Google Voice Tests Number Porting, for a Price

Google Voice users may soon be able to turn their cellphone numbers into their central Google Voice number for $20. The search giant recently started testing a number porting service for Google Voice with a small group of users. The feature requires you to cancel your mobile contract and move your phone number from your carrier to Google. Engadget was the first blog to report the new feature after a heads up from Twitter user QQforU.

Courtesy of Twitter user QQforu

Google Voice Explained

Google Voice is a freemium service that ties all your different phone lines, including your mobile device, office and home numbers, into one central phone number. If someone calls your Google Voice number, all your phones ring until you pick up the call on one of your phones. Google Voice includes other helpful services such as text messaging, voice mail transcripts and overseas calling rates.

One downside of Google Voice is that if the service is going to be of any use, you have to distribute your new Google Voice number to all your contacts. Otherwise, you will only get calls on your individual lines instead of routing calls through one central number. Google's new number porting service appears to solve this minor dilemma for a price.

On top of the $20 charge for moving your number to Google Voice, you have to cancel your mobile contract. That means you may also end up paying an early termination fee to your mobile carrier if your cellphone is still under contract.

The termination fees can end up costing you hundreds of dollars. Verizon came under criticism in 2009 when its fee went as high as $350, and there were reports last January that termination fees for the Google Nexus One handset on T-Mobile could reach $550.

To see if your account is sporting the new feature, log in to your Google Voice account and click on the "Settings" drop down menu in the upper right corner. Select "Voice settings" and you should see a port option under the "Phones" tab. Not all Google Voice users are seeing the new feature, so don't be surprised if it's not available.A Google spokeswoman, said, "We're continually testing new features to enhance the user experience. For a limited amount of time, we're making the Google Voice number porting process available to users. We don't have any additional details to share at this time, but plan to offer this feature to all users in the near future."

Engadget is also reporting that Google has pulled the number porting service, at least for now. Google said as early as 2009 that it wanted to provide a number porting service, so, as the Google representative said, you can count on seeing this service again.

Connect with Ian Paul (@ianpaul) and Today@PCWorld on Twitter for the latest tech news and analysis.

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Five Things to Consider Before Porting Your Number to Google Voice

If you're one of the few Google Voice users granted the option to port your existing phone number to the service--congratulations. This new feature is being tested by Google now, and will roll out to all users in the "near future," according to a company spokeswoman.

Google Voice is a phone management service whose features include call forwarding, call screening, visual voicemail, and free text messages. There are many advantages to making a Google Voice number your primary point of contact, but handing over your old number isn't a decision to be made lightly. Your cell number, after all, is precious -- I've had the same one since high school -- so here are five things to think about first:

Early Termination Fees

As my colleague Ian Paul points out, porting your cell phone number to Google Voice before your contract is up will result in a $20 charge from Google and an early termination fee from your cell phone carrier. These fees can be as high as $350, depending on type of phone, carrier and time remaining on your contract. Find out how much you'd owe before making the switch.

Use of Gmail Calling

Just to be clear, Google Voice is not a VoIP service. It will consume voice minutes for cell phone calls. But Google does have a VoIP service that works through Gmail, and you can set it up to work with your Google Voice number. Calls to and from Gmail are free within the United States and Canada through the end of 2011, so this is a great way to save cell phone minutes when you're at a computer.

Text Messaging Habits

As I mentioned above, Google Voice lets you send and receive text messages for free, potentially resulting in huge savings on your monthly wireless bill. (MMS messages will still cost extra, because Google Voice doesn't support photos or video in its messages). However, T-Mobile and Sprint already offer unlimited messaging with their smartphone plans, so there's no financial gain to be had with those carriers.

Android User?

The Google Voice apps for iPhone and Blackberry are fine, but you can't tap the service's full potential without an Android phone. The app for Google's operating system lets you customize ringtones and dial directly through the app (instead of bouncing you to the default dialer). It also integrates messages directly into Android's notification bar.

Faith in Google

Porting your cell number to Google Voice seems simple enough. You pay the $20 fee, get another number from your wireless carrier and set up call forwarding through Google Voice. But it's not yet clear what happens if you to port your number back to a wireless carrier -- say, if you get tired of the service, or if for some reason Google stops offering it. I've had the same phone number for a decade because carriers have a system for transferring numbers amongst themselves. I'm not sure whether carriers are equipped to grab your number back from Google.

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