Google Voice Now Officially Open to Public!

Google Voice service is now officially open to anyone who is interested! At it’s core, Google Voice service allows you to tie together all of your phones (work, cell, home, etc) with one number. Calls made to your Google Voice number will ring any or all of your phones, depending on your configuration! This is similar to the traditional call forwarding feature but Google Voice is much, much more than just a basic call forwarding service. Why? Because you get to configure how Google Voice works for you. Want calls in the morning to be routed only to your work phone? That works. Want calls in the evening to be routed to your house phone? That works as well. Want only your special clients to reach you on your cell phone? Yup, that works as well. Want to play it safe and have all five of your phones ring simultaneously when someone calls your Google Voice number? You guessed it, that works as well. With Google Voice, it is much more easier for other people to reach you at anytime of the day/night.

Please watch this overview video to see more of how Google Voice works:

Google Voice also offers many more features than what I have just mentioned. For example, Google Voice offers free SMS, blocking of callers, personalized greetings, international callings with cheap rates, free outbound calling within the United States, and voicemail translation. For a more complete overview of the Google Voice service, visit their feature’s homepage here.

Google Voice is not meant to replace your current cellular/house telephone plans, yet. Your cellular phone will still need to be active and functioning in order to receive calls made to your Google Voice number, which Google provides you with free of charge. As of now, there is no way to import your current non-Google number to use Google Voice’s features. In order to fully utilize Google Voice features, callers must call your Google Voice number. Therefore, if you do plan on fully utilizing the Google Voice service, it is your job to communicate your new Google Voice number to your friends, co-workers, family members, etc. It is also possible to only use Google Voice’s voicemail features with your current cell without signing up for a Google Voice number. You can specify this during the sign up process.