8 Reasons You Should Be Using Google Voice (If You’re American)-gctid91283

[Ajamu]

Like with all this "tech" la la, be careful with your privacy ...


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8 Reasons You Should Be Using Google Voice (If You're American)


 
Google Voice has been out  for years, but many people in the US  still haven't given it a try.  Google Vany features you can't get  elsewhere, and almost  all of them are free.

 There are ways to sign up for Google Voice outside of the US, but  even  if you manage to do so you'll be left with a US number. That's a  bit  awkward if you live outside the US.

 Place and Receive Calls From Gmail

 Google allows anyone to place free calls to the US and Canada from   Gmail. However, these calls will appear to come from a random shared   number that your recipients won't recognize. If you switch to Google   Voice, calls you place from Gmail will appear to come from your own   personal Google Voice number.

 Best of all, you can even receive incoming calls in Gmail and answer   them from your computer. Google Voice integration is now part of Google   Hangouts, so it's also integrated into Google+ and the Hangouts Chrome   extension.

 
 
Place and Receive Calls on Your Phone Over Wi-Fi

 Google doesn't yet provide a way to send and receive calls from your   phone over Wi-Fi, probably because they're worried about angering the   carriers. However, apps like GrooVe IP and Talkatone   allow you to receive and place calls over a Wi-Fi or cellular data   connection — no need for cell phone minutes. They're unofficial, but tap   into the same support that Google uses for calls in Gmail.

 These apps can be used by anyone to place free calls to the US or   Canada, but they become a full sending-and-receiving solution when   paired with a Google Voice account.

 
 
Text From Any Browser or Phone

 Google Voice also offers free texting. You can send and receive texts   in your browser from the Google Voice website or via the Google Voice   Chrome extension. The official Google Voice mobile app also offers free   texts, so you can text for free from your phone without any unofficial   apps.

 This also gives you an archive of your texts you can search online —   you won't lose your texts when you reset your phone or get a new one.

 
 
Easy Number Portability

 Google Voice gives you a special number that allows you to forward   your calls to other numbers. Once you set this up and give everyone your   Google Voice number, you'll be able to more easily switch phones in  the  future. For example, if you move from one cellular carrier to  another,  you don't have to go through the standard process of porting a  cell  phone number — you can just get an entirely new cell phone number  and  forward your main Google Voice number to it.

 Google also offers a way to port your existing phone number to Google   Voice if you'd rather not give everyone your new Google Voice number.   This is one of the few Google Voice features that costs money — the   other being international calls outside the US and Canada.

 Voicemail With Transcription

 Google Voice provides voicemail, but it doesn't just give you a piece   of audio to listen to. Google Voice uses Google's advanced speech   recognition technology to transcribe your voicemail, turning it into   readable text. If Google Voice messes up the transcription or you'd just   rather hear the original message, you can also listen to the attached   audio file.

 
 
Call Forwarding With Rules

 This service doesn't just allow you to forward your calls to a single   number. You can set up rules and priorities — automatically forwarding   calls to your office phone during certain hours of the day and to your   cell phone during the rest of the day, for example. You could also have   Google Voice ring one phone and continue to other phones if you don't   answer. For example, it could call your home phone, work phone, and then   cell phone in order if you don't answer any of them.

 
 
Block Phone Numbers

 For some reason, blocking phone numbers isn't often easy even though   we live in 2013. Google Voice allows you to block calls from specific   numbers. The caller will receive a "Number not in service" message when   they call you, so this may even fool telemarketers into removing your   phone number from their lists.

 
 
Switch Phones During a Call

 Because of the way Google Voice handles call forwarding, you can   switch phones during a call. While on a call, press the * button on your   phone and your other connected phones will ring. Pick one up and you   can continue the call without hanging up — perfect for if your cell   phone is about to die or for switching between landline and cell phones   on the go.

 
These aren't the only interesting Google Voice features. Google Voice   also offers easy setup of conference calls and the ability to record   calls, among many other features. If you're in the US and haven't gotten   around to looking at Google Voice yet, you should sign up and try it   out.

 As with many Google products in the wake of Google Reader's shutdown,   some people are concerned that Google Voice may be swept away in a   round of spring cleaning. It's impossible to tell if this will happen,   but Google told Wired   that "Google Voice is obviously a prominent part of our communications   team... We're not going to leave those users high and dry." in April  2013.  Google Voice has also recently been integrated into Google  Hangouts.  The future might not look amazingly sunny for Google Voice,  especially  since it hasn't been rolled out internationally, but there  are no real  indications that Google is planning a shutdown any time  soon.