Users of Google Voice, formerly known as Grand Central, know how convenient it is to have a Google number. Unfortunately, these numbers are hard to come by. When Grand Central was open, those desiring to get their hands on a Google number had to receive an invitation from an existing Grand Central user. Now that it has changed over to Google Voice, potential users can sign up to receive an invitation from Google when they open registration once again.
As a user of Google Voice myself, I have found that having a Google number comes with quite a few benefits, including privacy, convenience, and free calls. Here’s my five favorite things about having Google number that will surely make you want to sign up for an invite today.
Hide Your Caller ID
The way Google Voice works is, you choose the phone you want to call your party from, tell Google your party’s phone number, and it will ring both of you. First it will ring your phone, and when you pick up, it will ring your friend’s phone, so they won’t be picking up before you’re even on.
However, you might not always be calling a friend. Or maybe you want your call to be a surprise. Either way, having your caller ID hidden has its benefits. When you call, your name and number will not show up on the caller ID; instead, the name and number of the system Google is using will be displayed instead.
Give Your Number to Anyone (and Never Worry About What They’ll Do With It)
Are you signing up for freebies at that US Cellular tent at the air show? Or how about leaving your number with customer service at a store? Worried that some creep standing in line behind you is going to overhear you giving your number to a clerk? Or how about a friend who just gives your number to anybody who asks for it? Don’t worry about it. With Google Voice, you can give your number to anyone, and you decide if you want to pick up the phone, read their messages, or anything else.
On Google Voice, you have the option of receiving messages to voicemail and having them transcribed right on Google. Now, Google obviously can read those messages, so that’s a potential drawback, and they’re not always transcribed perfectly, but they give you the gist of who’s calling and their callback number. Which leads me to my next favorite feature:
Block Any Annoying Number You Want To
Yes, you can block numbers coming to your Google number and never get called from them again. So the next time you’re trying to get a dude to quit asking for your phone number, give him your Google Voice number and then block his calls by blocking his number on Google. It also works well for me on sales calls, insurance ads, and just about anything else.
Free Calls Anywhere Within the Continental US
I have benefited immensely from the free calls feature. When you use Google Voice, you can call anywhere in the 48 states for free, and intercontinental calls are much cheaper than with a cell phone. This is great if you’re traveling or calling someone who lives states away, which I do on at least a weekly basis. This also works for calling customer support at a company that doesn’t have an 800 number.
Ring Any Personal Phones You Want
As far as I know, there’s no limit to the number of phones Google will ring when you receive a call. You can ring your office phone, your cell phone, home phone, etc., and never be limited to where you are. You can also set up a call from any of your phones as well, so you can choose your cell phone for shorter calls, and a landline or cordless phone if you want a more comfortable or private conversation.
There aren’t too many drawbacks to having a Google number. They’re not releasing more numbers at the moment, but hopefully they’ll open up for registration again soon. Right now you can go to google.com/voice, select “Get An Invite” and enter your email address to sign up for an invitation.
Once you have a Google Voice number, you may never need to get another number; you can use this one for all your phone call needs. All you need is a phone.
