Does anyone use Google Voice to call the Phils from USA?

[Balamban 113]

I just paid google $10 (I'm glad I didn't choose the $25 option).  Everything looks good.  I dial from voice.google.com, my phone rings and I get the "it'll cost you twelve cents per minute.  Then ring..ring...ring, ring...and after a while, click.

 

Ok I thought, maybe not home, maybe at church?  So I called the next relative, and the next, now I've called six--no answer from anyone including my wife's comment "call her, she lives with her phone..."  Nope

 

Does google voice work?  I'm calling to Cebu and Negros Oriental.

Thoughts?

[TM92 527]

1 hour ago, Balamban said:

Does google voice work?

When I call other countries I occasionally encounter issues with Google Voice. Instead, I use Boss Revolution; it's a good alternative, IMO: https://www.bossrevolution.com/en-us/country/philippines

If you don't want to download the iOS or Android app, your local access number is (413) 497-0116

Edited November 4, 2018 by TM92

[Disteny 38]

Yes for me it worked many times I call relatives in Canada and in Africa .

[Balamban 113]

Thanks TM92 and Disteny, Yes I know it works (for free) US to Canada.  I was hoping that someone would ID it's use currently in the Phils.   I'll look into bossrevolution one but I was hoping to get something for my $10

 

Boss revolutoin is 10-15 cents/minute, yikes.... China and Poland are one cent per minute.  

Edited November 4, 2018 by Balamban

[TNguyen501 2]

They have internet? Just they them to setup a Facebook account. You can chat face to face using Facebook message or just voice chat or text. Only cost is to have internet. Pretty much any smart phone could do it or a computer. 

[tawakol 19]

google voice works only in US and canda any one outside can use VPN to receive IMO and ICQ i use ICQ works fine

[Nicola and Jordan 668]

We both use an app called LINE it’s free and you can make free calls, text and video calls using the internet - bit like Facebook Messenger mentioned above 

[Yan_Inna 32]

9 hours ago, Balamban said:

I just paid google $10 (I'm glad I didn't choose the $25 option).  Everything looks good.  I dial from voice.google.com, my phone rings and I get the "it'll cost you twelve cents per minute.  Then ring..ring...ring, ring...and after a while, click.

 

Ok I thought, maybe not home, maybe at church?  So I called the next relative, and the next, now I've called six--no answer from anyone including my wife's comment "call her, she lives with her phone..."  Nope

 

Does google voice work?  I'm calling to Cebu and Negros Oriental.

Thoughts?

Use Viber, it’s free. Just download the app. Everyone worldwide uses it.

[Hank_ 9,171]

10 hours ago, Balamban said:

I just paid google $10 (I'm glad I didn't choose the $25 option).  Everything looks good.  I dial from voice.google.com, my phone rings and I get the "it'll cost you twelve cents per minute.  Then ring..ring...ring, ring...and after a while, click.

 

Ok I thought, maybe not home, maybe at church?  So I called the next relative, and the next, now I've called six--no answer from anyone including my wife's comment "call her, she lives with her phone..."  Nope

 

Does google voice work?  I'm calling to Cebu and Negros Oriental.

Thoughts?

Yup my wife used it for years, I usually keep $10 on it, had it set to "auto pay" when the funds got low.     Then a few years ago I brought an OBI with us to the Phils, plugged it in there (to the internet), it has a USA phone number and now the calls are free (using regular house phones).    (we still are using Google Voice but as VOIP)

 

 

6 hours ago, tawakol said:

google voice works only in US and canda any one outside can use VPN to receive IMO and ICQ i use ICQ works fine

Google Voice has a long distance service for calling other countries

 

[Hank_ 9,171]

7 hours ago, Balamban said:

Thanks TM92 and Disteny, Yes I know it works (for free) US to Canada.  I was hoping that someone would ID it's use currently in the Phils.   I'll look into bossrevolution one but I was hoping to get something for my $10

 

Boss revolutoin is 10-15 cents/minute, yikes.... China and Poland are one cent per minute.  

I will have my wife make a call to test the GV long distance service, get back to you.

 

A difference for us may be that we are using Google Voice as our house phone also (ya a landline, I like using a real phone with 5 phones sitting around the house so I don't have to carry my cell phone  ... yes this is free )

Edited November 4, 2018 by Hank_

[Balamban 113]

Thanks Hank, if your call works I'll know the issue is on my end.

 

TNguyen501 not a one has video, we're talking the backwoods here.  My wife, after weeks of effort finally got internet and that pathetic (maybe 2M down and 500k up) cost about 2000p/month.  Nobody that I want to call has Inet.

 

What I'm trying to do is called a 3GP (a three generation pedigree) for a class assignment (genetics and genomics) so that means tracking down my wife's parents brothers and sister of which there were nine.  Then each of the nine married and had kids and I'm trying to look at things like stillbirth, death after birth, illnesses such as cancer or diabetes--that sort of thing.  Therefore I need to call many people (or rather my wife does since I don't speak Bisayan except for salamat and kumusta ka...)

 

It's easier when you want to call one phone number, and some allows calls to 5 phone numbers but here I don't know, and cannot find which carrier they are on and that makes a difference.

 

It's pathetic really that you can call countries like China and Poland for a penny a minute and to the Phils, 10-15 cents a minute.  Such is life.

 

I have one relative who has hangouts, other that than asking 50-65 year old Philippine people to "put hangout on your phone," just ain't gonna work.

 

Thanks to all who tried to answer.

 

Boss revolution has per minute calls to the Phils (as does G Voice supposedly) but no $5/month "plan," 

 

See https://www.bossrevolution.com/en-us/rates/philippines

 

I suspect that monopolies are alive and well in the Philippines

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by Balamban

[Hank_ 9,171]

18 minutes ago, Balamban said:

Thanks Hank, if your call works I'll know the issue is on my end.

 

*deleted"    

OK, it worked just fine, crystal clear.   I made the call, used my cell phone as the phone to connect to.  Entered  +63 XXX XXX XXXX      < this is a mobile number.  Did NOT enter the 0 at the beginning, just the phone #.

Edited November 4, 2018 by Hank_

[Balamban 113]

Thanks Hank, then there's something else going on, I'll try all seven numbers again around 9pm tonight, I appreciate the effort.