Select which Phone to Ring

[recycle]

I'm wondering if it would be possible to select which phone to callback on from the dialer screen. Most of the time I want Google Voice to ring back my iPhone obviously, but I'd also like to have it ring back my home phone at times to use that for a call. I know I can set it in the settings, but that would take a few steps and I would forget to set it back no doubt.

If you initiate a call from the Google Voice website by clicking the "Call" button, a little pop-up comes up to enter the phone number, and also which "Phone to ring". I'm looking for something like that.

Thanks!

[Chris]

Thanks for the suggestion. I added a feature request to our tracking system for this.

[jongpie]

Just adding my vote to have this too. I use a VoIP app on my phone to get free calls, but I generally only use it when on WiFi, so I'm constantly switching which phone I ring - having a way to quickly toggle/choose which phone to ring would be great.

[recycle]

For anyone as dumb as me and missed it, this feature has been implemented in v1.2. (Thanks guys!) From the setting menu, when you select which phone to ring, one of the options under "Call Back" is "Ask me every time". Works like a charm.

Like a kid who asks Dad to buy him a copy of Guitar Hero after getting an Xbox for Christmas, I'm wondering if you could add the new "Direct Outbound" as one of the options?

I feel so greedy.

[Chris]

The problem with adding Direct Outbound to that list is that the app still needs to know the correct "from" number to place a call in that manner. Currently, your Call Back number must be set to your iPhone's number in order for direct outbound dialing to work. This is due to the way Google implements the feature.

We could add a setting that lets the user specify "this is the number of the device I'm using," but it seems like overkill. Another approach would be to always assume the device's phone number is the one labeled as a cell phone in your GV account, but some people may have multiple cell phones on their account or label their cell as a home phone in order to use it with multiple accounts. If you ever use direct outbound dialing, why wouldn't you set it and forget it? After using the feature myself, I can't imagine going back.

Note that I'm genuinely asking the question and not trying to convince you that my way is right. We like hearing how people use the app so that we can think of ways to make it easier. Are people using VoiceCentral on their iPhone to place calls from their home/office phone rather than using their cell minutes? I know iPad and iPod touch users do that, but I thought it was only because those devices cannot dial directly.

[jongpie]

Not to get too off topic from the outbound vs inbound discussion, but I often use GV to ring either a SIP app on my iPhone, or a home phone that's connected to a LinkSys VoIP adapter (that also uses a SIP account).

Several SIP providers offer free incoming calls, and only charge for outgoing. If you use Google Voice and have it ring a SIP number, the SIP provider considers it an incoming call, making it 100% free.

Since these free calls have to be initiated from Google Voice (to make the SIP account think it's an incoming call), I usually use my phone to initiate it (instead of walking across the house to my computer). For example, I use VC to start a call and have it ring the SIP account that the iPhone app uses. VC sends the info to GV, GV sends it to the SIP provider, and the SIP app shows a push notification that says I have an incoming call. I answer, and it's free! (If you have a limited data plan, that would need to be considered, but I usually only do this on WiFI anyway). Basically, it's:

VoiceCentral -> Google Voice -> SIP provider (seen as a free incoming call) -> Acrobits Softphone (iPhone SIP app) gives push notification -> free outgoing call!

Sounds convoluted, and it is - but once you get everything setup, it works fairly well. I've helped a few friends do the same thing on their iPod's - if they have headphones with a mic, they can also make free calls directly on the iPod.

I'm sure most people don't use it this way (it's complicated and has occasional issues), but it's one of the more robust ways you can take advantage of Google Voice/VoiceCentral.

[recycle]

Chris-- I am constantly in different circumstances when using VoiceCentral. At home, when I'm upstairs, I use Direct Outbound now and that is as you say preferred. When I go to my basement office, I call back to a Gizmo5 SIP line because the cell reception is very iffy. Some of the clients I visit have good cell reception indoors but others do not, so I often call back to an office phone. But if I go out the parking lot I prefer direct outbound. At my best friends house, there is no reception so again I forward it to their phone.

So over the course of a week I may switch it back and forth dozens of times... that's why not having to jump back to Settings each time would make it very convenient.

[Chris]

I see what you mean. I added a feature request in our tracking system for putting "Direct Outbound" on the call back number prompt.

[najordan]

How difficult would it be to automatically select the callback number based on location?

If I make a call from my office I want VC to ring my office line and in my house my home line. This would likely take some work, but if we could set a proximity waypoint to trigger a callback selection I think a lot of people would be very happy.

[Chris]

I do not have the research available to say how difficult it would be, but we do have GPS sync in our tracking system as a feature request. I added a +1 to that and linked to this thread.