Google Voice integration & international calling

[Bob Newhart]

I have google voice integrated with my Sprint cell.

It works great, the google voicemail/sms is great using their app and online.

 

While roaming today in the building at work, I tried to dial an international number, I got the message "Verizon Wireless, international dialing is not enabled on your account".

 

When I'm not roaming, I can't connect to an international number either.

 

I contacted Sprint international support to see if I needed to enable international dialing. I was told this

 

" If I enable the service, then it is a guarantee that you are going to get charges from us since I have to remove google voice to add international services. Unfortunately you are not able to have both on your line."

 

 

Any ideas, anyone else use this google voice international dialing?

I use it from the google voice/chat site all the time.

[Bob Newhart]

It works now!

Maybe it was a problem with the cell site in Federal Way WA, they might be working on them for NV.

 

It just doesn't work when I'm roaming, can that be fixed?

[GoWireless]

Glad your problem was solved but I still wanted to mention that you still might want to consider using localphone.com and that way you can have different local or domestic US long distance numbers for the different international numbers you dial. Works awesome and it's much cheaper than Sprint's rates. There's no charge for the local numbers and they also have a standard calling card service too. With somelocal exchanges they can even forward texts from your local numbers to their associated international contacts at a cost much lower than Sprint's.

[dmchssc]

Try using a callback app. Google will connect internationally from their end, and then they will call your phone from a domestic number to connect.

[WiWavelength]

It just doesn't work when I'm roaming, can that be fixed?

 

Why should it work while you are roaming? Then, both you and Sprint are subject to not only roaming costs but also international dialing costs set by the roaming carrier. Complaints would ensue.

 

AJ

[Bob Newhart]

Why should it work while you are roaming? Then, both you and Sprint are subject to not only roaming costs but also international dialing costs set by the roaming carrier. Complaints would ensue.

 

AJ

 

I don't understand what you mean here. Why should it not?

 

My cell/google is fully integrated, which means my cell number = google voice number.

 

When not roaming, I dial an international number (eg: +471233321273), it connects to Google's services, it uses my domestic Sprint cell minutes. It takes the minutes from allotted bucket of cell plan minutes, and then Google charges me for the international fee, 2 cents per minute.

 

When roaming on VZW, I get that that VZW message.

 

When roaming on VZW, I can dial my own cell number, enter my google voice PIN, press 2, and dial an international number.

 

If I don't have my cell fully integrated, only partly. I can configure the phone to dial all or international numbers via a google voice access number. It would be totally transparent to me dialing.

 

http://www.google.co...levoice/sprint/

I use option one.

 

--

GoWireless, I don't use Sprint's rates, I use Google's.

[WiWavelength]

I don't understand what you mean here. Why should it not?

 

My cell/google is fully integrated, which means my cell number = google voice number.

 

Sprint is the only domestic carrier that offers this level of Google Voice integration. Kudos to Sprint. But my guess is that, while roaming on VZW, Google Voice attempts to dial the international number directly. And that prompts the error message. If so, it might actually work better with separate cellphone and Google Voice numbers.

 

AJ

[kckid]

Is your google voice app set to dial international calls

I've sometimes had a problem when I try to dial an international call the sprint will block it, and I check my app and it is not set for google voice to be the default for international calls.

[kckid]

Google Voice has changed and uses your cell phone minutes and not VOIP. The call is initially setup by dialing a google number, but it doesn't always work.

 

 

They did this to make the call connect faster. So it will always use your cell phone minutes and charge you for the international call.

I don't understand why they made the change from using your data usage. Google seems to think that making the connection faster is what people want, when I believe most people want to use their data plan instead of phone minutes.

[Bob Newhart]

Sprint is the only domestic carrier that offers this level of Google Voice integration. Kudos to Sprint. But my guess is that, while roaming on VZW, Google Voice attempts to dial the international number directly. And that prompts the error message. If so, it might actually work better with separate cellphone and Google Voice numbers.

 

I'm not too sure how it works, I think Sprint passes the call off to Google.

I know when its fully integrated it doesn't dial two numbers, just the one.

So when on VZW the carrier doesn't let me call internationally directly, like you suggested.

Make sense, thanks.

 

Is your google voice app set to dial international calls

I've sometimes had a problem when I try to dial an international call the sprint will block it, and I check my app and it is not set for google voice to be the default for international calls.

 

My cell is fully integrated, so my cell # equals the google voice #.

All calls go via Google by the way of sprint, no access number is called like when it is partly integrated. In their help as option #2, I'm using Option#1.

 

Google Voice has changed and uses your cell phone minutes and not VOIP. The call is initially setup by dialing a google number, but it doesn't always work.

 

They did this to make the call connect faster. So it will always use your cell phone minutes and charge you for the international call.

I don't understand why they made the change from using your data usage. Google seems to think that making the connection faster is what people want, when I believe most people want to use their data plan instead of phone minutes.

 

Data is not used, its a cell voice call when using the cell phone. (Not using a voip app)

 

When I use google voice/chat online on my chromebook in the browser, it does use just data.

The voice quality when using that is very good, very clear.

[Bob Newhart]

Sorry, I'm using option #2.

 

http://www.google.com/googlevoice/sprint/

 

http://www.sprint.com/landings/googlevoice/?ECID=vanity:googlevoice

 

"How does this affect International calling?

International calls placed from your handset will be placed and billed through Google Voice at Google Voice's low rates. You will need Google Voice calling credit to place those calls."

[GoWireless]

@JoeJoeJoe: OK, I see what you mean when you say that the calls are being billed by Google using their rates, though as an aside I do wonder what is Sprint's incentive to pass off intl calling revenue to Google. Hmmmm...?

 

BTW, yes, Google does have cheap international calling rates though localphone's rates still tend to be on average about half of what Google charges. That, coupled with their local numbers assignment which are diallable from multiple phones makes them very convenient to use regardless of carrier(s). I do have a google voice number also but for now I've decided not to integrate with Sprint. Maybe some day...

 

[Bob Newhart]

I would think Sprint would get a percentage of the calling costs, there has to be a financial reason. Just a guess.

[Bob Newhart]

FYI, I saw an answer about this issue.

 

Sprint/Google should post this information on their websites.

 

Sprint / GV integration is accomplished by back-end network connectivity between Sprint, Google, and their shared VoIP telephony provider, bandwidth.com. Integration only works when you are on the Sprint network. Attempting to place or receive calls while roaming on another carrier's CDMA network is not compatible with integration, because integration is dependent on call routing between Sprint and the VoIP network.