The brother of my 85-year old friend has a brain injury, and can't live
by himself. He was recently transferred from Baltimore, where she and I
live, to a suburb of DC, almost an hour away by car (plus she does not
have a car). She also has a phone plan, lingo.com that prevents her
from calling another area code, other than the 2 for Baltimore. Plus
she has to call over and over because the nurses are rarely at their
station but are in patients' rooms dealing with patients, I presume.

So I thought of her using Skype and wifi-calling. Still working on
Skype, but I tried to implement wifi-calling already on this Moto G
Pure, and I got an error. The phone still lists as the cellular
providor Metro-something, since that was what the guy who gave her the
phone used. OTOH, she doesn't have a sim at all, uses with his
permission the next-door n'bor's wifi, and has used the phone entirely
for watching videos.

Is there any way I can get rid of Metro? I think I have a sim from last
month in Guatemala or one from Freedom Pop from years ago (a terrible
company. Avoid it at all costs) . Would inserting one of those get rid
of Metro without inserting itself? I suppose that is unlikely.

If she had a brand new unlocked phone, would she be in better shape?

For a while I was oonfused and thought that she'd be making calls on the
same phone line as the guy next door, but this is his computer's wifi,
not his cellular. That wouldn't present any conflicts, would it?

On 2/19/24 7:05 AM, micky wrote:
>The brother of my 85-year old friend has a brain injury, and can't live
>by himself. He was recently transferred from Baltimore, where she and I
>live, to a suburb of DC, almost an hour away by car (plus she does not
>have a car). She also has a phone plan, lingo.com that prevents her
>from calling another area code, other than the 2 for Baltimore. Plus
>she has to call over and over because the nurses are rarely at their
>station but are in patients' rooms dealing with patients, I presume.
>
>So I thought of her using Skype and wifi-calling. Still working on
>Skype, but I tried to implement wifi-calling already on this Moto G
>Pure, and I got an error. The phone still lists as the cellular
>providor Metro-something, since that was what the guy who gave her the
>phone used. OTOH, she doesn't have a sim at all, uses with his
>permission the next-door n'bor's wifi, and has used the phone entirely
>for watching videos.
>
>Is there any way I can get rid of Metro? I think I have a sim from last
>month in Guatemala or one from Freedom Pop from years ago (a terrible
>company. Avoid it at all costs) . Would inserting one of those get rid
>of Metro without inserting itself? I suppose that is unlikely.
>
>If she had a brand new unlocked phone, would she be in better shape?
>
>For a while I was oonfused and thought that she'd be making calls on the
>same phone line as the guy next door, but this is his computer's wifi,
>not his cellular. That wouldn't present any conflicts, would it?

Might give Google Voice a try. I used it some years back and it worked well.
It has the advantage of the person being called not needing a special app.
It probably could be used on her current phone using its WiFi. Or most any
other device. I used to use a cheap 7" Android tablet. It was similar to
the phone 'phablets' of the day...

<https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-does-google-voice-work>

In comp.mobile.android, on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:45:06 -0000 (UTC), AJL
<noemail@none.org> wrote:

>On 2/19/24 7:05 AM, micky wrote:
>>The brother of my 85-year old friend has a brain injury, and can't live
>>by himself. He was recently transferred from Baltimore, where she and I
>>live, to a suburb of DC, almost an hour away by car (plus she does not
>>have a car). She also has a phone plan, lingo.com that prevents her
>>from calling another area code, other than the 2 for Baltimore. Plus
>>she has to call over and over because the nurses are rarely at their
>>station but are in patients' rooms dealing with patients, I presume.
>>
>>So I thought of her using Skype and wifi-calling. Still working on
>>Skype, but I tried to implement wifi-calling already on this Moto G
>>Pure, and I got an error. The phone still lists as the cellular
>>providor Metro-something, since that was what the guy who gave her the
>>phone used. OTOH, she doesn't have a sim at all, uses with his
>>permission the next-door n'bor's wifi, and has used the phone entirely
>>for watching videos.
>>
>>Is there any way I can get rid of Metro? I think I have a sim from last
>>month in Guatemala or one from Freedom Pop from years ago (a terrible
>>company. Avoid it at all costs) . Would inserting one of those get rid
>>of Metro without inserting itself? I suppose that is unlikely.
>>
>>If she had a brand new unlocked phone, would she be in better shape?
>>
>>For a while I was oonfused and thought that she'd be making calls on the
>>same phone line as the guy next door, but this is his computer's wifi,
>>not his cellular. That wouldn't present any conflicts, would it?
>
>Might give Google Voice a try. I used it some years back and it worked well.
> It has the advantage of the person being called not needing a special app.
> It probably could be used on her current phone using its WiFi. Or most any
> other device. I used to use a cheap 7" Android tablet. It was similar to
> the phone 'phablets' of the day...
>
><https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-does-google-voice-work>

Thanks. I've never used it and I keep forgetting about Google Voice.

micky wrote on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 10:07:59 -0500 :

> I've never used it and I keep forgetting about Google Voice.

I didn't understand the OP so I am only keying off this one statement
above, even as it has nothing per se to do with wi-fi calling features.

As noted, Google Voice is as good as a POTS line for making and receiving
phone calls as long as you have an Internet connection for it to employ.

While nothing works as well as Google Voice (I with it did), I tested all
the free (almost none are ad free) VOIP apps years ago. Talkatone is OK.

Bear in mind that Google Voice will create an account on the device the
instant you log into it, even if there isn't any account on the device.

I've never tested what happens if you already have a Google Account set up
on the device and then you log into Google Voice using another account.

I suspect it simply creates another Google Account on the device, or maybe
links to it, or whatever it wants to do, but I leave that for you to test.

Let us know how that works out for you.

In comp.mobile.android, on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 16:57:37 -0000 (UTC), Andrew
<andrew@spam.net> wrote:

>micky wrote on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 10:07:59 -0500 :
>
>> I've never used it and I keep forgetting about Google Voice.
>
>I didn't understand the OP so I am only keying off this one statement
>above, even as it has nothing per se to do with wi-fi calling features.
>
>As noted, Google Voice is as good as a POTS line for making and receiving
>phone calls as long as you have an Internet connection for it to employ.
>
>While nothing works as well as Google Voice (I with it did), I tested all
>the free (almost none are ad free) VOIP apps years ago. Talkatone is OK.
>
>Bear in mind that Google Voice will create an account on the device the
>instant you log into it, even if there isn't any account on the device.
>
>I've never tested what happens if you already have a Google Account set up
>on the device and then you log into Google Voice using another account.
>
>I suspect it simply creates another Google Account on the device, or maybe
>links to it, or whatever it wants to do, but I leave that for you to test.
>
>Let us know how that works out for you.

Well, I've long heard good things about it (and then forgotten it) so in
preparation for her phone, I started to install it on my phone.

The first thing it said was, in bold, "You must have an existing
US-based mobile phone number to qualify." All of the readers here
would have had that and would have breezed by this statement and maybe
not even remembered it?, even if it applied when they signed up.

Then it talks about how your mobile provider will cancel your account
after porting the number is complete.

She's 85, a widow, short of money and doesn't have a mobile number. If
she did, she wouldn't need any of this. So Google Voice isn't going to
work for her, is it?

So I looked at Talkatone. It seems to really emphasize i-products, and
says "WiFi calling on Android is complicated." "For example, Verizon
only lets you use WiFi calling on Android if you have both WiFi calling
and HD voice enabled. If you can’t enable both of those features, you
can’t use WiFi calling. Meanwhile, Sprint has no restrictions on WiFi
calling." But she's not trying to use her next-door neighbor's
cellular. she's using his computer's internet. I don't even know who
that provider is, Verizon or Comcast, probably, but maybe it doesn't
matter. OTOH, the phone still lists Metro-PCS as the carrier.

Maybe there is another VOIP that will be simpler to use?

In comp.mobile.android, on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:45:06 -0000 (UTC), AJL
<noemail@none.org> wrote:

>On 2/19/24 7:05 AM, micky wrote:
>>The brother of my 85-year old friend has a brain injury, and can't live
>>by himself. He was recently transferred from Baltimore, where she and I
>>live, to a suburb of DC, almost an hour away by car (plus she does not
>>have a car). She also has a phone plan, lingo.com that prevents her
>>from calling another area code, other than the 2 for Baltimore. Plus
>>she has to call over and over because the nurses are rarely at their
>>station but are in patients' rooms dealing with patients, I presume.
>>
>>So I thought of her using Skype and wifi-calling. Still working on
>>Skype, but I tried to implement wifi-calling already on this Moto G
>>Pure, and I got an error. The phone still lists as the cellular
>>providor Metro-something, since that was what the guy who gave her the
>>phone used. OTOH, she doesn't have a sim at all, uses with his
>>permission the next-door n'bor's wifi, and has used the phone entirely
>>for watching videos.
>>
>>Is there any way I can get rid of Metro? I think I have a sim from last
>>month in Guatemala or one from Freedom Pop from years ago (a terrible
>>company. Avoid it at all costs) . Would inserting one of those get rid
>>of Metro without inserting itself? I suppose that is unlikely.
>>
>>If she had a brand new unlocked phone, would she be in better shape?
>>
>>For a while I was oonfused and thought that she'd be making calls on the
>>same phone line as the guy next door, but this is his computer's wifi,
>>not his cellular. That wouldn't present any conflicts, would it?
>
>Might give Google Voice a try. I used it some years back and it worked well.
> It has the advantage of the person being called not needing a special app.
> It probably could be used on her current phone using its WiFi. Or most any
> other device. I used to use a cheap 7" Android tablet. It was similar to
> the phone 'phablets' of the day...
>
><https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-does-google-voice-work>

Well, I've long heard good things about it (and then forgotten it) so in
preparation for her phone, I started to install it on my phone.

The first thing it said was, in bold, "You must have an existing
US-based mobile phone number to qualify." All of the readers here
would have had that and would have breezed by this statement and maybe
not even remembered it?, even if it was in forced when they signed up,
and it might not have been back then.

Then it talks about how your mobile provider will cancel your account
after porting the number is complete.

So I don't think it will work.

But I found 2nd Line, and I installed that. I had to provide a
creditcard or Paypal, so I used mine. I doubt my 85-year old friend
will use enough money to break me.

2nd Line lets you pick a phone number. I chose our actual area code
and one of the 5 numbers they offered. If you don't pick one in 30
seconds, it offers a different 5. Then, right away, it works.

I've only called numbers that don't answer, but it seems to work fine.
Ads that are hard to get rid of but they don't interrupt phone calls.
Mostly she needs to be able to call her brother in the "home" where he
lives, and with lingo.com on her home phone, she can only call numbers
in her area code (and probably the other one with the same geographical
area.) 2nd Line says you can call for free all over the US and Canada,
just using wifi

TextNow. Of all the others, the best one seemed like TextNow, which is
free but you can also buy a sim, for only $5, which will allow you, they
say, to make calls when you are not near wifi!! I wonder how that
works. But it would take a few days for them to mail the sim so I
postponed that.

I think both allow international calls if you pay. And one of the
others said you could call from anywhere in the world, but it wasn't
clear if you had to be near wifi or not, and it may well be you can only
call TO the US and Canada. And of course we're only talking about
calls and texting and if you are visiting a foreign country, I at least
want to have data too for tourism, restaurants, etc.

On 2/21/24 2:31 PM, micky wrote:
>In comp.mobile.android, on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:45:06 -0000 (UTC), AJL
><noemail@none.org> wrote:
>
>>On 2/19/24 7:05 AM, micky wrote:
>>>The brother of my 85-year old friend has a brain injury, and can't live
>>>by himself. He was recently transferred from Baltimore, where she and I
>>>live, to a suburb of DC, almost an hour away by car (plus she does not
>>>have a car). She also has a phone plan, lingo.com that prevents her
>>>from calling another area code, other than the 2 for Baltimore. Plus
>>>she has to call over and over because the nurses are rarely at their
>>>station but are in patients' rooms dealing with patients, I presume.
>>>
>>>So I thought of her using Skype and wifi-calling. Still working on
>>>Skype, but I tried to implement wifi-calling already on this Moto G
>>>Pure, and I got an error. The phone still lists as the cellular
>>>providor Metro-something, since that was what the guy who gave her the
>>>phone used. OTOH, she doesn't have a sim at all, uses with his
>>>permission the next-door n'bor's wifi, and has used the phone entirely
>>>for watching videos.
>>>
>>>Is there any way I can get rid of Metro? I think I have a sim from last
>>>month in Guatemala or one from Freedom Pop from years ago (a terrible
>>>company. Avoid it at all costs) . Would inserting one of those get rid
>>>of Metro without inserting itself? I suppose that is unlikely.
>>>
>>>If she had a brand new unlocked phone, would she be in better shape?
>>>
>>>For a while I was oonfused and thought that she'd be making calls on the
>>>same phone line as the guy next door, but this is his computer's wifi,
>>>not his cellular. That wouldn't present any conflicts, would it?
>>
>>Might give Google Voice a try. I used it some years back and it worked well.
>> It has the advantage of the person being called not needing a special app.
>> It probably could be used on her current phone using its WiFi. Or most any
>> other device. I used to use a cheap 7" Android tablet. It was similar to
>> the phone 'phablets' of the day...

>><https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-does-google-voice-work>

>Well, I've long heard good things about it (and then forgotten it) so in
>preparation for her phone, I started to install it on my phone.

>The first thing it said was, in bold, "You must have an existing
>US-based mobile phone number to qualify.

The tomsguide link (above) says (copied below) you have 2 choices. You can
port an existing number or you can get a new one from Google. That's the
way I remember it:

"When you sign up for the first time, you have the option of using your own
phone number that you can port to the service or getting your own. If you
choose the latter, you’ll need to input your area code and pick the phone
number of choice. If you care about the phone number’s digits (like if
you’re a business and want to get a vanity number people can dial), you can
input your desired digits and see if they’re available. Once you have your
phone number (it happens immediately), you can create your voicemail
message. You can then start making calls from your phone or your computer.
You can also use the service to send and receive text messages."

>All of the readers here
>would have had that and would have breezed by this statement and maybe
>not even remembered it?, even if it was in forced when they signed up,
>and it might not have been back then.
>
>Then it talks about how your mobile provider will cancel your account
>after porting the number is complete.
>
>So I don't think it will work.
>
>
>But I found 2nd Line, and I installed that. I had to provide a
>creditcard or Paypal, so I used mine. I doubt my 85-year old friend
>will use enough money to break me.
>
>2nd Line lets you pick a phone number. I chose our actual area code
>and one of the 5 numbers they offered. If you don't pick one in 30
>seconds, it offers a different 5. Then, right away, it works.
>
>I've only called numbers that don't answer, but it seems to work fine.
>Ads that are hard to get rid of but they don't interrupt phone calls.
>Mostly she needs to be able to call her brother in the "home" where he
>lives, and with lingo.com on her home phone, she can only call numbers
>in her area code (and probably the other one with the same geographical
>area.) 2nd Line says you can call for free all over the US and Canada,
>just using wifi
>
>TextNow. Of all the others, the best one seemed like TextNow, which is
>free but you can also buy a sim, for only $5, which will allow you, they
>say, to make calls when you are not near wifi!! I wonder how that
>works. But it would take a few days for them to mail the sim so I
>postponed that.
>
>I think both allow international calls if you pay. And one of the
>others said you could call from anywhere in the world, but it wasn't
>clear if you had to be near wifi or not, and it may well be you can only
>call TO the US and Canada. And of course we're only talking about
>calls and texting and if you are visiting a foreign country, I at least
>want to have data too for tourism, restaurants, etc.

In comp.mobile.android, on Wed, 21 Feb 2024 22:01:12 -0000 (UTC), AJL
<noemail@none.com> wrote:

>On 2/21/24 2:31 PM, micky wrote:
>>In comp.mobile.android, on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:45:06 -0000 (UTC), AJL
>><noemail@none.org> wrote:
>>
>>>On 2/19/24 7:05 AM, micky wrote:
>>>>The brother of my 85-year old friend has a brain injury, and can't live
>>>>by himself. He was recently transferred from Baltimore, where she and I
>>>>live, to a suburb of DC, almost an hour away by car (plus she does not
>>>>have a car). She also has a phone plan, lingo.com that prevents her
>>>>from calling another area code, other than the 2 for Baltimore. Plus
>>>>she has to call over and over because the nurses are rarely at their
>>>>station but are in patients' rooms dealing with patients, I presume.
>>>>
>>>>So I thought of her using Skype and wifi-calling. Still working on
>>>>Skype, but I tried to implement wifi-calling already on this Moto G
>>>>Pure, and I got an error. The phone still lists as the cellular
>>>>providor Metro-something, since that was what the guy who gave her the
>>>>phone used. OTOH, she doesn't have a sim at all, uses with his
>>>>permission the next-door n'bor's wifi, and has used the phone entirely
>>>>for watching videos.
>>>>
>>>>Is there any way I can get rid of Metro? I think I have a sim from last
>>>>month in Guatemala or one from Freedom Pop from years ago (a terrible
>>>>company. Avoid it at all costs) . Would inserting one of those get rid
>>>>of Metro without inserting itself? I suppose that is unlikely.
>>>>
>>>>If she had a brand new unlocked phone, would she be in better shape?
>>>>
>>>>For a while I was oonfused and thought that she'd be making calls on the
>>>>same phone line as the guy next door, but this is his computer's wifi,
>>>>not his cellular. That wouldn't present any conflicts, would it?
>>>
>>>Might give Google Voice a try. I used it some years back and it worked well.
>>> It has the advantage of the person being called not needing a special app.
>>> It probably could be used on her current phone using its WiFi. Or most any
>>> other device. I used to use a cheap 7" Android tablet. It was similar to
>>> the phone 'phablets' of the day...
>
>
>
>>><https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-does-google-voice-work>
>
>
>>Well, I've long heard good things about it (and then forgotten it) so in
>>preparation for her phone, I started to install it on my phone.
>
>>The first thing it said was, in bold, "You must have an existing
>>US-based mobile phone number to qualify.
>
>
>The tomsguide link (above) says (copied below) you have 2 choices. You can
> port an existing number or you can get a new one from Google. That's the
> way I remember it:

Well you might be right, but I took that to mean you can port an
existing number or get a new one, but either way you have to have " an
existing US-based mobile phone number to qualify." And I only sawa it
on the phone, so I'm not good at copying it here, but on that same page
it had a weblink that gave more instructions (Learn how to use your
current number***) and iirc there were a lot about porting...

***Oops, this asumes you want to use your current number. I missed the
line at the bottom, which says only Search, and then offers me 3 towns
in Maryland to choose from, an 6 numbers in the town I chose. When I
didn't choose any of them, when I didnt' do anything, it started over,
this time it gave me 3 towns in Georgia, including Atlanta. Thanks for
insisting.

I was at my friend's today but I took her phone home with me, and I
could still install GVoice I guess. I'm looking at its Playstore page
and it gives 6 images of a phone's screen but no text!!! Can I assume
there are no, or very few ads?? That would be better than 2nd Line.
2nd Line looks great so far** but I think it has ads that could annoy
someone

**I called my hhome phone for it and called it from my home phone, and
it worked well. I left a message on the cell phone and it played at
very low volume, but I doubt she'll get any phone messages except spam.
She'll continue. give people her home phone number.

>"When you sign up for the first time, you have the option of using your own
> phone number that you can port to the service or getting your own. If you
> choose the latter, you’ll need to input your area code and pick the phone
> number of choice. If you care about the phone number’s digits (like if
> you’re a business and want to get a vanity number people can dial), you can
> input your desired digits and see if they’re available. Once you have your
> phone number (it happens immediately), you can create your voicemail
> message. You can then start making calls from your phone or your computer.
> You can also use the service to send and receive text messages."
>
>
>
>
>>All of the readers here
>>would have had that and would have breezed by this statement and maybe
>>not even remembered it?, even if it was in forced when they signed up,
>>and it might not have been back then.
>>
>>Then it talks about how your mobile provider will cancel your account
>>after porting the number is complete.
>>
>>So I don't think it will work.
>>
>>
>>But I found 2nd Line, and I installed that. I had to provide a
>>creditcard or Paypal, so I used mine. I doubt my 85-year old friend
>>will use enough money to break me.
>>
>>2nd Line lets you pick a phone number. I chose our actual area code
>>and one of the 5 numbers they offered. If you don't pick one in 30
>>seconds, it offers a different 5. Then, right away, it works.
>>
>>I've only called numbers that don't answer, but it seems to work fine.
>>Ads that are hard to get rid of but they don't interrupt phone calls.
>>Mostly she needs to be able to call her brother in the "home" where he
>>lives, and with lingo.com on her home phone, she can only call numbers
>>in her area code (and probably the other one with the same geographical
>>area.) 2nd Line says you can call for free all over the US and Canada,
>>just using wifi
>>
>>TextNow. Of all the others, the best one seemed like TextNow, which is
>>free but you can also buy a sim, for only $5, which will allow you, they
>>say, to make calls when you are not near wifi!! I wonder how that
>>works. But it would take a few days for them to mail the sim so I
>>postponed that.
>>
>>I think both allow international calls if you pay. And one of the
>>others said you could call from anywhere in the world, but it wasn't
>>clear if you had to be near wifi or not, and it may well be you can only
>>call TO the US and Canada. And of course we're only talking about
>>calls and texting and if you are visiting a foreign country, I at least
>>want to have data too for tourism, restaurants, etc.
>

On 2/21/24 11:12 PM, micky wrote:
>In comp.mobile.android, on Wed, 21 Feb 2024 22:01:12 -0000 (UTC), AJL
><noemail@none.com> wrote:
>
>>On 2/21/24 2:31 PM, micky wrote:
>>>In comp.mobile.android, on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:45:06 -0000 (UTC), AJL
>>><noemail@none.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On 2/19/24 7:05 AM, micky wrote:
>>>>>The brother of my 85-year old friend has a brain injury, and can't live
>>>>>by himself. He was recently transferred from Baltimore, where she and I
>>>>>live, to a suburb of DC, almost an hour away by car (plus she does not
>>>>>have a car). She also has a phone plan, lingo.com that prevents her
>>>>>from calling another area code, other than the 2 for Baltimore. Plus
>>>>>she has to call over and over because the nurses are rarely at their
>>>>>station but are in patients' rooms dealing with patients, I presume.
>>>>>
>>>>>So I thought of her using Skype and wifi-calling. Still working on
>>>>>Skype, but I tried to implement wifi-calling already on this Moto G
>>>>>Pure, and I got an error. The phone still lists as the cellular
>>>>>providor Metro-something, since that was what the guy who gave her the
>>>>>phone used. OTOH, she doesn't have a sim at all, uses with his
>>>>>permission the next-door n'bor's wifi, and has used the phone entirely
>>>>>for watching videos.
>>>>>
>>>>>Is there any way I can get rid of Metro? I think I have a sim from last
>>>>>month in Guatemala or one from Freedom Pop from years ago (a terrible
>>>>>company. Avoid it at all costs) . Would inserting one of those get rid
>>>>>of Metro without inserting itself? I suppose that is unlikely.
>>>>>
>>>>>If she had a brand new unlocked phone, would she be in better shape?
>>>>>
>>>>>For a while I was oonfused and thought that she'd be making calls on the
>>>>>same phone line as the guy next door, but this is his computer's wifi,
>>>>>not his cellular. That wouldn't present any conflicts, would it?
>>>>
>>>>Might give Google Voice a try. I used it some years back and it worked well.
>>>> It has the advantage of the person being called not needing a special app.
>>>> It probably could be used on her current phone using its WiFi. Or most any
>>>> other device. I used to use a cheap 7" Android tablet. It was similar to
>>>> the phone 'phablets' of the day...
>>
>>
>>
>>>><https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-does-google-voice-work>
>>
>>
>>>Well, I've long heard good things about it (and then forgotten it) so in
>>>preparation for her phone, I started to install it on my phone.
>>
>>>The first thing it said was, in bold, "You must have an existing
>>>US-based mobile phone number to qualify.
>>
>>
>>The tomsguide link (above) says (copied below) you have 2 choices. You can
>> port an existing number or you can get a new one from Google. That's the
>> way I remember it:
>
>Well you might be right, but I took that to mean you can port an
>existing number or get a new one, but either way you have to have " an
>existing US-based mobile phone number to qualify." And I only sawa it
>on the phone, so I'm not good at copying it here, but on that same page
>it had a weblink that gave more instructions (Learn how to use your
>current number***) and iirc there were a lot about porting...
>
>***Oops, this asumes you want to use your current number. I missed the
>line at the bottom, which says only Search, and then offers me 3 towns
>in Maryland to choose from, an 6 numbers in the town I chose. When I
>didn't choose any of them, when I didnt' do anything, it started over,
>this time it gave me 3 towns in Georgia, including Atlanta. Thanks for
>insisting.
>
>I was at my friend's today but I took her phone home with me, and I
>could still install GVoice I guess. I'm looking at its Playstore page
>and it gives 6 images of a phone's screen but no text!!! Can I assume
>there are no, or very few ads?? That would be better than 2nd Line.
>2nd Line looks great so far** but I think it has ads that could annoy
>someone

It's been years since I used Google Voice but I don't remember any ads. I
use many Google services but never see any ads that I can tie to them. I
know the paranoid here despise Google but I've always had great service
from them for my 2 bucks a month (I rent 100G). But I digress. Anyway I
guessed that you might have missed that you didn't have to port your number
to use the service so wanted to let you know...

>**I called my hhome phone for it and called it from my home phone, and
>it worked well. I left a message on the cell phone and it played at
>very low volume, but I doubt she'll get any phone messages except spam.
>She'll continue. give people her home phone number.
>
>
>
>>"When you sign up for the first time, you have the option of using your own
>> phone number that you can port to the service or getting your own. If you
>> choose the latter, you’ll need to input your area code and pick the phone
>> number of choice. If you care about the phone number’s digits (like if
>> you’re a business and want to get a vanity number people can dial), you can
>> input your desired digits and see if they’re available. Once you have your
>> phone number (it happens immediately), you can create your voicemail
>> message. You can then start making calls from your phone or your computer.
>> You can also use the service to send and receive text messages."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>All of the readers here
>>>would have had that and would have breezed by this statement and maybe
>>>not even remembered it?, even if it was in forced when they signed up,
>>>and it might not have been back then.
>>>
>>>Then it talks about how your mobile provider will cancel your account
>>>after porting the number is complete.
>>>
>>>So I don't think it will work.
>>>
>>>
>>>But I found 2nd Line, and I installed that. I had to provide a
>>>creditcard or Paypal, so I used mine. I doubt my 85-year old friend
>>>will use enough money to break me.
>>>
>>>2nd Line lets you pick a phone number. I chose our actual area code
>>>and one of the 5 numbers they offered. If you don't pick one in 30
>>>seconds, it offers a different 5. Then, right away, it works.
>>>
>>>I've only called numbers that don't answer, but it seems to work fine.
>>>Ads that are hard to get rid of but they don't interrupt phone calls.
>>>Mostly she needs to be able to call her brother in the "home" where he
>>>lives, and with lingo.com on her home phone, she can only call numbers
>>>in her area code (and probably the other one with the same geographical
>>>area.) 2nd Line says you can call for free all over the US and Canada,
>>>just using wifi
>>>
>>>TextNow. Of all the others, the best one seemed like TextNow, which is
>>>free but you can also buy a sim, for only $5, which will allow you, they
>>>say, to make calls when you are not near wifi!! I wonder how that
>>>works. But it would take a few days for them to mail the sim so I
>>>postponed that.
>>>
>>>I think both allow international calls if you pay. And one of the
>>>others said you could call from anywhere in the world, but it wasn't
>>>clear if you had to be near wifi or not, and it may well be you can only
>>>call TO the US and Canada. And of course we're only talking about
>>>calls and texting and if you are visiting a foreign country, I at least
>>>want to have data too for tourism, restaurants, etc.
>>

AJL <noemail@none.org> wrote:
[...]

<somewhat_OT>

> It's been years since I used Google Voice but I don't remember any ads. I
> use many Google services but never see any ads that I can tie to them. I
> know the paranoid here despise Google but I've always had great service
> from them for my 2 bucks a month (I rent 100G). But I digress.

Here, here, there, there! :-)

</somewhat_OT>

On 2/22/24 5:41 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>AJL <noemail@none.org> wrote:
>[...]
>
><somewhat_OT>
>
>> It's been years since I used Google Voice but I don't remember any ads. I
>> use many Google services but never see any ads that I can tie to them. I
>> know the paranoid here despise Google but I've always had great service
>> from them for my 2 bucks a month (I rent 100G). But I digress.
>
> Here, here, there, there! :-)
>
></somewhat_OT>

Weird. Both 'somewhat OT' digs did not show up in the reading page of this
PhoNews newsreader. I only noticed because I first read your post in my
(read only) Groundhog newsreader. The brackets apparently made both lines
completely disappear. Yet the missing lines are showing, brackets and all,
on this posting page. More weird is that when I try to type the brackets on
this posting page I only get carrige returns. Wonder if they'll transmit.
Here goes...

BTW talking about installing Google Voice on an Android phone to make calls
over WiFi is not even somewhat OT. We may have to remand you back to the
net-cop police academy for further training... ;)

AND please check the title officer, did I do it OK... 8-O

On 2/22/24 9:02 AM, AJL wrote:
>On 2/22/24 5:41 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>>AJL <noemail@none.org> wrote:
>>[...]
>>
>><somewhat_OT>
>>
>>> It's been years since I used Google Voice but I don't remember any ads. I
>>> use many Google services but never see any ads that I can tie to them. I
>>> know the paranoid here despise Google but I've always had great service
>>> from them for my 2 bucks a month (I rent 100G). But I digress.
>>
>> Here, here, there, there! :-)
>>
>></somewhat_OT>
>
>Weird. Both 'somewhat OT' digs did not show up in the reading page of this
> PhoNews newsreader. I only noticed because I first read your post in my
> (read only) Groundhog newsreader. The brackets apparently made both lines
> completely disappear. Yet the missing lines are showing, brackets and all,
> on this posting page. More weird is that when I try to type the brackets on
> this posting page I only get carrige returns. Wonder if they'll transmit.
> Here goes...
>
>BTW talking about installing Google Voice on an Android phone to make calls
> over WiFi is not even somewhat OT. We may have to remand you back to the
> net-cop police academy for further training... ;)
>
>AND please check the title officer, did I do it OK... 8-O

Interesting. Nothing showed up of your quotes in that post. Apparently
brackets are another bug in PhoNews. Guess I'll finally give up on it. Hey
everyone, quit all that clapping...

On 2/22/2024 9:08 AM, AJL wrote:
> On 2/22/24 9:02 AM, AJL wrote:
>> On 2/22/24 5:41 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>>> AJL <noemail@none.org> wrote:
>>> [...]
>>>
>>> <somewhat_OT>
>>>
>>>> It's been years since I used Google Voice but I don't remember any
>>>> ads. I
>>>> use many Google services but never see any ads that I can tie to
>>>> them. I
>>>> know the paranoid here despise Google but I've always had great
>>>> service
>>>> from them for my 2 bucks a month (I rent 100G). But I digress.
>>>
>>> Here, here, there, there! :-)
>>>
>>> </somewhat_OT>
>>
>> Weird. Both 'somewhat OT' digs did not show up in the reading page of
>> this
>> PhoNews newsreader. I only noticed because I first read your post in my
>> (read only) Groundhog newsreader. The brackets apparently made both lines
>> completely disappear. Yet the missing lines are showing, brackets and
>> all,
>> on this posting page. More weird is that when I try to type the
>> brackets on
>> this posting page I only get carrige returns. Wonder if they'll transmit.
>> Here goes...
>>
>> BTW talking about installing Google Voice on an Android phone to make
>> calls
>> over WiFi is not even somewhat OT. We may have to remand you back to the
>> net-cop police academy for further training... ;)
>>
>> AND please check the title officer, did I do it OK... 8-O
>
> Interesting. Nothing showed up of your quotes in that post. Apparently
> brackets are another bug in PhoNews. Guess I'll finally give up on it. Hey
> everyone, quit all that clapping...

And all the brackets are here in TB so it was apparently all on the read
side of PhoNews. OK back to TB it is. Hey are you guys still clapping...

AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
> On 2/22/24 5:41 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> >AJL <noemail@none.org> wrote:
> >[...]
> >
> ><somewhat_OT>
> >
> >> It's been years since I used Google Voice but I don't remember any ads. I
> >> use many Google services but never see any ads that I can tie to them. I
> >> know the paranoid here despise Google but I've always had great service
> >> from them for my 2 bucks a month (I rent 100G). But I digress.
> >
> > Here, here, there, there! :-)
> >
> ></somewhat_OT>
>
> Weird. Both 'somewhat OT' digs did not show up in the reading page of this
> PhoNews newsreader. I only noticed because I first read your post in my
> (read only) Groundhog newsreader. The brackets apparently made both lines
> completely disappear. Yet the missing lines are showing, brackets and all,
> on this posting page. More weird is that when I try to type the brackets on
> this posting page I only get carrige returns. Wonder if they'll transmit.
> Here goes...

PhoNews is different from 'PiaoHong Newsreader' isn't it?

Anyway, some people are apparently trying to fix 'PiaoHong Newsreader',
so if that's still of interest to you, see the "Newsreader for Android"
thread in news.software.readers. Latest post is of February 13,
announcing "Mod 15 fixes".

> BTW talking about installing Google Voice on an Android phone to make calls
> over WiFi is not even somewhat OT. We may have to remand you back to the
> net-cop police academy for further training... ;)

At the moment, this net-cop is treading (threading? :-)) very, very
carefully, because of the heavy flak he received not too long ago. So if
there's any chance of being misunderstood, he will add the most safe tag
he can think of.

But seriously (Yeah, *right*!), the topic was voice calls, but my
response was to the more general "Google services" part (you being quite
content with them). As these services can apply to a non-Android device,
I didn't dare to respond without a better-safe-than-sorry tag.

> AND please check the title officer, did I do it OK... 8-O

A bit too subtle for me. I think I understand what you mean, but not
good enough for a witty comeback.

As to witty: My keyboard typed "a non-Adroid device", which I found,
in this context, rather funny, but I'm easily pleased.

AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
> On 2/22/2024 9:08 AM, AJL wrote:
[...]

> > Interesting. Nothing showed up of your quotes in that post. Apparently
> > brackets are another bug in PhoNews. Guess I'll finally give up on it. Hey
> > everyone, quit all that clapping...
>
> And all the brackets are here in TB so it was apparently all on the read
> side of PhoNews. OK back to TB it is. Hey are you guys still clapping...

Yeah, I'm still checking the rule book if clapping is OK. MS-DOS
doesn't have built-in sound support, so I think clapping or any other
sound is off limits, but I'll get back to you.

> Subject: Re: Using wifi calling on someone else's wifi---And OT PhoNews problems (OK Frank??)

I hadn't yet seen your full 'Subject:' header. Brilliant! And yes,
it's quite OK.

On 2/22/2024 11:39 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

> PhoNews is different from 'PiaoHong Newsreader' isn't it?

Yes. I have both of them (purchased versions) in my Play Store library.

> Anyway, some people are apparently trying to fix 'PiaoHong
> Newsreader', so if that's still of interest to you, see the
> "Newsreader for Android" thread in news.software.readers. Latest post
> is of February 13, announcing "Mod 15 fixes".

Thanks but I think I'll stick to TB for awhile. That way I'll not only
clean up my group-dropping sins but typing and editing on this LT is
actually a bit easier. Win-win. So I think my new mode of operations
will be to read using Groundhog on my various Android toys and then
switch to TB if I see something I want respond to. (Also TB has a spell
check... ;)

> At the moment, this net-cop is treading (threading? :-)) very, very
> carefully, because of the heavy flak he received not too long ago.

You mean flak like being called a jerk with lousy humor? 8-O

> But seriously (Yeah, *right*!), the topic was voice calls, but my
> response was to the more general "Google services" part (you being
> quite content with them). As these services can apply to a
> non-Android device, I didn't dare to respond without a
> better-safe-than-sorry tag.

I've always been for more traffic of any kind in any group to keep the
place alive. If one doesn't like it just ignore it. After all, ignorance
is best don't you think? (Is that humor any better?)

>> AND please check the title officer, did I do it OK... 8-O

> A bit too subtle for me. I think I understand what you mean, but not
> good enough for a witty comeback.

It's worn out, I agree. No more cop stuff from my end...

> As to witty: My keyboard typed "a non-Adroid device", which I found,
> in this context, rather funny, but I'm easily pleased.

Ah good. You're up for more of my bad humor. Do you know why people
can't hear a dog whistle? Cause dogs can't whistle. Do you know what the
dog said to the cat? Nothing, dogs can't talk. Should I go on...

On 2/22/2024 1:44 PM, AJL wrote:
>
> Ah good. You're up for more of my bad humor. Do you know why people
> can't hear a dog whistle? Cause dogs can't whistle. Do you know what the
> dog said to the cat? Nothing, dogs can't talk. Should I go on...

What do they call a person who tells shitty jokes?
A commodian.

--
Stand With Israel!

On 2024-02-21 22:31, micky wrote:
> In comp.mobile.android, on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:45:06 -0000 (UTC), AJL
> <noemail@none.org> wrote:
>
>> On 2/19/24 7:05 AM, micky wrote:

....

>> Might give Google Voice a try. I used it some years back and it worked well.
>> It has the advantage of the person being called not needing a special app.
>> It probably could be used on her current phone using its WiFi. Or most any
>> other device. I used to use a cheap 7" Android tablet. It was similar to
>> the phone 'phablets' of the day...
>>
>> <https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-does-google-voice-work>
>
>
> Well, I've long heard good things about it (and then forgotten it) so in
> preparation for her phone, I started to install it on my phone.
>
> The first thing it said was, in bold, "You must have an existing
> US-based mobile phone number to qualify." All of the readers here
> would have had that and would have breezed by this statement and maybe
> not even remembered it?,

No, I am a reader here and I don't have a USA number.

....

--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 2/22/2024 12:56 PM, sticks wrote:
> On 2/22/2024 1:44 PM, AJL wrote:
>>
>> You're up for more of my bad humor. Do you know why people can't
>> hear a dog whistle? Cause dogs can't whistle. Do you know what the
>> dog said to the cat? Nothing, dogs can't talk. Should I go on...
>
> What do they call a person who tells shitty jokes? A commodian.

Why did the cop sit on the toilet? To do his duty.

Have you heard about the movie Constipated? No, because it never came out.

There are 2 reasons you shouldn't drink from the toilet. Number 1 and
number 2.

Why did the toilet paper roll down the hill? To get to the bottom.

Why do people take naps on the toilet? Because it's the rest room.

Why didn't the toilet paper make it across the road? It got stuck in the
crack.

What did one toilet say to the other? You're looking a little flushed.

Should this Commodian go on... 8-O

AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
> On 2/22/2024 11:39 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> > AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
>
> > PhoNews is different from 'PiaoHong Newsreader' isn't it?
>
> Yes. I have both of them (purchased versions) in my Play Store library.
>
> > Anyway, some people are apparently trying to fix 'PiaoHong
> > Newsreader', so if that's still of interest to you, see the
> > "Newsreader for Android" thread in news.software.readers. Latest post
> > is of February 13, announcing "Mod 15 fixes".
>
> Thanks but I think I'll stick to TB for awhile. That way I'll not only
> clean up my group-dropping sins but typing and editing on this LT is
> actually a bit easier. Win-win. So I think my new mode of operations
> will be to read using Groundhog on my various Android toys and then
> switch to TB if I see something I want respond to. (Also TB has a spell
> check... ;)

It's a pity that there isn't a reasonable newsreader for Android. I
know you like to read (and post?) Usenet while waiting for your SO.

I think that given the screen size limitations, it would be best to
'port' some of the 'old' CUI (Character/'Console' UI) newsreaders, like
the one I'm using (tin) and run it under one of the Linux-like
environments which are available on Android. I several times gave
suggestions for that, but until now, no-one picked it up.

> > At the moment, this net-cop is treading (threading? :-)) very, very
> > carefully, because of the heavy flak he received not too long ago.
>
> You mean flak like being called a jerk with lousy humor? 8-O

That was counter-flak, but let's not go there again. Peace broke out,
so that's good.

[...]

> I've always been for more traffic of any kind in any group to keep the
> place alive. If one doesn't like it just ignore it. After all, ignorance
> is best don't you think? (Is that humor any better?)

Yeah, a bit better, you'll get there.

I follow quite a lot of groups, so lack of traffic isn't a problem for
me, often the contrary. But my filters/'scoring' keep the volume to a
reasonable level. (I have my own local archive server, so I want to
filter 'crap' in order not to waste storage/backup/performance.)

[...]

> > As to witty: My keyboard typed "a non-Adroid device", which I found,
> > in this context, rather funny, but I'm easily pleased.
>
> Ah good. You're up for more of my bad humor. Do you know why people
> can't hear a dog whistle? Cause dogs can't whistle. Do you know what the
> dog said to the cat? Nothing, dogs can't talk. Should I go on...

Yes, I/we can use some humour. Your examples and the later ones are
indeed 'questionable', but still good for a laugh. Thanks.