The latest integration of Google Voice into the Hangouts application allows users to call phone numbers and send SMSes, basically functioning like a 2nd phone line. These fresh features are very handy if you have a restricted number of minutes or SMSes on your carrier plan if you cannot depend on your cellular signal the way you rely on your Wi-Fi signal. Below are 5 Tips For Google Voice In Hangouts On Your Android Phone:
NOTE: Before you do anything, ensure the boxes close to Incoming phone calls and SMSes are ticked in the Settings area of the Hangouts application.
1. Make calls over Wi-Fi/4G/3G
If you have used the Google Voice app before, you might’ve set it to use your Voice number when making calls. These phone calls still tampered with your carrier minutes, rather than your data signal. To fix this, Google created another app as a plug-in for Hangouts, named Hangouts Dialer.
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This app will include a dialer tab to Hangouts, letting you make outbound calls with your Voice number over Wi-Fi/data (VoIP). After installing the app, ensure you launch at least once to connect it to the original Hangouts application. This app is not required to receive video calls through Hangouts.
2. Deactivate double ring
When a call comes in, 2 different notifications alerting you at the same time is not necessary on your smartphone. To prevent this from occurring, deactivate call forwarding to your mobile number in your Voice account. After that, just the Hangouts application will sound. See how:
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- Get yourself logged into Google Voice on the Web.
- Tap the cog menu in the top right-hand corner and select Settings.
- In the first tab, untick the box close to your mobile carrier number.
3. Change “Send From” number
If you set the Hangouts app as your default SMS client, you should make adjustments to the number you are using when responding to someone. There are 3 options here:
- Smart reply (makes use of the number that you were contacted on to reply.)
- Google Voice.
- Carrier.
You can see these options via the Hangouts settings: SMS > Send SMS from
4. Default dialer
Still on tips of for Google voice in Hangouts, you wish to use the stock dialer application on your smartphone while ensuring your Google Voice number is visible on caller ID, keep the original Google Voice app and choose to use Google Voice to make all calls in the settings.
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On top of that, you can set the Hangouts Dialer app as your default dialer, which will reveal your Google Voice number on Caller ID.
More Information About Google Hangouts
Google Hangouts is a communication software product developed by Google. Originally a feature of Google+, Hangouts became a standalone product in 2013, when Google also began integrating features from Google+ Messenger and Google Talk into Hangouts. In 2017, Google began developing Hangouts into a product aimed at enterprise communication.
Hangouts are now part of the G Suite line of products and consist of two primary products: Google Hangouts Meet and Google Hangouts Chat. Google has also begun integrating features of Google Voice, its IP telephony product, into Hangouts, stating that Hangouts is designed to be “the future” of Voice. Google will shut down the classic version of Hangouts in October 2019.
Prior to the launch of Hangouts, Google had maintained several similar, but technologically separate messaging services and platforms across its suite of products. These have included the enterprise-oriented Google Talk (based on XMPP), Google+ Messenger, and the Hangouts feature of Google+, which provided chat, voice, videoconferencing features.
However, its increasingly fragmented and non-unified suite of messaging offerings was also facing growing competition from services such as Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and WhatsApp. A decision was made to scrap the existing Google Talk system and code a new messaging product through a collaboration with multiple development teams.
Hangouts allow conversations between two or more users. The service can be accessed online through Gmail or Google+ websites or through mobile apps available for Android and iOS (which were distributed as a successor to their existing Google Talk apps).
However, because it uses a proprietary protocol instead of the XMPP open standard protocol used by Google Talk, most third-party applications that had access to Google Talk do not have access to Google+ Hangouts.
Google Hangouts Meet is a video communication service developed by Google. It is one of two apps that constitute the new version of Google Hangouts, the other being Google Hangouts Chat. Google will begin to retire the classic version of Hangouts in October 2019.
Google Hangouts Chat is an instant messaging service developed by Google.[20] It is one of the two apps that constitute the new version of Google Hangouts, the other being Google Hangouts Meet.
There you have it – a comprehensive list of 5 best tips Google Voice in Hangouts on your Android phone. If you have any contributions or questions, feel free to drop them in the comment section below.