Using Google Voice in Australia

Here is an easy way to use Google Voice for voicemail transcription in Australia, with a bit of help from Skype:

  1. Sign up for a new Skype account (it’s best you don’t use your primary one, since you won’t be able to receive calls on it anymore)
  2. Add an Australian Online Number to this account through the Skype website
  3. Add some Skype Out credit to the account, or sign up for a subscription that includes calls to the US
  4. Open the Skype application and turn on call forwarding for unanswered calls for this account. Set your Google Voice number as the number to forward to, and set it to forward after 0 seconds (this just tells Skype to forward right away)
  5. Open Google Voice in your browser, click Settings in the top right, then click the Calls tab. From here, turn on Do Not Disturb mode. This is a crucial step, as it makes Google instantly pick up your call for voicemail
  6. Set your Australian phone to forward unanswered calls to your Skype Online Number. The online number will then forward to Google Voice which will pick up the call for voicemail.

Skype occasionally messes up the called ID on forwarded calls, but it get’s it right 99% of the time. With this method you can now get free voicemail transcription to your email, or use the built-in Google Voice application on Android phones. If you have a Google Voice invite but don’t know how to activate it from outside the US, the easiest way is to get a US Skype Online Number and give that to Google in order to activate your account.

January 15, 2010 8 Comments

  • Sam

    Would be interesting to see transcription quality on your Australian accent callers :-)

  • Andrew

    but how do you get a google voice account with out a US number to validate it??
    i have an invite but can complete the intiation

  • Sam

    There are any number of services where you can get a temporary U.S. number that will forward to your AU number.

    • Andrew

      can you advise say with skype how to do that?? thanks for the hlep.

      • http://bradkellett.com Brad Kellett

        I haven't personally tried it, but you can get a free US phone number from Sipgate – http://www.sipgate.com/one

        You can also sign up for a US Skype Online Number and use that to sign up for Google Voice.

  • victorhooi

    heya,

    Hmm, I tried Sipgate, but it seems to need a US number first to let you signup (wants to send an SMS confirmation).

    Anybody else in Australia been successful in signing up to Sipgate?

    Heck, if anybody has a sipgate account, any chance you could help me activate my Google number please? =_).

    Cheers,
    Victor

  • http://livestreamfree.net/ aandee

    its good info..iam from ina….thanks

  • newsbuzzy

    nice info, thanks for sharing