Spencer Smith Blog

Google Voice, formerly Grand Central, is slowly opening to the public. What does that mean for you? A cheaper phone bill.  Once you sign up for Google Voice,  select a local phone number for free.  Most cellular phone companies offer either free incoming plans or unlimited calls from a specific set of numbers, such as MyFavs from T-Mobile, Friends and Family from Verizon, My Circle from Alltel, and Pick 3 or Mobile to Home from Sprint. After you’ve selected your phone number, add it to the list with your cell phone provider for unlimited calls.  Now go into your Google Voice settings and add your cell phone or other phone line you would like to use.
 

 When someone calls your Google Voice number, each of the lines you select will receive the call.  You will not be charged because it is either an incoming call or on your list of numbers for unlimited calls. The hardest part is notifying your contacts of your new phone number, and telling them to call your new Google Voice number now.

How about outgoing calls? They are a bit trickier, but not too complicated either.  You have two options. The first is to call your Google Voice number directly from a line you added in your settings from the previous steps above.  A greeting will prompt you with the option to listen to voicemails or make a call.  Select “make a call” and dail the number you wish to call.  The cell phone company thinks you are calling your Google Voice number, which is a free call. Your second options is through the web interface of Google Voice. 
 

In the top left corner of the Google Voice interface is a button labeled “Call”.  Click the Call button and a drop-down box will appear.  Enter the phone number you wish to call and Google Voice will call your phone and connect you to the number you entered. A second way to call from the web is to select the person’s name you would like to call from your contacts page and click the “call” link to connect the two of you.

Some other useful features of Google Voice are:

• Call screening – Announce and screen callers
• Listen in – Listen before taking a call
• Block calls – Keep unwanted callers at bay
• SMS – Send, receive, and store SMS
• Place calls – Call US numbers for free
• Taking calls – Answer on any of your phones
• Phone routing – Phones ring based on who calls
• Forwarding phones – Add phones and decide which ring
• Voicemail transcripts – Read what your voicemail says
• Listen to voicemail – Check online or from your phone
• Notifications – Receive voicemails via email or SMS
• Personalize greeting – Vary greetings by caller
• Share voicemail – Forward or download voicemails
• Conference calling – Join people into a single call
• Call record – Record calls and store them online
• Call switch – Switch phones during a call
• Mobile site – View your inbox from your mobile
• GOOG-411 – Check directory assistance
• Manage groups – Set preferences by group

I hope this is helpful. Please post any other tricks you’ve learned with Google Voice in the comments section.