I have been using Google Voice since way back in 2007 before the Google acquisition when it was known as GrandCentral. One of the many things I like about Android is it’s complete integration with Google Voice, I simply click on my contacts or use the phones dialer normally, and the calls route through Google Voice.
You can also initiate Google Voice calls from your PC using Chat in Gmail, or simply using the Google Voice web interface to initiate a call, telling it which phone to call you on, and after connecting you it dials your call for you.
Most of the time these methods work well to place phone calls, but once in a while I find myself using a plain old cell phone (yes they still exist) or regular phone and might not have access to initiate the call from a browser. Here are the steps to initiate a Google Voice call from any phone
- Dial your Google Voice number
- Enter your Pin (see below for instructions to skip pin)
- Press * followed by 2
- Enter the Phone Number to dial followed by #
If you want to automate this process you can store a phone number like this, referencing the list above to explain each section. The “P†represents a 2 second pause something most phones support.
(000)000-0000 P 0000 P * P 2 P (000)000-0000#
If you are using a phone registered with Google Voice you can optionally skip entering a pin when you call your number from that phone. While you trade off a little security, you also avoid the need to store your pin as part of a phone number.