Call Recipients Hit with Overage Charges Thanks to Sprint’s Google Voice Integration

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The switch to Google Voice integration on Sprint brings along the many benefits of Google’s call routing and voicemail service, but it comes with one major caveat, as some users are discovering. When a user opts to assign their Google Voice number as their main Sprint number, recipients of calls are being hit with overage charges. The reason? Google Voice numbers are viewed as landline numbers by the national number database, meaning calls received from such numbers will eat up minutes as if they are coming from a landline. The Sprint user won’t experience such charges — their minutes are free — so most won’t even realize the gouging their friends and families are receiving.

Sprint is encouraging users to port their current Sprint number over to Google Voice rather than the other way around in order to avoid the problem altogether. Google Voice co-founder Vincent Paquet confirmed, and Sprint said there was no way to fix the issue. If you haven’t opted into Google Voice integration on Sprint and plan to do so soon, you’d be wise to keep your current number. Everyone’s anytime and mobile-to-mobile minutes will be better for it.

[via DailyTech]

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43 Comments

  1. FIrst

    1. with the new message boards, “First” posts are pointless…. may as well say “LAST!” 

    2.  Where’s the Unlike button for crap like this?

    3.  First what? First asshat to post “first” congratulations, you lose.

  2.  So just to clarify, when you say “Keep your current number” you mean keep your current Sprint number, or current GV number? 

    1.  keep your current Sprint number, and use it as your new GV number. This way your new GV number is considered a mobile line.

      1.  That’s what I did, I kept my sprint number my bill is the same bill every month. No extra charges on my bill at all so they way to go with this would be to use your sprint number as your google voice number. This is a great service something exclusive for sprint and we should enjoy this. Verizon customers wish they had that choice actuall they wish they had better smartphones at affordable prices I would imagine.

        1.  To clarify, I don’t believe the issue is that Sprint users are being hit with the overage charges.  

          What is being reported here would not affect your bill, but it would theoretically affect like your girlfriend or family members if they thought that they were using unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes instead of their standard 500 (or whatever a month).

        2. Learn to read!! It’s the people you call being charged asshat. 

        3. Wow. Way to restate the EXACT SAME THING the article says. And as Scott pointed out, if you read the article at all, you would learn that it is the people doing the calling to your phone and the people you call that are being charged. LEARN TO READ MORON!!!!

          1.  LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

        4.  So what is the difference between the version of Google Voice available to the public and the one that Sprint is using?

          1. The way I understand it, with any other carrier, you have your carrier provided number, and then your Google Voice number. They are 2 separate numbers, but the GV number rings all the phones you have signed up under that number, possibly including you cell phone if you so choose. With Sprint’s implementation, your GV number BECOMES your Sprint number, or vice versa. One number for both services. It is the users who opted to make their GV number their Sprint number who are having the problems reported in this article. At least, that’s what I understand of it. I’m not a user of the service (GV), so I’m probably not as in the loop as actual users.

        5. Sprint Customers wish that Sprint had gone LTE and maybe then they will have enjoyed over 22Mb down

        6. As others have pointed out, this is not unique to Sprint. I can port my Verzion number to Google (and vice versa). They have had this long before Sprint did. I have no problems with the phone selection or pricing, that may change but most likely not.

  3. Hahaha, Sprint. “where screwing over the ones you talk to is a native feature”.

    1. Give us a break with this posting and return back to your verizon LTE forums. ”Verizon where the network goes black and nobody gets notified oh yeah plus we love draining your battery inside of 3hrs with our quick as lightening LTE service”

      1. Bahaha, yeah. My battery lasts DAYS. And Sprint had a litle hiccup the other day. At least Verizon actuallty has coverage. Cant say that for Sprint in a LOT of areas. Also, Verizon is continuing to EXPAND their network. Another thing you cant say for Sprint.   

        1. expanding at what expense??? You folks on verizon are a joke and so are those cheap smartphones that everyone walks around with. Can’t help but laugh at the fact that verizon has all you folks OVER A BARREL keep paying more maybe one day you and all the rest of the BIG RED DRINKERS will own verizon. With all those SORRY OVERPRICED DEVICES on that network you need all the help you can get…Yeah diversionary tactics is what verizon does best making everyone think that since you have extreme speed you won’t care about the specs or the price of any of their devices…What a TWISTED WORLD verizon folks live.

          1. You folks that enjoy paying extra ($10 “Premium Data”) for service that is horrible (the best i got on 3G on my old Evo was 1.2 Mb) are fools, I cant help but laugh at your ridiculous reasoning, sorry overpriced device is that Evo that should be less than $199.99 now, you do realize that Sprint has no dual core devices yet they charge as much for a Nexus S with Epic 4G specs as the other carriers do for a dual core smartphone (T-MO G2X, Moto Atrix, Moto Droid X2), what a ridiculous world you live in Richard

          2. Ummm to my knowledge, Verizon has only had 2 4G outages. Ever. Both of them lasted about a day or less. I’d rather take an expanding 4G network that is out very very occasionally (Verizon) than have a stalled 4G network that has not reached any NEW cities in the past 6 months and has worse download/upload speeds than the competition. With that said though, I don’t live in a 4G area (Sprint or Verizon) and switching would be too much of a hassle, so I’m sticking with Sprint. Diversionary tactics? What the hell BS are you speaking of? No one is hiding the price or specs of the phones. In fact, if you take a look at the Verizon website, you can see pricing, specs, and other details. All of it right there in front of you. Have the balls to admit you’re wrong. You clearly are.

          3. Sprint has 0 service where I live. I would rather have “those cheap phones” over a year old phone that flat out doesnt work. And I pay less for my plan on Verizon, then I would on Sprint.

      2.  What’s the matter champ? Can dish it out, but can’t take it? Sprint sucks balls, wake up already.

      3. So it’s completely ok for you to bash Verizon at EVERY chance you get, but you can’t take just a hint of the same action? What a hypocritical pussy. I honestly can’t believe you’re 40+ years old. You whine and complain like a little girl.
        PS. Pretty much ALL reviews of your Evo 4G when it first came out complained of shitty battery life. Look it up moron.

        1.  Squiddy <3

        2. It’s the love of the android game, All I can tell your sorry losing butt is “What’s good for the goose will always be good for the gander. Your only here because I’m here so as long as you exist and be a total dweeb as you have always been I will b here to stoke the flames because that’s clearly what you need. Maybe one day down the road you will graduate to a real smartphone like the rest of us…

          1. if you loved Android as you say then you would embrace the competition instead of trying to bash it, you sir are the dweeb, maybe you will graduate to a real school and out of kinder

          2. Love? What “love” of Android do you have other than for HTC/Sprint? Android is, by definition, all inclusive and open. HTC, Samsung, Sprint, LG, Sanyo, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc. All of these are Android. You can’t say you love Android while bashing all the Android devices not Sprint/HTC. If you don’t see this, well, you’re more of hypocritical, ignorant son of a bitch than I ever thought possible. Don’t like Verizon? Then don’t read the articles/respond in the comments section pertaining to Verizon. Don’t like Samsung? Then don’t read the articles/post in the comments section having to do with Samsung. Don’t like AT&T? Then don’t read any articles/make any comments relating to AT&T. Simple as that. And you’re flat out wrong about me being here because you’re here. I’m here because I like EVERYTHING Android, not just Sprint/HTC. They have forums that cater to your specific needs. Go there. You’d fit right in. I, on the other hand, LOVE the fact that Android is open. Android is available to all people on all carriers regardless of economic status. In your case, that’s a bad thing since you have no self control and no clue what the fuck you speak of, but it’s a good thing for the general public. And last time I checked, the definition of “smartphone” is basically a cellphone that has the features of a basic computer (RAM, CPU, GPU, OS, storage space, etc). I’m fairly certain my rather antiquated Samsung Moment still fits that criteria. In fact, Sprint even advertised it as a smartphone, so it is indeed a “real” smartphone. Think of what you are going to say before you say it moron. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll keep you from stating such ridiculous BS.

      4. I bet my Droid Charge gets better battery life then whatever you use and gets at least 4-5 faster data speeds as well. Have fun on sprint, I hopefully its working well for you.

        1. Hear is my solution which has worked wonderfully and given me the best of both worlds…..Change a few files on my phone get my evo to connect to VZW’s service for fast and reliable 3G service where ever i go, run data on their network as roaming and unlimited, run a PRL update and switch back to Sprint whenever I need or whenever i dont want to blow over 5GB on roaming data. So 3G service with Verizon and 4G service with Sprint on the fly…Cant beat that. Ahhh the power of root. lolol.

      5. give us a break of your idiotic trolling, “Sprint- the now network with WiMax that cant penetrate a building and everybody gets to pay an extra $10 even if they dont have 4G, oh yeah we love draining your battery life with that WiMax radio”

  4. What is the purpose of these incentives to avoid land lines again?

  5.  And nobody saw this coming?

  6.  This fascination with Google Voice is puzzling to me.  I have a Google Voice account and I use it occasionally but I would not be interested in using it as my main number.  This was a bad idea for Google to incorporate this with Sprint.  It was something that doesn’t seem well thought out.  Although I find Google Voice cool, it has alot of quirks.

    1. I don’t know if you are using it for multiple phones, but it is kind of nice in atleast one situation.  I know someone who has to carry a personal and work phone, but often only has one of them nearby.  I no longer have to try both, I just text or call his google voice number and he can answer on either phone.  I completely agree with your last sentence.

    2. I’ve been using Google Voice (not the Sprint integration) as my main number for a while now and haven’t really had any issues.  I do call my wife with my Verizon number though to get around the issue that this post is about.  I’ve found the ability to change the set of phones that are rung to be very useful.  Also I like to listen to messages as the person is leaving them.  Free texting, call blocking, online voice mail…  I’m sold.  The integration with the iPhone isn’t the greatest, but the app is usable, and sooner or later I’ll find that perfect Android phone which I assume allows for tighter integration.

  7.  So port your mobile number over to GV and problem avoided?  I was planning on doing that anyway so that people didn’t have to learn a new number.

  8.  I’ve had google voice since it first came out and I gotta say I couldn’t be without it, the service and features are just amazing and forward thinking. The idea of controlling your number like your email, instead of the number being under the control of a phone service provider is how things should be done. With tmobile (not sure if similar plans exist with other providers) I pay $45/month for unlimited data only without any texting or voice service. With that and google voice (+ sipdorid) I get unlimited texting, voice, and data for $45/month, add the fact that I use my phone’s (vibrant 4G) hotspot capability for internet browsing for my xbox and laptop, and I get home broadband, texting, voice, and mobile data for again $45/month. That is possible thanks to google voice and tmobile’s data only plan.

    1. It’s people like you that are the reason capped data is forced down our throat. Thanks a lot.

      1. Actually I am not the reason, the reason is because of companies seeking higher profits, and just to let you know T-mobile my service provider throttles down my speed, so I play by their service agreement and if I had another provider they would simply cut my service till my next billing cycle, unless I pay for more data upfront. So again I am limited my their service agreement and the reason data is capped is for money. Peace.

  9. Everybody needs to shut the front door

  10. No way to fix? How about port the numbers so the national database updates? Its not like we are reinventing the wheel here

  11. has anybody else had the problem when after you ported your number  all your texts go to your google voice and not your phone regular messaging are like before you ported your number

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