just look at your bill.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||jzd5032||10/20/10 5:29 PM|
It didnt seem to appear on my bill, but i don't doubt you now. Verizon's phone service might be decent, but they lack this service in the customer service department. I spent one hour today speaking with supervisors and upper management for verizon wireless, and they are all clueless on how google uses the google voice service. And since its almost impossible for anyone to contact google, its all about trial and error. Every carrier is different, and so is each application. The developers of each application should have, and in my opinion, should be a MUST, a FAQ site for EACH and EVERY app created. And it should only be answered by the developers themselves. The funny thing about this entire situation is, developers spend more time clarifying issues or questions about their apps that are being sold by the google market, yet the host themselves cant step forward to make their customers satisfied.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||ibladefish||10/20/10 5:36 PM|
You are right about Verizon, but the reason that I stay is directly related to GV. The only other option for me was Sprint (the other carriers have terrible service in my area), but Sprint's "unlimited" plan DOES NOT include land lines. As discussed in other posts, GV is recognized as a land line. Plus, GV uses access numbers, not your actual GV number when making calls, which get changed very often. Verizon's "unlimited" plan DOES include land lines, so that was the deciding factor for me.
|Re: Does it use minutes?||clamendo||11/9/10 7:20 PM|
Verizon blocks Skype from using your wireless network in your house it forces you to use the G3 network , but (1) if I use Google voice to call someone on the PSTN will it go accross my WLAN and will that be a free call?
When prompted to call using Google Voice or Not, I select Google Voice. It then routes my call via another number close to the destination (TEHO) i assume. However, I am noticing it the CDR records for my phone it thinks I am calling the TEHO #. This implies VZ is using my voice minutes to get to destination Its not the what I expected?
|Re: Does it use minutes?||joker5974||3/16/11 10:52 PM|
Easy (but possibly expensive) solution for GV users on Verizon's network is to upgrade to a Verizon iPhone 4 (or buy an iPod Touch 4th Gen) and download a free app called Talkatone. This amazing utility routes your GV calls through Google Chat (make sure you have a GV number and forward your calls to GChat) over 3G or WiFi without using your plan minutes--you are literally making a call over a data session instead. It's not available for Android phones yet, but Android development is in the works. If you have an iPod Touch 4 with an earbud/microphone combo and good local WiFi, even better--you can turn your Touch into an iPhone with better battery life and no contract.