Features
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Features of Google Voice, many retained from GrandCentral, include:
- A single Google forwarding number to all of the user's phones
- Unlimited free calls and SMS within the US and Canada, up to three hours in individual length.
- Calling international phone numbers with rates starting at US$0.02 per minute
- Call screening. Announcement of callers based on their number or by an automated identification request for blocked numbers
- Listening in on someone's recording of a voice message before taking a call (press 2 while answering, * to "pick up")
- Blocking calls from specified numbers
- Blocking calls from numbers identified by Google as telemarketers
- Send, receive, and store SMS online
- Answering incoming calls on any configured phone
- Call routing. Selection of phones that should ring based on calling number
- Voicemail transcripts. Reading of voicemail messages online
- Listening to voicemail online or from a phone
- Notification of voicemail messages via email or SMS
- Personalized greetings based on calling number
- Forward or downloading of voicemails
- Conference calling (press 5 when answering call)
- Call recording and online archiving (press 4 while on a call)
- Switching of phones during a call
- Viewing the web inbox from a mobile device/phone
- Customize preferences for contacts by group
- Ability to change your number for a fee
- Ability to port your mobile number for a fee
- Specifying an existing phone number instead of the Google Voice number on initial setup for use with limited functionality, such as some voicemail functions. and using the voice mail system for the user's phone number (mobile devices only).
While many customers in countries other than the United States have been grandfathered into Google Voice services, the features are reduced and often cost very small fees to call their own country. Currently Google Voice PC-to-phone calling works only for calls into North America or for domestic or international calls from North America; Google plans to implement this for other countries, but a time frame has not been released. A US telephone number is required to obtain a Google Voice phone number for redirecting incoming calls.
Users in Hawaii and Alaska were originally only minimally supported. No local area codes were available until October 3, 2009, and charges were required for calls to those areas until October 7, 2009.
Read more about this topic: Google Voice
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