Comments on: Staying Connected Overseas with Google Voice and Skype

By: Carlos

Carlos — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:50:17 +0000

Hi,

Thanks very much for this. Question about texts: If I set my skype number in GV as “mobile” rather than “home”, will I be able to receive the text messages that are sent to my GV number, on my cell phone abroad? Understand that I can receive them via email forwarding, but I would like to also get them on my phone, and to be able to reply as well.

Would this work?

Thanks!

By: Vasili

Vasili — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:05:53 +0000

Thanks for all your help setting up the GV and Skype connection. It seems to work within the US….I know you dont use andriod but hope you or someone knows the answer to my question.
I am traveling to Greece and using a greek sim card in my phone do access the internet. I purchased an unlimited calling plan to the US for $2.99…I am not sure why I should or could use GV to make outgoing calls to the US….if I am signed into Skype and dial a phone number thru Skype wont that be billed under my unlimited US Skype subscription?

And for the record Skype allows you to change the phone number you display on your outgoing calls…when I use Skype to make calls, my GV number comes up on the caller ID…I hope that it still works when I am in Europe….

By: ray

ray — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:25:37 +0000

Hi Mike,

I’ve set up my Skype acct, applied for a Skype #, and added a 1 yr unlimited plan for calls to the US. In addition, I’ve linked my Skype # to GV.

My first question is, can some one who lives in the US call my Skype # directly from a land line while I’m out of the US and neither my caller or myself be charged for the call at int’l rates?

Second question, If I have a Iphone using a local sim card for the country I’m in, can I receive calls for free if some one calls my GV # which than directs it to skype? I’ve read through your older post, just not very clear on this point.The gist for me is to avoid being charged at a int’l rate when using the iphone if I can.

Also, I’m assuming if I make calls using my Ipad via Skype it’s a free call no matter if I call a land line or mobile and vice versa if I’m on my Ipad when some one directly dials my Skype # or GV #.
Thanks

By: Darin

Darin — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 02:24:10 +0000

Mike,

Thanks for all the info. We are moving to South Africa from the US in a couple days and I’ve been looking for an inexpensive way to keep in touch with family and friends. I’m new to GV and have just ported my cell number to GV. If I understand what you’ve said in your replies, I will be able to have make and receive calls using only GV for free if I do them thru my computer since my GV number is a US number. Is that correct? So if I’m not worried about making or receiving calls on an in-country cell phone, my GV number is all I need and I can leave Gmail open all the time and make and receive calls for free whenever I want to. Please let me know if this isn’t true. Thanks.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:01:02 +0000

Great article. Planning on using it when I go abroad to Peru. The only thing is, it seems to me that the Google Voice forwarding is a little redundant. Why not just have friends call the Skype Online number directly?

By: Autumn Garcia

Autumn Garcia — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:22:57 +0000

Now you can use you can forward your GV number to an international number. Check it out: bit.ly/fEjKp9

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:38:17 +0000

Hey Jen,

Sorry to take so long to reply…

From you to him:

Send an SMS to his GV number. This will get sent to his email. For me, that’s enough, because I check my email on my phone. If you really want it to arrive as an SMS, you may be able to do it through Skype, but I’m not sure.

From him to you:

He can send an SMS to any US number for free from GV. So if he opens GV on his phone, he can text your regular US number. You don’t need an NZ number.

Setting up a GV number while in NZ:

Yes, GV doesn’t work with non-US forwarding numbers. That’s why I suggest first creating a US Skype-in number, then registering that with Google Voice.

Hope this helps and isn’t too late!

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 03:52:11 +0000

Mike,
Thank you a 1000 times for your time on this blog explaining this to all of us novice. I do still have a few questions though. I am primarily interested in using the SMS feature between myself (in US) and a friend in NZ.

To send a SMS from me to him (from US to NZ):
I’d send the SMS from my phone to his Google voice phone number? Then GV>Skype>NZ local number.

For him to send me a SMS back (NZ to US):
He’d open GV on his iphone and send a text to my normal us number. Then GV would send this directly to my GV on my iphone? Do I need to have an NZ online number for him to send the SMS to?

He tried to set up a google voice number, while in NZ but it wouldn’t work; it said it doesn’t work out of US. Is that because he was using a NZ phone number for forwarding?

Thank you again for all your time put into this.

Jen

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 07:32:57 +0000

Hey Mark,

Good question – there are a few reasons why this wouldn’t work for me (I’m not saying it wouldn’t work for you, just explaining why I went with the way I talked about in the article).

1. I already had a Google Voice number that people used in the US. This let me keep the same number.
2. I don’t know how to prevent Skype from ringing in the middle of the night, saving voicemails, and allowing unlimited texting in the US. You can probably do this, but I never had a reason to investigate it.
3. I’m not sure if there is an unlimited data plan on China Unicom – if there is, it would be a lot more expensive than what I have now, and the 3G connection isn’t great.
4. It would probably end up being more expensive. With Google Voice in there, I can pay only for unlimited incoming calls on Skype, even when I call out. This saves about $10/mo.
5. I don’t have an Android phone. When I set everything up, the iPhone didn’t allow multitasking, so there wouldn’t be any way for it to ring my phone when someone called unless I only used the Skype app and had it on all the time. Even now, I’m not sure Apple lets the Skype app do this over a 3G connection.

Anyway, if your solution works on an Android phone, it certainly sounds easier to set up than mine. Good luck!

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:20:37 +0000

OK here’s one..Why not just have a data plan in china on your cell phone for unlimited data.. Just use Skype. Skype on the Android. You can point whatever number you like to the skype number. It should ring you cell phone wit the new carriers SIM chip using hte data network only. NO 2 cents a minute? Only data.

Where am I wrong?