Alternatives to porting my number to Google Voice?

[mitebbots]

If I want to keep my US T-Mobile number what other alternatives are out there to Google Voice?

 

Last time I checked, GV could not dial the USA from LOS using Hangouts, I guess that service was blocked? 

 

the whole GV Hangouts thing is pretty confusing. 

 

 

 

 

 

[oldcarguy]

are you on a contract or Prepaid T mobile ?

 

you should be able to put it on Prepaid and see how long it is active before you need to add $10

 

My friend in Denver got the $100 - 1000 minute plan good for one year , 

he needs to add $10 to have the minutes rollover another year and keep the number , 

 

He has been doing this for 5 years now , only adding the $10 a year

 

You might ask T mobile

[mtls2005]

What is it that you want to do, exactly?

 

Please be very detailed. Give some examples.

 

You want people to be able to call you on your existing T-Mo number? You don't need to use T-Mo on return trips? etc. etc.

 

 

While you can port a T-Mo number directly to GV (I think the fee is $20), it might be better to keep the T-Mo account active (switch to pre-paid, then pay $3/month) and register for a new number with GV. The $100/$10 T-Mo hack works as you are a Gold customer, but that may be lost if you change plans for a return trip. I add $10 every 90 days, so ~ $40/year, but I use that balance on return trips.

 

GV works fine here in Thailand, making/receiving calls on a mobile phone or PC. You can just give everyone your new GV 10-digit number and they can ring you directly here, assuming you have a data connection, and you can make calls by simply dialing the area code and number.

[clokwise]

Google Voice / Hangouts works perfectly fine here in Thailand, indeed everywhere I've been it works. It's never been "blocked" as far as I'm aware. I have the Hangouts app on my phone so whenever anyone calls my GV number my phone rings here. Likewise, I can call any number in the US with the Hangouts app. It's not even rocket science, it just works.

 

As an alternative, setup your T-Mobile number to enable "WiFi Calling" (it might actually be enabled by default), and there's a configuration in your phone menu as well. Now, whenever you are on WiFi anywhere in the world, you can make calls or receive calls as if you are in the USA with no roaming charges. The only catch is you will have to keep the T-Mobile SIM in the phone, you can't swap to a Thai SIM once you are here.

 

 

[suzannegoh]

Last time I checked, GV could not dial the USA from LOS using Hangouts, I guess that service was blocked?   

 

Check again. It can be problematic from public hotspots but if you are using it at home with your own DSL or Fibre connection it should work well.

 

[RichCor]

OP,

you need to make sure all your contact numbers have a +1 and area code on them so Google Voice knows how to route the call correctly.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, clokwise said:

 

As an alternative, setup your T-Mobile number to enable "WiFi Calling" (it might actually be enabled by default), and there's a configuration in your phone menu as well. Now, whenever you are on WiFi anywhere in the world, you can make calls or receive calls as if you are in the USA with no roaming charges. The only catch is you will have to keep the T-Mobile SIM in the phone, you can't swap to a Thai SIM once you are here.

 

Can you post a screen capture of where that setting is in the Android settings menu.

 

I have a TM SIM in one of my Android phones, but don't seem to see that setting.

 

[mitebbots]

I use a Dual-Sim Galaxy S8+, not crazy about all the Samsung bloatware, I got a good price on it and it has a good camera. ( you have to hit it to get it to focus often)

 

I've never seen Wi-Fi calling in the options? might be there. 

 

I remember reading that Hangouts calling to the USA was not supported in LOS for some reason. sounds like it does indeed work. 

 

I will keep my T-Mo service, for now, I am thinking of the future if spending majority of the time in LOS. I split 2 lines on the "over 55" plan with my brother so it's reasonable. 

 

will be interesting to try hangouts and the dual-SIM feature.  

 

thanks for the replies.

 

 

[mtls2005]

To enable/use T-Mobile WiFi calling you'll need:

 

- a compatible phone, typically from T-Mobile, but some models do have this feature (Settings, Wireless & networks)

- a new GBA SIM from T-Mobile

- a registered e911 address

 

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1680

 

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, mitebbots said:

I use a Dual-Sim Galaxy S8+, not crazy about all the Samsung bloatware, I got a good price on it and it has a good camera. ( you have to hit it to get it to focus often)

 

I've never seen Wi-Fi calling in the options? might be there. 

 

I remember reading that Hangouts calling to the USA was not supported in LOS for some reason. sounds like it does indeed work. 

 

I will keep my T-Mo service, for now, I am thinking of the future if spending majority of the time in LOS. I split 2 lines on the "over 55" plan with my brother so it's reasonable. 

 

will be interesting to try hangouts and the dual-SIM feature.  

 

thanks for the replies.

 

 

For someone planning to spend much/most of their time abroad, as another poster mentioned above, I've found keeping a TM SIM under their minimum $3 a month prepaid, Pay As You Go plan to be a good, economical solution. That's what I keep and use for trips when I'm back in the U.S.

 

I had some long discussions with TM on my most recent U.S. trip, where two different TM shops totally screwed up my TM service before finally I got it resolved and working again thru dealing with their telephone hotline number. (I bought a new/different size SIM from the first shop early in my trip, which sold it to me but then didn't activate the new SIM on their system, and then the second shop activated my SIM, but made a 1 digit typo when they entered the SIM number, once again leaving me with no service.... )

 

But as for the Pay As You Go plan, it provides both voice calling and SMS services as their specified rates. They'll debit your account $3 a month minimum or up to whatever amount of calling/SMS you do. But that plan doesn't include any data services. So to get them on the Pay As You Go plan, as it was explained to me, you need to buy a TM "data pass" compatible with that plan, one in particular that I believe is valid for one week and costs $10.

 

Separate from that, something I'd never seen directly on the TM website, they also apparently offer a so-called tourist SIM, that for some odd reason is offered/valid for only 3 weeks, cannot be renewed or extended, and ends up costing about $45 (cost of the SIM plus a $10 activation fee plus tax). So especially because it can't be renewed or extended, I stayed with the $3-a-month calling/SMS plan plus a 1 week data pass.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

To enable/use T-Mobile WiFi calling you'll need:

 

- a compatible phone, typically from T-Mobile, but some models do have this feature (Settings, Wireless & networks)

- a new GBA SIM from T-Mobile

- a registered e911 address

 

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1680

 

 

Thanks for that added info. As I suspected, this wasn't going to be as simple or easy a solution as Clokwise's original post suggested.

 

I have a TM SIM and three different recent model Android phones by 3 different manufacturers at home (new, 1 and 2 years old), and NONE of them support Wifi calling in the Cellular menu settings.

 

But also, to be fair, none of them were purchased thru T-Mobile either.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, mitebbots said:

I remember reading that Hangouts calling to the USA was not supported in LOS for some reason. sounds like it does indeed work.

 

I rarely if ever use Hangouts on any of my mobile devices. I've found I like using TextNow's Android app that provides free outbound calling and SMS service to the U.S.

 

But I have been using Google Voice for years, and never had any problems calling the U.S. One thing that WAS/IS an issue, AFAIK, is trying to sign up for a new Google Voice account when outside the U.S. and specifically in Thailand. But once you've got an active U.S.-based GV account, it works fine.

 

I use GV at home with an Obihai Obi 200 small adapter box, which basically allows you to have/operate a Google Voice number with any landline telephone. The Obihai adapter plugs into your wifi adapter and provides the interconnect to GV. Then you just plug in any regular landline phone to the Obihai adapter, and presto, a Google Voice landline phone.

[mtls2005]

15 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I use GV at home with an Obihai Obi 200 small adapter box, which basically allows you to have/operate a Google Voice number with any landline telephone.

 

The OBi200 supports up to four (different) Google Voice (or other VoIP/SIP) numbers; I use my OBi200 for my two separate GV numbers. Any single one can be set as the default for outbound calls, and incoming calls ring through on all the numbers, each with a distinctive/unique ring. 

 

https://www.obitalk.com/info/products/obi200

 

 

Talkatone is a free Android app which gives a 10 digit number and free calls and SMSes, incoming and outgoing.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.talkatone.android

 

 

[mitebbots]

T-Mobile just told me my number will die in 90 days if out of US. Is there a workaround for this? use the Prepaid service? 

 

I guess porting to GV is better if out of USA extended periods. I would like to keep my T-Mobile number. 

 

If I port my T-mobile number to GV I will be able to forward that to any phone number in LOS or other countries?

 

I want to be able to get my calls and also be able to use my T-Mobile when I come back to US.

 

I always thought GV was a US-based service, didn't realize I could use a VoIP adapter while out of the country. 

 

thanks for any ideas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Langsuan Man]

1 hour ago, mitebbots said:

T-Mobile just told me my number will die in 90 days if out of US. Is there a workaround for this? use the Prepaid service? 

How does T-Mobile know you are out of the US ?

 

If you pay the bill every month then why would they "kill" your number ?

 

Now if this is a matter of saving the monthly charges then going with their prepaid service would work but you would have to cost it out to determine if you are saving anything 

 

I have a Tracfone prepaid account for the 4 months a year I am in the US and have a Google Voice number so that I can receive SMS messages overseas since some US banks are now requiring a text enable cell phone

[mtls2005]

I'm still confused about what, exactly, you want to be able to do. If you could give a bit more detail, and perhaps a few examples, I'm certain we could come up with some ideas and solutions.

 

Without any detail, I would recommend preserving your T-Mo number and getting a new GV number.

 

To preserve your T-Mo number simply transition to pre-paid (keeping the same number) by subscribing to the basic $3/month plan, and adding at least $10 every 90 days (via the web with a credit card), which extends the expiry for 90 days. Or add $100 become a Gold customer with 365 days. Then subscribe to a data plan, or one-time monthly plan, when you return. Enable international roaming, as you will get a signal here if you need it (say for SMS)? Or you can check your voicemail daily using the GV number, or leave a message for people to call your GV number.

 

And get a new GV number before you leave. Calls to your GV number will ring through to you in Thailand assuming you have the app or an adapter, and internet. No charge for you, the calling party pays as if it's a domestic call (say free minutes). You can call the U.S. for free on GV. GV still does not "accept" all bulk SMS-type services, so some OTPs may not come through.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 hours ago, mitebbots said:

T-Mobile just told me my number will die in 90 days if out of US. Is there a workaround for this? use the Prepaid service? 

 

 

That's simply not true, at least if you switch to their prepaid $3 a month plan. I've had and kept my U.S. T-Mobile number for YEARS on their $3 a month prepaid plan, and absolutely no problem maintaining the service or using it when in the U.S.

 

Obviously, though, you DO need to top up your account via the T-Mobile website and your log-in account in order to keep a positive balance to cover the $3 a month automatic billing. I usually add $12 every four months. The minimum to top up online via a credit/debit card charge is $10, I believe.

 

BTW, the one thing you do need to be careful about with T-Mobile is AVOIDING their international roaming charges for calls and SMSs. The normal T-Mobile international roaming rates for using their mobile service IN THAILAND are like $2.59 per minute for calls and 50c plus for sending SMSs.

 

So, it's a very good service for keeping a U.S. mobile number to use when back in the U.S., and even for receiving U.S. SMS messages if GV won't work for that purpose with a particular sender.

 

But you don't want to be using your T-Mobile SIM/phone to make and receive regular mobile phone calls while in Thailand -- unless perhaps your phone is a T-Mobile purchased mobile or a few other non-TM purchased phones that support T-Mobile wifi calling.

 

T-Mobile wifi calling, on supported phones, is free AFAIK even internationally. But since I don't have a T-Mobile wifi calling supported phone, I've never checked to see if TM's wifi calling service is enabled when you have the prepaid $3 a month plan.

 

Edited January 29, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

T-Mobile wifi calling, on supported phones, is free AFAIK even internationally. But since I don't have a T-Mobile wifi calling supported phone, I've never checked to see if TM's wifi calling service is enabled when you have the prepaid $3 a month plan.

 

 

Disregard the notion of using T-Mobile's wifi calling service with TM's $3 a month pay as you go plan.

 

In looking at a TM chart comparing the services available on different TM plans, it indicates TM wifi calling is NOT available on their Pay as You Go Plan, presumably even if you have a wifi calling supported device.

 

https://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com//compare-plan-features

[mitebbots]

they know when your phone is roaming. they told me you need to be in the US more than 50% of the time or they cancel your account. 

 

prepaid doesn't have the 20 cent incoming/outgoing calls either. calls will be pricey. prepaid works to keep a phone active in US I guess. 

 

no real easy solution, I guess porting out to something like Google Voice seems best, not sure about other companies. 

 

[mtls2005]

It all depends on what you need/want to do.

 

Will you be spending more time in Thailand, or the U.S.? Will you have internet in Thailand?

 

How many calls (minutes) would you expect to make? in-bound, outbound?

 

Do you need to to keep your T-Mobile number so people can contact you? Can they not be re-trained on a new number?

 

It seems like your only options are keep T-Mo, get GV, or port T-Mo to GV and then maybe get another T-Mo prepaid account for trips back.

 

Again, and for the last time (I'll refrain from contributing until I get a better feel for what it is you're trying to do), it would help if you could share details. But I understand if you choose not to. Good luck.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 hours ago, mitebbots said:

they know when your phone is roaming. they told me you need to be in the US more than 50% of the time or they cancel your account. 

 

prepaid doesn't have the 20 cent incoming/outgoing calls either. calls will be pricey. prepaid works to keep a phone active in US I guess. 

 

As I said above, you absolutely do NOT want to be using a TM SIM in Thailand for international roaming for calls and data at their regular (extortionate) rates. Its best purpose is simply a way of keeping a U.S. mobile service for when you're back "home" and receiving the odd U.S.-sent SMS when needed.

 

Also as I said above, I've been using TM's $3 a month prepaid service for years, and never had any grief about it... Of note, the $3 a month plan does NOT come with any 3G/4G/LTE data provision (only calls and SMS). So you can turn off 3G/4G/LTE data roaming on your mobile without impairing anything, so long as 2G packet data for calls and SMS is still enabled. In that mode, when here, my TM SIM registers on the DTAC network for routing of calls and SMS.

 

Obviously, it probably also helps (but may not be required) if you're paying for your top ups with a U.S. bank card that has a U.S billing address.

 

Edited January 29, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[mitebbots]

next month I'll be in LOS for maybe a month or two and that is not an issue with my current post-paid T-Mo account. I like being able to answer my calls for 20 cents a minute if needed. 

 

I want to keep my US number and already have a GV number. 

 

Soon I will want to split my time,  6 months US and 6 months in LOS. I may not be able to keep my normal T-Mo postpaid account with 20 cent calls. 

 

 

A 6-Month lease is doable, many places with go for this. 

 

Port my T-Mo number to Project-Fi?  The Pixel2 does not support dual-SIM cards, would need to have 2 phones again if wanting the use my AIS SIM. 

 

I was really just sort of curious about other services I could port to. I see so many problems in the GV forum.