Anyone Ported Their Cell Number to Google Voice?

[consultant1027]

I'm considering porting my cell number to my Google Voice account to use the Google Voice Call Screener app. I have a few questions for other Google Voice user's that have done this.

1) I assume when you do so, your cell carrier automatically give you a new number when the port completes? Correct? (As this is basically the same as porting to another cell carrier and that's been my experience.)

2) Aside from the call screener and voicemail spam filter, I would guess that another big benefit of doing this is that whenever changing cell carriers, now you don't have to port your phone number any more! (Which sometimes is a hassle if you don't get your billing zip, or security code right)

3) I read that after porting if you forward the SMS messages to your cell number, when you reply in the phones SMS app (not Google Voice), your number shows up as your Google Voice number, not the number assigned to the cell phones SIM card. I didn't think that was possible as then you could never send texts coming from the carrier assigned phone number. So is this article correct or in error?

https://www.howtogeek.com/92075/how-to-port-your-phone-number-to-google-voice/

"You can, however, have Google Voice forward texts to your new number. When you reply to them using your regular messaging app, they will appear to come from your Google Voice number"

4) What's the reliability been like to pipe all your calls through Google Voice and forward to your carrier number? (I want to do this as I want to take advantage of some apps that screen/provide information about incoming phone calls that the Google voice can do.)

5) What no-answer/reject call number do you configure your phone to use? (This is where you type in some codes into your phones keypad so it doesn't foward to your cell carrier's voicemail) It seems like you can't use your ported number as then you would create a loop? Or does Google Voice recognize it's not the same caller calling again and that it's a decline/no answer?

 

[VidJunky]

While I've heard that it is possible to port your real number to Google Voice this occurred after I'd been a GV user for many years and therefore still use it the old way. I still believe I can answer some of your questions.

1) Is your intention to subscribe to Google FI? GV gives you a Google Number when you sign-up, which I like because I can then use that number without giving out my actual real number which makes it easier to handle spam calls and messages without interrupting everything day to day. Just me.

3) The way your statement/question starts out for #3 that sounds like old fashion GV. If you have a carrier number and use the GV service calls and texts will be forwarded to your Carrier number. Replies and call backs to these forwarded calls will appear to come from your GV number. However I would imagine if your GV number is a ported Carrier number return texts and calls would appear to come from your GV number which is your old carrier number... so that in essence is your GV number. Another number would only be used if the number was different, if that makes sense.

4) GV is very reliable. I have had nothing but success with using it but again it sounds like you are quoting old GV. With the GV like when I signed up, you had to forward calls to your carrier number. If your GV number is that number there would be no forwarding. Calls would go to your GV account and be processed as such. Nothing to modify, change or forward. Even with using a GV number and a Carrier number, my VM is always there, texts go to both my GV app and my regular SMS app, with the only difference being replies to those texts being from my GV number. I opted to return calls via my actual number but if I use the GV app interface I can return those via my GV number.

5) I have forwarded all unanswered calls to my GV service. I would imagine, again I haven't opted to use a carrier number as my GV number, but I would imagine that if that were the case it would handle it like any call coming in that went unanswered. Again if this were the case there would be no need for forwarding and there for could not be stuck in a loop...