Using Google Voice With Unsupported Carriers

Google Voice was made available to all interested parties this past week, giving all of those interested in it a chance to try it out. No more need to request and invite, no more waiting for the eventual invite to arrive.

Alas, many smaller regional carriers, such as those here in Alaska, are not on the list of supported carriers. What to do, what to do?

Although this could be a problem, it really isn't. The carrier support only really seems to be needed for the part where the voicemail is activated for one of your phone numbers so in the end, whether your carrier is supported or not is irrelevant.

What does this mean?

It means you can pick another carrier, like Verizon, and Google Voice will still work ok.

I did exactly this. I picked Verizon and got this pop-up:

The *71 is the call forward immediate code and my Google number is immediately after it.

So, if you're using a carrier that is not supported, simply substitute your carriers call forward immediate code and Google Voice now works on your phone as well.

One important note to keep in mind: Google Voice numbers can be long distance, especially if you live in Alaska like I do. So, if you want to use Google Voice for your voice mail, make sure you have nationwide plan.

In addition, if you're using an Android handset, you also have the Google Voice app available for download in the Android Market. How much easier can it be to keep all your voice mail handy?

To find out what your carrier's call forwarding code is, contact your local carrier.