Yeah, there's lots to like about GV... the big issue is that it's a Google property so it could change or go away, but it's been around for a while now, fortunately, and works quite well.
For example, my home phone ("landline" number) is on GV. It used to actually ring to my house phones via an OBi phone adapter - one time purchase of like $30 back in the day, and I had VOIP for no additional cost. I ran it in my previous house by disconnecting the wires to the phone company, and then using the existing home wiring to carry that output throughout the house for my cordless phones.
In this new house, I never bothered to set up the hardware. The phone number is still active, but it just goes to voicemail. I only give that number to companies so they can spam it all they want. If someone actually leaves a message, it's setup to let me know over email Anyone else/important has my cell number.
For the cell, I used to use GV as the number I gave out. It would forward to my actual cell. In addition, it provides all the VM capabilities. In the past, when texting was limited, I used GV texting exclusively as well - that way the carrier didn't charge me anything and I didn't need a texting plan. Nowadays, all phone calls and texts are unlimited, so I use the carrier number more often... but I could go back if I wanted to.
For business, I setup GV numbers for my company and my wife's as well. That way, I have a separate number, VM, and texting for those purposes. No one outside me knows that this is our setup - it works transparently for all callers. And, again, saves money because I don't need to pay for any service like this...
And then you can call from computers, tablets, whatever... and as long as you have wifi you can do that without even being on a cell network (ie, in other countries)... so no SIM card required, no global phones to deal with, no extra charges.
Basically, you can use any or all of GV to suit your needs. If you want texting, use that by itself. If you only want VM, then just use that. If you want a separate number, use that. Pick and choose and customize how you want to use it. All for no cost. Note, much of this started with another company in the past called GrandCentral... Google bought them, turned it into GV, and added some features/capability along the way.
I'm happy to help anyone with how to set things up, but we probably should move this discussion to a separate thread... feel free to call me into it if I miss it, as I don't spend a lot of time on the V30 section of XDA anymore (since I have an S10+ now).
For example, my home phone ("landline" number) is on GV. It used to actually ring to my house phones via an OBi phone adapter - one time purchase of like $30 back in the day, and I had VOIP for no additional cost. I ran it in my previous house by disconnecting the wires to the phone company, and then using the existing home wiring to carry that output throughout the house for my cordless phones.
In this new house, I never bothered to set up the hardware. The phone number is still active, but it just goes to voicemail. I only give that number to companies so they can spam it all they want. If someone actually leaves a message, it's setup to let me know over email Anyone else/important has my cell number.
For the cell, I used to use GV as the number I gave out. It would forward to my actual cell. In addition, it provides all the VM capabilities. In the past, when texting was limited, I used GV texting exclusively as well - that way the carrier didn't charge me anything and I didn't need a texting plan. Nowadays, all phone calls and texts are unlimited, so I use the carrier number more often... but I could go back if I wanted to.
For business, I setup GV numbers for my company and my wife's as well. That way, I have a separate number, VM, and texting for those purposes. No one outside me knows that this is our setup - it works transparently for all callers. And, again, saves money because I don't need to pay for any service like this...
And then you can call from computers, tablets, whatever... and as long as you have wifi you can do that without even being on a cell network (ie, in other countries)... so no SIM card required, no global phones to deal with, no extra charges.
Basically, you can use any or all of GV to suit your needs. If you want texting, use that by itself. If you only want VM, then just use that. If you want a separate number, use that. Pick and choose and customize how you want to use it. All for no cost. Note, much of this started with another company in the past called GrandCentral... Google bought them, turned it into GV, and added some features/capability along the way.
I'm happy to help anyone with how to set things up, but we probably should move this discussion to a separate thread... feel free to call me into it if I miss it, as I don't spend a lot of time on the V30 section of XDA anymore (since I have an S10+ now).