[HOW TO] Setup Google Voice with Sprint and have separate numbers

**basketthis** · 08-15-2011, 03:36 PM

There have been many questions about setting up Google Voice properly since Sprint and Google attempted to merge the Google Voice settings for phone numbers/voicemail. Even if you have already merged your numbers, you can separate them and use them as different lines when calling people. Follow these instructions.

NOTE: For those that have already merged your number (whether by accident or you just want to change it back now) need to complete these two steps before proceeding.

1: Uninstall Google Voice from phone.
2: Login to and click "disable" here:
Click here:

Then disable here (mine says enable, yours will say disable if you have it "synced"):
NOTE: If you link does not say "disable" then skip this step and continue to instructions.

EVERYONE SHOULD BE AT THE SAME POINT BEFORE GOING FURTHER.
-No Google Voice on phone.
-Disable link clicked on OR never activated before

Now, on to setting it up!

Download and install to phone:

Open up Google Voice and DO NOT TAP ANYTHING! (This is a very important step)
You will see this:

Scroll down until you see this "hidden" skip button

and tap it:

Sign in with gmail account:

Tap "Next":

Select this so that you have the option when making calls (this can be changed later):

Tap "Next":

Click number to dial (just to be certain) and then tap "Configure" to continue:
Note: Dialing the number does not result in a voice call to anyone. It just dials a system to update.

Select "Google Voice":

If you get this notice, just select "OK" and then hit the physical back button to get back to Google Voice setup:

Click "Finish":

NOW, you must do one more thing to make Google Voice work!
Go to
Click here:

The click here to activate your new Google voicemail to send notifications to your phone!:
NOTE: If you get any additional popups here just click ok/done to dismiss them.

Now, you can add the widget to your home screen and have someone call you to give it a try. For the first time, give it a few minutes to update before thinking it doesn't work. Enjoy!

**basketthis** · 08-15-2011, 03:37 PM

Reserved for possible future use.

**shockdude** · 08-15-2011, 05:52 PM

that's odd. i'm using drew's cm7 stable 002 and followed your tutorial, but after the "select 'google voice'" step, it just hangs at "reading settings". this isn't supposed to happen, is it?

edit: after some messing around (or maybe just a lot of time), i got it to work somehow.
i rebooted the phone after the hang, opened the google voice app several times, and tried setting the voicemail in the call settings menu a few times, and eventually it worked.

anyways, thanks for the tutorial and for pointing out that skip button that no one ever noticed

**jcwxguy** · 08-15-2011, 07:34 PM

Looks Great.

**tirith** · 08-15-2011, 07:43 PM

you can unlink the sprint number from google voice from the website itself....

at least thats how i did it.

**basketthis** · 08-15-2011, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by tirith

you can unlink the sprint number from google voice from the website itself....

at least thats how i did it.

That's what this tutorial explains. And also explains how to install it without losing either number.

**theBIG** · 08-16-2011, 10:03 AM

Great post, basketthis. Very thorough and well put-together.

I didn't post a followup in the other thread but edited my earlier post instead (by the time I got access to the phone again, the discussion had moved on and several new pages of posts were up--didn't want to sidetrack the discussion.) Thanks again for your help.

**psaurus81** · 08-16-2011, 10:16 AM

Will this stop GV from intercepting my text messages? If so, this is exactly what I'm looking for!

Sent from my LG-LS670 using Tapatalk

**basketthis** · 08-16-2011, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by psaurus81

Will this stop GV from intercepting my text messages? If so, this is exactly what I'm looking for!

Sent from my LG-LS670 using Tapatalk

Yep. Lol

**Tre Lawrence** · 08-16-2011, 11:19 AM

Great info...

Question: I am looking to keep my GV number (I have had it forever) and my "real" number separate.

I need group texting capabilities on my GV number... I am assuming that I can do this from the built-in texting app if I link it to Sprint? Is that correct?

If so, this tutorial is JUST what I need.

**basketthis** · 08-16-2011, 11:51 AM

Yes, you can keep them separate and use group texting in the Google voice app. You need to enable the texting feature under Google voice settings in order for you to text from Google voice app. Remember, you don't want to "sync" the numbers together. I hope that's not what you meant by lining them...

**Tre Lawrence** · 08-16-2011, 11:57 AM

Yes, I want to keep them separate. I have never linked the numbers, because I value having two lines, so to speak.

I want two lines, and the ability to use the built-in texting app my phone to send group texts. The GV app on the phone does not allow for this.

Do i get to pick which number to use every time I text?

**psaurus81** · 08-16-2011, 11:58 AM

I ran through the steps this morning and it is now working the way I want it to work.

I'm getting my voicemail through Google Voice and my text messages through the text messaging app. This was the one thing that was annoying my about my CM7 installation (although it sounds like the issue wasn't relegated to CM7) and I'm very pleased. Thank you for the excellent tutorial.

**Tre Lawrence** · 08-16-2011, 12:00 PM

And... I am sure this will work on my EVO...

**theBIG** · 08-16-2011, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by Tre Lawrence

Yes, I want to keep them separate. I have never linked the numbers, because I value having two lines, so to speak.

I want two lines, and the ability to use the built-in texting app my phone to send group texts. The GV app on the phone does not allow for this.

Do i get to pick which number to use every time I text?

To use the built-in texting app on your phone to send seamlessly via your GV# would require enabling the Sprint integration, if I'm understanding you correctly.

There is a way to use any old SMS app with GV, however, though I'm not sure if it entirely suits your needs. If you have text messaging enabled in GV (and I'm sure you already do), you may have noticed that when you receive those texts on your phone they don't show the person's actual cell phone #, but an intermediary # assigned by GV--when you reply to that # it shows the recipient that the text came from your GV# (it's been this way for a long time, and is not the same as Sprint integration.) If you had that # for everybody in your group (ie, if each person texts once to your GV#, or replies to a text you sent from your GV app--as long as you have a response from them to disclose that #) you could then set up your group using those intermediary #s from any app on your phone and it would show them coming from your GV#.

Clear as mud? That's the only way I could think to get the functionality you want while avoiding Sprint integration and maintaining the ability to use both #s. I have no need for group messaging, but as long as I've been using Android I've been able to use Handcent to send texts showing either my cell or my GV# in this way--if somebody texts my GV#, any response to that # shows that it came from GV.

I don't know of any way to get the option to choose which # you're texting from, at least not in the sense that the GV apps gives you (w/o integration, of course.)

**Tre Lawrence** · 08-16-2011, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by theBIG

To use the built-in texting app on your phone to send seamlessly via your GV# would require enabling the Sprint integration, if I'm understanding you correctly.

There is a way to use any old SMS app with GV, however, though I'm not sure if it entirely suits your needs. If you have text messaging enabled in GV (and I'm sure you already do), you may have noticed that when you receive those texts on your phone they don't show the person's actual cell phone #, but an intermediary # assigned by GV--when you reply to that # it shows the recipient that the text came from your GV# (it's been this way for a long time, and is not the same as Sprint integration.) If you had that # for everybody in your group (ie, if each person texts once to your GV#, or replies to a text you sent from your GV app--as long as you have a response from them to disclose that #) you could then set up your group using those intermediary #s from any app on your phone and it would show them coming from your GV#.

Clear as mud? That's the only way I could think to get the functionality you want while avoiding Sprint integration and maintaining the ability to use both #s. I have no need for group messaging, but as long as I've been using Android I've been able to use Handcent to send texts showing either my cell or my GV# in this way--if somebody texts my GV#, any response to that # shows that it came from GV.

I don't know of any way to get the option to choose which # you're texting from, at least not in the sense that the GV apps gives you (w/o integration, of course.)

Got ya... this tutorial is more for folks who are trying to get where I already am (i.e two numbers on phone).

Took me a minute to figure it out...

Big, thanks for helping to make it clear. I think I am gonna play around with Handcent and the access #s.

**basketthis** · 08-16-2011, 12:43 PM

Just to clear up anything: You can also send separate texts from Google voice. I guess I'll be doing another tutorial.

Without integration.

I'll go through it when I'm not on my phone.

EDIT: I may have misunderstood the intent of the original question. But you can group text with the Google voice app (which is not the stock app I understand but still possible). So if anyone us interested and doesn't know how to already, I don't mind going over it!

- I may be wrong about this. I thought I was able to have multiple recipients earlier. I am going to experiment more to see if there is another way, so for now, no group text in Google voice without using another method explained by theBIG.

EDIT #2: Not sure if this is what you're looking for either, but there I a way to create groups on the Google voice site (from your Gmail contacts list) and use them how you choose. You can have separate voicemails for each group, for example.

**Tre Lawrence** · 08-16-2011, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by basketthis

Just to clear up anything: You can also send separate texts from Google voice. I guess I'll be doing another tutorial.

Without integration.

I'll go through it when I'm not on my phone.

EDIT: I may have misunderstood the intent of the original question. But you can group text with the Google voice app (which is not the stock app I understand but still possible). So if anyone us interested and doesn't know how to already, I don't mind going over it!

EDIT #2: Not sure if this is what you're looking for either, but there I a way to create groups on the Google voice site (from your Gmail contacts list) and use them how you choose. You can have separate voicemails for each group, for example.

How? I do not know how to do this...

**basketthis** · 08-16-2011, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by Tre Lawrence

How? I do not know how to do this...

I thought it was letting me earlier. Let me experiment with it a bit more.

Edited my original post above to reflect it. For some reason I didn't think you even had Google voice app doing text yet. And while in the middle of leaving somewhere, I took a second to check the forum then to check my Google voice app and I thought I verified it working. So please excuse my hurried-ness in the testing and reply. I'm not known to jump to a conclusion like that usually. I will continue to research for you.

**basketthis** · 08-16-2011, 03:31 PM

Okay. Did some reading. It seems you can group text (there may be a max limit to number of recipients) from Google voice if using the computer. Hence, the groups. Or, you may do it name by name.

If you are looking to do it from your phone then it seems that this is the most feasible option:

It is a paid app, however, promises to do group text as you wish through your Google voice number!

**kingdavidbaker** · 08-16-2011, 03:39 PM

I am unable to disable google voice in the web gui. I click on the Disable button and a window pops up asking if I want to disable. I click "Disable Sprint Account" and it just says "There was an error with your request. Please try again." I tried this a few days ago and got the same message. My Google Voice web gui shows some other stuff such as "forwards calls to" but I was unable to delete my number from that section either. I have linked to a screenshot of my gvoice gui below. Any suggestions?

**basketthis** · 08-16-2011, 03:41 PM

Hmmmm. Yours says "enabled by sprint". Maybe its time to give them a call?

**Tre Lawrence** · 08-16-2011, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by basketthis

Okay. Did some reading. It seems you can group text (there may be a max limit to number of recipients) from Google voice if using the computer. Hence, the groups. Or, you may do it name by name.

If you are looking to do it from your phone then it seems that this is the most feasible option:

It is a paid app, however, promises to do group text as you wish through your Google voice number!

Yep... up until this past weekend, that app worked BEAUTIFULLY.

Thanks anyway. I appreciate the help.

**kingdavidbaker** · 08-16-2011, 03:52 PM

Yeah I might have to call Sprint....I looked through Google Voice's help section but all it says is to click the disable button. I'll play around with it and see if I can get it to function properly as is though.

**kingdavidbaker** · 08-16-2011, 06:06 PM

Okay my phone is completely f~d now. I am unable to make or receive calls. Spent some time on the phone with sprint customer service and did hard resets and reset MSID to no avail. ALL I did is play with google voice and now I am unable to use my phone. Still playing with it but it would appear I'm going to have to reset to stock and take it to a sprint store....yay.