can i use this nexus 7 as a cell phone by using google voice?

**preppystud** · 02-01-2013, 10:50 PM

i know that there is the google voice app for this.
so if someone calls my number, will this thing ring even when it is in its standby mood with wifi service availible?

**still1** · 02-01-2013, 11:19 PM

Yes, I am 99% sure.

**mathelm** · 02-01-2013, 11:34 PM

You'll go through 'Google Voice", but you can't use it directly with a nexus 7. You have to use a app like .....

**mechtheist** · 02-01-2013, 11:48 PM

I use Groove IP, only tried it out on the N7 a couple of times, but it worked just fine.

**Patrick Schroedl** · 02-02-2013, 12:36 AM

As it's been said, the answer is technically yes, but you'll need to use a third-party application such as GrooVe IP to enable (Voice Over Internet Protocol) functionality.

**preppystud** · 02-02-2013, 05:51 AM

oh. i didn't know that there are so many choices. i just assumed that if i installed google voice app, it will allow me to use it like a cell phone.

so which app should i use in order to get phone calls even when the nexus 7 is in the standby mood?

also, will those apps work if i use a different android based tablets?

**RichardRight** · 02-02-2013, 06:07 AM

I use Talkatone and prefer it over Groove IP. Yes, it rings when someone calls. Best of all, as long as I talk through my tablet and not my phone, it subtracts no minutes from my prepaid smartphone.

**mathelm** · 02-02-2013, 09:08 AM

2 things make Talkatone better than Grove IP. 1. it's free and 2. it also handles text messages...

But go to google play and do a search for VOIP. There are many to choose from....

**MJKearney** · 02-02-2013, 11:44 AM

I have GrooveIP on my N7. I use the free version because, for the Nexus 7, the paid version doesn't offer worthwhile added functionality. You can use a Bluetooth headset with GrooveIP.

The problem with Google Voice is that call quality is inconsistent. I get complaints from the person on the other end that my voice often cuts in and out. Maybe this is just due to my WiFi signal, but I tend to use alternative calling methods instead. Below, I described one alternative that I found.

There's this thing called a house telephone. It's hooked up to something called a wire. This wire thing goes through a hole in the wall and then to some tall, wooden pole out on the street. From what I can see, this wire thing then is strung from pole to pole, until the poles get really small and I can't see them anymore way down the street. So I don't know exactly where this wire thing ends up. But I do know that if I use this telephone with a wire to call someone, somehow they get my call. The weird thing is that sometimes I call someone's cell phone, and they still get my call. I don't know how the wire thing gets attached from my telephone to their cell phone (I assume the phone company workers are very busy moving around and attaching wires), but it works, and the sound quality is pretty darn good! Modern technology - absolutely amazing!!

**mathelm** · 02-02-2013, 11:52 AM

Is there one you can't use a BT headset with?....

**MJKearney** · 02-02-2013, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by mathelm

Is there one you can't use a BT headset with?....

I don't know. I was just confirming that it was possible with GrooveIP. The OP may not have been aware of that. Bluetooth capability is app-dependent.

**preppystud** · 02-02-2013, 02:43 PM

so my main question is if i install some kind of app, if someone calls my google number, the nexus 7 will ring even when it is in the standby mood, right? so i can use this as a cell phone alternative, too.

**Channan** · 02-02-2013, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by mathelm

2 things make Talkatone better than Grove IP. 1. it's free and 2. it also handles text messages...

But go to google play and do a search for VOIP. There are many to choose from....

That's the main reason I prefer GrooVe IP. I'd much rather use the official Google Voice app for texting and hated also getting notifications in Talkatone. There's a free version of GrooVe IP which doesn't allow cellular calling, but if you've got a Wi-Fi only Nexus 7, that's not an issue.

GrooVe IP is more reliable for me, has a much better looking interface, and has no ads (paid version at least). To me that was worth the one-time $5 fee.

Originally Posted by preppystud

so my main question is if i install some kind of app, if someone calls my google number, the nexus 7 will ring even when it is in the standby mood, right? so i can use this as a cell phone alternative, too.

Yes. I use Google Voice on all my devices, and when someone calls me, they all ring.