Second vacancy this year, but first post June 2024. Seems free google voice is over as of June 2024. So my question is...what are folks using now that free google voice is gone?

Mine is working.

I also have Magic JaK. I have not updated it to the current Magic Jak but it serves its purpose. I had MJ before Google Voice. I paid upfront for a year at a time. I barely use it and am thinking of discontinuing but it's cheap enough for when I need it. I like the number and if I need a second number other than my cell and voice, it is easy to remember for those calling.

What I liked about MJ is that when we rented a secluded cabin for a week, no one's cell service worked. MJ saved the day, all 10 of us were able to call family at home from the cabin rather than driving into town (20 minutes away) to get cell service.

Nothing free lasts forever.

I just have a cell number. All calls not in my contact list go to voicemail.

My voicemail greets people and states that if they are calling for housing go to my website for info.

The personal GV still works. Just need to also have a gmail account.

You may have set yours up as a business account.

Yeah, Google Voice is still alive and well. Nothing ended from them in 2024. Just create a new one. Or, heck, often you can log into your old one and request your old number even and they might still have it available.

If you don't normally call out from it (like me), you just have to remember to log in and use it a bit when you get the email that it will be deactivated for non-use.

Mine still works.

I got a message warning me it would be closed due to inactivity, so I just gave it some activity.

All you need to do is call/text a relative or friend - and have them call/text you back.

I just got a new one just because. Free.

Magic Jack is currently about 50.00 - 60.00/year. Worms great but needs an ethernet connection - doesn't work on wifi last I knew.

Then 30.00/year if you buy a 5 year package for 150.00.

I believe it also has a mobile phone or tablet app.

I use it for my dedicated fax line.

Works great .....

I have paid GV due to a mistake of porting to Ooma. Used to have free GV but the settings would flake out for no good reason every 3-4 months or so. I think the free version is in reality a giant beta test for paid version.

Paid GV is more accurately known as "Google Workspace." I pretty much only use the voice aspect for DH's biz.

To clarify, paid Google Voice is a very small part of "Google Workspace." Google Workspace is Google's entire ecosystem for business accounts -- from domain management to email to document sharing to productivity applications, and so on.

In other words, no one says "Google Workspace" when they mean Google Voice. Even for the paid version. :)

WMH, I may be wrong, but for each GV account you have, it doesn't hinge on how many Gmail accounts you have, but how many legit phone numbers you have to connect GV to. So if I have 10 Gmail accounts but just 1 cellphone, I'm limited to 1 GV account.

Unless it changed since the last time I tried getting a secondary GV account?

Laura,

My GV worked 10 minutes ago. I agree with NE, probably deactivated due to lack of use.

GV has incoming and outgoing VM.

But I gotta ask WHY?

VM is OUT. People under 40 don't use it.

EVERYONE just wants your website to see pics, info, and apps.

We stopped using VM YEARS ago when sooo many messages were hard to understand, did not include their name or number or what home they wanted, I they expected a PERSONAL call back.

We Boomers must understand - all age groups DO NOT want to talk on the phone.

Our signs and ads simply show the website.

BRAD

GV is a nice way to text with a single device without giving my personal cell number. I also like the voice-to-text feature where I can read a voice message at a glance. I really, really like how robots struggle with it, because I also hand out that number in situations where I expect my number will be sold.

Exactly!

Don't send me a text, or worse yet a VM that just says call me.

For those using Google Voice, you should note that calling INTO your number does NOT keep it from being deactivated for non-use. You have to manually reactivate it on the website or dial OUT using your Google Voice number to get it to reset the non-use.

Again, Google does not consider INCOMING calls when looking at the usage of your account. I get incoming calls all the time and Google still sends the "deactivate unless you use it" emails.

You need to dial out to reset that. Or go to the Google Voice website and log in there.

Having never used GV I have a couple questions.

Do you only use it for incoming and then email back? Do you get the incoming and then text/call back from another line?

Just trying to see the benefit of the GV number.

Zero

Yes

and then you can text or call back from the GV line.

What I like is that when I do receive a call or text on the GV line. It also sends me a email notice.

I am not one that carries my cell phone with me all the time around the house. I could get a call and not know about it on my Iphone.

Since everytime I go into my office I don't pick it up to tun on and check for calls. I can go a couple days without any calls.

But me and the wife our on the internet a much more often. With our laptop or desktop.

So will see a copy of the message. GV also sends a copy to out email.

Also this way I can save a copy of all tenant messages. When they are sent to my PC thru email.

I should note that I do not use Google Voice for my rentals at all. I use it as a Customer Service number for another small business that I help run. It always goes straight to voicemail. I then contact them back usually via email because it is usually a question about an order -- so I can just look it up and email them.

If I get a voicemail in Google Voice, I get a full transcript of the voicemail in my email. It's way easier to glance at it and see what it's about, than it is to sit down and focus on who called, when they called, what they had to say, and so on, especially when I'm busy doing something else, and I'm not picking up because I'm not in a place where I can focus on a spontaneous conversation. So if it's something non-emergency, I can contact them later, and if it's something that's a priority, I know to shift my focus.

If I want to make an outgoing call on my cellphone, I have the option when dialing to either complete the outgoing call to show that it's coming from my personal cellphone number, or if it's coming from my GoogleVoice number. So if someone on the other end is doing call screening, or has a certain number in their contacts, I know to call them from the number they're most likely to interact with--- or to call them from the number that they're probably going to share with others. (ie, my yard guy or my handyguy will get contacted by passers-by while they're working, so if they ask me, "Is it okay to give out your number?" I want them to have the right number to give out.)