Sprint/Google Voice integration results in overage charges | Hacker News Reader

Sprint/Google Voice integration results in overage charges

zdnet.com

7 pointsnewman3148 comments

At the risk of sounding clueless, would someone tell me what my benefit of using GV is if I already have Sprint with the unlimited cell minutes?

I haven't really listed very intently to this whole thing, so I'm a little behind.

I know that before you could make calls using your GV number - can we now set our Sprint number as our GV number? If I set my Sprint number as my GV number, do I incur charges for using it?

Right now I'm only using GV for the voicemail feature, but would be interested in learning more.

GV was very helpful when my cell phone borked and out of service for a week since it let me redirect the phone number to my landline. That said, this is the only time this feature has ever been remotely useful to me, and now a replacement cell phone shows up quickly enough that I barely have time to switch the number over.

I'm in a similar boat as well.

I obtained a GV account a few years ago, and have gave that number as my primary. As I have changed cell providers 3x, having GV made the changing providers seamless. Now, I'm on Sprint, and heard of the integration. I chose not to do it, realizing that the GV account registered as minutes on my contract.

What I'm waiting for is that GV turns on voip. I have a blackberry with unlimited data/txt, and hacked for tethering. Having the last bit of voip glue would free me from the telcos.

FWIW, this is a huge bummer and I'll probably be looking to figure out how to disable the integration (without the havoc that has happened to some trying the integration in the first place).

The bummer about this is that Google Voice really gets in your face about choosing Option 1 or 2. There really isn't a good way to say "No thanks".

is this different than using google voice with any other carrier? I know when I switched I tried to balance getting free mobile to mobile calls with the annoyance of people knowing both numbers, but I really use so few minutes these days anyway I just went with all google voice all the time. Others should probably go the other way.

Nope. People just don't don't understand that when they call someone on google voice, they aren't calling them. Google is calling both of you.

Placing a call from Google Voice's website DOES call your phone and the other caller's phone, as you said.

But that's not what this article is about.

Its about you authorizing Google Voice take your number from Sprint on your behalf so a Google Voice number is used instead of a Sprint number. And the unexpected consequences.

fair enough, but I guess my point was that, while it might be a new batch of people encountering an unexpected consequence, it's the exact same unexpected consequence. I use google voice integrated into my phone's dialer (or whatever), which means I'm initiating the call. I know that it's actually calling a google voice number and then being redirected to my destination, but what appears to happen is that I call someone's mobile phone but don't get free minutes. same thing, right?

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