My iPhone, Google Voice, & AT&T

Backstory

So, I am in the process of starting a new job, which is SUPER exciting. While we are an extremely tech savvy school, because our building is built to withstand five earthquakes simultaneously, only kind of joking, we do not get the best cell reception with AT&T. This is a problem as I have an iPhone. I love my phone, it allows me to not only use my phone but also check up on my Google Reader, check in, tweet, capture my thoughts/images in Evernote, and many of those things I will need for my job.

But

Because of the lack of reception in our building, I can't use my wonderful device as a phone. This is a problem because I don't want to sit in my office. I want to be roaming the school, interacting with students & teachers. In order to do that, I need to make sure I can access my work and mobile phone numbers all on one device: my iPhone.

The Answer

I am going with Google Voice* but want to keep my mobile number. This is important because I don't want to inconvenience my friends and colleagues and have to switch my mobile number AGAIN. Google Voice will allow me to get reception on my mobile and work numbers on my iPhone via our WiFi network and the Talkatone app. This approach also allows me to use all of my mobile apps that, as I mentioned, are an important part of documenting my job.

The Problem

I wanted to have my mobile number completely connected to Google Voice. Unfortunately, AT&T doesn't allow you to port your mobile number to Google Voice without incurring an early termination fee. When I suggested that I would not be canceling AT&T, just simply adding a new number to my line and would forward that to Google Voice, I was given a flat response of NO. Funnily enough, other services allow it.

The Solution

After being shot down by a few AT&T customer service reps on the phone, I met Irene Drake, a customer rep at the AT&T store on Union St. in San Francisco. Irene was EXTREMELY helpful and wanted to ensure that I found a way to make this work but ultimately, our initial solution was not as successful as we had hoped.

After sleeping on it, I came up with the following approach this morning:

At Work

1. Forward mobile number to Google Voice by dialing **61*xxx-xxx-xxxx# on your mobile phone (the x's represent your GV #)


2. Forward work number to Google Voice by dialing **61*xxx-xxx-xxxx# on your work number (the x's represent your GV #)


3. Download the Talkatone app to your iPhone


4. In Google Voice>Click Settings>Click Phones>Scroll to Forwarding Options>Click "ring my other phones before going to voicemail"


5. Turn on "Airplane Mode"


6. Turn on Wifi


7. Receive calls from work and personal numbers via Talkatone


8. Make calls via your Google Voice number using Talkatone

After Work

1. Turn off "Airplane Mode"


2. Turn off Wifi


3. Make and receive personal calls via AT&T


4. Work phone still goes to Google Voice (this way I can screen calls after work hours)

The Catch

There always is one, isn't there?

When dialing out from work, I will have to use my Google Voice number**. I won't be making a lot of personal calls at work, so I will associate my Google Voice number with work and keep my personal mobile number exactly that.

Conclusion

Yes, it requires some extra steps but since I am in a building with nearly no mobile reception, this will allow me to be away from my desk and working with faculty and students while also having access to my work and mobile numbers on my iPhone.

Also, when it comes to team based communication, since each member of our tech department has an iPhone, I think i'm going to have us use Kik for group messaging since we are located all over our campus. (More to come on that later in the year)

Again, I want to thank Irene Drake, as she was SUPER helpful in spending the time with me to ensure we could find a solution without having to pay the early termination fee. While we didn't find a the right answer off the bat, she reminded me that there are a lot of good people at AT&T who do want the best for their customers.

Photo Credit: hname

*If you want to know about the advantages of using Google Voice, check out this post.
**Unless my job will let me port my number over.