Google Voice for my Nexus 5 ... to Port or not to Port?

[Brainerd]

I ordered the 32GB N5 in black and it shipped last night. Yea!

After 14 years, I'm finally leaving Sprint. Waited toooooooo long, I know. I would like to save some money and use a prepaid MVNO. I've ordered an AT&T StaightTalk sim card... So, here is my question.

Should I port my number to Google Voice or straight to StraightTalk?​

I figured this Nexus community would have some experience and recommendations. I've done a fair amount of research and here are the pros and cons as I see them, now.

Pros

• I can try out different MVNOs without porting my number each time.
• GV features like forwarding to different phones, online vm access, vm transcription, International rates, etc.
• Texting from computer - phone - tablet (I currently use Mighty Text, but GV might be slightly more unified).
• GV's SMS and MMS are planned to be integrated into Hangouts early next year.
• ...What are your experiences?

Cons

• Google Voice has been treated like an abandoned stepchild of late.
• SMS not in Hangouts and no MMS support.
• ...What are your experiences?

Thank you in advance for your advice and council.

 

[6sigma]

+1...also interested in how to approach this.

I've been on Sprint for 15 years, too. When Sprint & Google Voice announced "tight integration," I moved my number to Voice. Now...to port or not to port when changing to other carriers?

 

[Raftysworld]

It's unfortunate, but my advice at this point is do not port to Google Voice. I used it for years and overall its just too much of a hassle. Until Google decides to take it seriously again, I'd stay away... you can always port later.

Edit: Most of the hassle centers on the AWFUL and pathetic Google Voice app for Android. Its laggy, slow, almost downright broken, and Google has just left it in a dormant state for years.

 

[Gekko]

my responses in BOLD -

Pros
1. I can try out different MVNOs without porting my number each time.----->I'm switching to AT&T GoPhone and don't plan to switch that often where it's an issue. Signing up for new service is still a little hassle regardless.
2. GV features like forwarding to different phones, online vm access, vm transcription, International rates, etc.---->I use Google Voice "LITE" for Voicemail so i get Transcription etc.
3. Texting from computer - phone - tablet (I currently use Mighty Text, but GV might be slightly more unified).------->I use Mighty Text.
4. GV's SMS and MMS are planned to be integrated into Hangouts early next year.------->I'll cross that bridge when i get to it. we'll see what they deliver but until then i wait.

Cons
1. Google Voice has been treated like an abandoned stepchild of late.------>IMO GV can be a little flaky and the App can be buggy. i rely on phone calls and need 100% reliability.
2. SMS not in Hangouts and no MMS support. ------->Dealbreaker for me. how are you going to get that pic of the chick your buddy hooked up with at the bar? and what about Group Texting?

for me, the cons far outweigh the 1-2 "nice to have" "cool feature" benefits.

 

[greatgoogly]

At this point I would say no. Google is making some big changes with Google Voice, not all of them good (IMHO) Google says it's cracking down on third-party Google Voice apps, expanding SMS support in Hangouts early next year

 

[cdd543]

I would NOT port to Google voice. I did it twice and it just doesn't work well enough. Slow texts, no MMS. As advised by others I'd wait to see what happens with hangouts and such.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[JonK]

I ported to GV years ago and while lack of MMS is a frustration I am happy I did. I love it. That said here is my advice:

Since you are not signing a contract with ST, there is no rush. You can always port to GV if you desire later. If MMS is a big deal to you, I would say wait until they actually support it. They have said MMS is coming for a long time and still havent delivered. This is the first time they put a timeframe on it (by early next year) but that is no guarantee. If however you would not mind being without MMS (for a few months or maybe for the forseeable future) Then go ahead and port. After having GV I could never go back to without it. And remember, its not just about sending MMS. If someone sends you an MMS (unless they have sprint) you wont even know.

I agree GV has been treated like the ugly stepchild at google but the fact that it is being rolled into hangouts means it has a secure future at google.

 

[JonK]

At this point I would say no. Google is making some big changes with Google Voice, not all of them good (IMHO) Google says it's cracking down on third-party Google Voice apps, expanding SMS support in Hangouts early next year

I assume you mean the cracking down on violating apps is the bad part? This probably means apps like GrooveIP that turn GV into full blown VOIP. This is only bad if they dont duplicate the functionality themselves which they do intend to do. They already have on the iphone (seriously.. WTF?!). We will have to see how this plays out.

 

[Brainerd]

Thank you for all of the great replies. It looks like I'll skip Google Voice for now and port to Straight Talk.

My guess is that GV will not be integrated until after the May 15th cease and desist deadline for 3rd party apps that are using GV. Which, by the way, is right around the time of the next Google I/O. If the integration happens, and it is cool, I can port to GV, then.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[gone down south]

BTW, when an iPhone user sends a group text... it goes out as MMS. And you won't receive it.

Just one of many reasons I ported OUT of Voice.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[androidpirate]

I'm a bit confused, are you guys talking about google voice integration as in replacing your carrier number with your GV number or vice versa replacing you GV number with you carrier number? or just replacing carrier voicemail with google voicemail on the device?

currently i have a sprint number & a separate GV number and have replaced sprint voicemail with google voicemail. I did this because this one time it took 3 days for a voicemail to pop up on my sprint voicemail. that was unacceptable and made me wonder if other voicemails weren't even showing up.

 

[6sigma]

I'm a bit confused, are you guys talking about google voice integration as in replacing your carrier number with your GV number or vice versa replacing you GV number with you carrier number? or just replacing carrier voicemail with google voicemail on the device? currently i have a sprint number & a separate GV number and have replaced sprint voicemail with google voicemail. I did this because this one time it took 3 days for a voicemail to pop up on my sprint voicemail. that was unacceptable and made me wonder if other voicemails weren't even showing up.

In my case, I had a GV number and a long-time number with Sprint. When Sprint & Google announced "tight integration," I was faced with a decision. At that time, I actually allowed my Sprint number to become my ONLY number and the GV number went away. With the arrival of the Nexus 5, KitKat & the delay in integrating GV with the new Hangouts, I was faced with another decision. I opted to "disable GV" from my (original) Sprint number. That way, I could port my number to T-Mobile, set up the Nexus 5 and use the full functionality of Hangouts. In today's cellular world, it seems a rather small matter to port a number, so that old advantage of Google Voice is somewhat diminished. Just my $0.02.

 

[Charles Morgan]

I have separate numbers, I forward my Google voice number to my cell. Best of both worlds.

 

[bloo0153]

If you frequent areas with poor data coverage I would advise against using Google Voice as your primary number. A decent data connection is required to send/receive text messages. SMS has always been more reliable.

 

[JonK]

If you frequent areas with poor data coverage I would advise against using Google Voice as your primary number. A decent data connection is required to send/receive text messages. SMS has always been more reliable.

True but also remember with GV you can send/receive SMS over wifi. So if you spend most of your day with poor data coverage but within wifi you are actually better off with GV.

 

[traumadoc2b]

I also have my GV number forwarded to my cell number, 100% of the time. The GV number is the only one I give out. One big bonus is that I save money on my cell phone plan with Big Red by not paying extra for text messaging - instead I rely on GV exclusively. As mentioned, it's also great when I have a poor cell signal - I can just send and receive SMS via GV over WiFi. I have it on my tablet and PC too, so wherever I am, I can text seamlessly using my GV number and no one knows the difference. The MMS/GV compatability issue is a pain, and although "group' texts sent out from iPhone users get lost somewhere and I cannot send photos with GV/MMS, I do get pictures sent via MMS to my GV number - they just show up in my Gmail inbox instead.

 

[russ5811]

one downside to porting to ST is that if you "violate" their vague terms of service by approaching 2gb of data and they shut your account off... you've just lost your number of 14 years.

go to Google voice and wait until the integration with hangouts in a few months.

Thank you for all of the great replies. It looks like I'll skip Google Voice for now and port to Straight Talk.

My guess is that GV will not be integrated until after the May 15th cease and desist deadline for 3rd party apps that are using GV. Which, by the way, is right around the time of the next Google I/O. If the integration happens, and it is cool, I can port to GV, then.

Posted via Android Central App

Posted via Android Central App