Google Voice Texting question - getting charged per-text fee?

[chriskzoo]

So i have a googl voice number and figured I could cancel my text plan and save the $5 a month. However, it looks like every time someone texts me at my GV number and it gets pushed to my phone, I am getting charged the $0.20 per text fee.

Is there a way to avoid this? I tried setting up GV to have it email me my texts, which it did, but it also sent me the text notification and I'm sure it's going to charge the per text fee.

Is there a way to have AT&T just lock out texting altogether?

 

[dukebound85]

Don't have it routed to your iphone number

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

just set your text notification to email only and you won't recieve any texts from GV in your messaging App, you'll only get them in your gmail

 

[ipoddin]

just set your text notification to email only and you won't recieve any texts from GV in your messaging App, you'll only get them in your gmail

Exactly how I do it. Even better with an app like Notifications or Boxcar.

Set GV to send text messages to Gmail. In Gmail, setup a filter so any incoming email with SMS in subject field gets forwarded to Notifications provided email, and then it's immediately archived so it doesn't appear in my inbox. Notifications then gives me a pop up message just like the regular Messenger app does of a new text with a preview. When you open the Notifications app, you can respond to the text via email, or GV mobile web.

If you don't want to use an app to do all this, just forward GV texts to your inbox. You can respond via email and it'll get sent to the other persons phone as a text message.

Both solutions offer free text messaging (but the app may cost a little)

 

[aforty]

Or get an app such as TextNow or TextFree. With those (premium or free) you get a email address which you can add to GV and have GV forward to those. Then you'll receive texts inside those apps complete with push notifications. Have your friends text your new number and presto. You can even reply right from the app. Only bad part is that when you want to text a person you've never texted before you have to do so from GV first, if you don't the text will not appear to come from your GV phone number.

 

[chriskzoo]

just set your text notification to email only and you won't recieve any texts from GV in your messaging App, you'll only get them in your gmail

Ho do you set it to that? Here are my settings and when I send a text it still pops up as a "TEXT: ...."

 

[infosprt]

My son had the same issue.

We had text messaging turned off. Somehow it got put to Pay per Use.

Anyway complained about it to AT&T and they gave me full credit for the texts (about $60 worth).

 

[globol]

So i have a googl voice number and figured I could cancel my text plan and save the $5 a month. However, it looks like every time someone texts me at my GV number and it gets pushed to my phone, I am getting charged the $0.20 per text fee.

Is there a way to avoid this? I tried setting up GV to have it email me my texts, which it did, but it also sent me the text notification and I'm sure it's going to charge the per text fee.

Is there a way to have AT&T just lock out texting altogether?

Google voice is free, google doesn't charge you for sending an receiving text. So how they hell can they be charging you? Are you even sure you know what you're looking at?

 

[dukebound85]

Google voice is free, google doesn't charge you for sending an receiving text. So how they hell can they be charging you? Are you even sure you know what you're looking at?

Like the language bud...

He has it set up now where any text in GV is forwarded as a text to his phone. That counts against your text limit

 

[chriskzoo]

OK, I figured 1/2 of it out. I didn't realize that when you setup a new phone on GV there is a checkboxk for "Receive text messages on this phone" which you just need to uncheck. You have to edit the phone number to see it.

I have it going to my Gmail as well, so I just have to set that part up for notifications.

 

[KingFudd]

Just to clarify, If I have an unlimited plan, I wouldn't get charged from google texts correct?

 

[chriskzoo]

Exactly how I do it. Even better with an app like Notifications or Boxcar.

Set GV to send text messages to Gmail. In Gmail, setup a filter so any incoming email with SMS in subject field gets forwarded to Notifications provided email, and then it's immediately archived so it doesn't appear in my inbox. Notifications then gives me a pop up message just like the regular Messenger app does of a new text with a preview. When you open the Notifications app, you can respond to the text via email, or GV mobile web.

If you don't want to use an app to do all this, just forward GV texts to your inbox. You can respond via email and it'll get sent to the other persons phone as a text message.

Both solutions offer free text messaging (but the app may cost a little)

Can anyone explain the bolded part above? Is that talking about a separate app (I've seen apps like GPush) or getting a notification from the native Mail app?

 

[chriskzoo]

Ah, got it!

Have all texts to GV number forward to gmail email. Create a filter in Gmail keying on "SMS" in the subject and have those auto-archived AND forwarded to a free texting app like "Text Free Unlimited" which gives you an email address. Then Text Free Unlimited can popop the notification when the text comes in - just click close, click on the GV bookmark on the home screen and respond.

Turn off badges in Text Free and hide it in a folder and its nothing more than a background process.

Easy peasy.