How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Having trouble placing or receiving calls or using your voicemail system on Ooma Telo VoIP Phones? Post your questions here.
gfrobe
Posts:27
Joined:Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:50 pm
Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by gfrobe » Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:13 am

Hi Bobby,

Thanks for you reply. I'm assuming you work for Ooma. Actually, I'm not trying to prevent my calls going to Ooma voicemail. I prefer them to. If anything, I'd like to prevent random calls going through to Google Voicemail if I can.

But what interests me is that you say there is no beta testing going on, which puts me back at square one i.e. why are some of my ooma voicemails being translated by Google voice but still retrievable by calling my ooma voice number. I guess the mystery continues. :D

gfrobe
Posts:27
Joined:Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:50 pm

Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by gfrobe » Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:32 am

Ok, I'm about to really confuse the issue via my goof. I just checked my phone and realized that I have in fact been speed dialing my GV number (and not my Ooma number) to retrieve my Ooma messages . Really sorry about the confusion there. I guess this clears up the question as to how I was retrieving GV voicemails via Ooma (I wasn't, I was actually calling GV). However, I'm now confused as to how I've been able to retrieve all of my Ooma voicemails (the ones that I know are being answered by Ooma) by calling my GV number?

Any answers appreciated although I suspect I've now confused the issue too much!

sfhub
Posts:348
Joined:Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:22 am

Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by sfhub » Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:57 pm

Ah, that explains a lot :)

Regarding the question you posed above, don't you have Google Voice configured to ring your Ooma #?

If that is the case, when Ooma picks up, aren't you just retrieving your Ooma voicemail like you would if you had called from any #? You press * and enter your PIN right?

gfrobe
Posts:27
Joined:Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:50 pm

Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by gfrobe » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:20 pm

If that is the case, when Ooma picks up, aren't you just retrieving your Ooma voicemail like you would if you had called from any #? You press * and enter your PIN right?

Well, yes and no. I don't speed dial my GV number straight. Rather, I have it set to dial *67 before the GV number which allows me to bypass the ringing, greeting, etc. and put me straight into my options. So when I do this, I'm going straight into my GV voicemail options. Question is, if I'm going straight into GV options, why am I able to listen to my Ooma voicemails from there? If Ooma is picking up before GV, my Ooma voicemails shouldn't be accessible via my Google Voicemail options, right? They should only be available via calling into Ooma I would think.

sfhub
Posts:348
Joined:Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:22 am

Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by sfhub » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:34 pm

So are you saying if you brought up a web page logged into Google Voice and look at the message box then call in to Google Voice, you are able to listen to messages (through the phone) which don't exist on the web page? How about the ones that do exist on the web page?

gfrobe
Posts:27
Joined:Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:50 pm

Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by gfrobe » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:55 pm

The ones that are picked up by Ooma Voice mail:
- red light blinking on my machine
- message not listed not on my GV page
- text from Ooma telling me I have a message. No translated text however.
- am able to retrieve messages by calling directly into my GV options (*67+GV number)

The ones that are somehow being picked up by GV
- no message on machine
- message and email recording on my GV page
- text message from Ooma (sender listed as "OOMA VOICE MAIL) contains translated message text.
- again, retrieving by calling into GV options as above.

Confusion
- why am I being alerted from Ooma and not GV when I have a GV message?
- how am I able to retrieve Ooma messages (1st part above) by calling GV?

Thanks for sticking with me here!

sfhub
Posts:348
Joined:Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:22 am

Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by sfhub » Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:07 pm

Remove your Ooma number from the multi-ring list on Google Voice. Save your changes.

Call back into Google Voice and see if you can still retrieve the messages from Ooma.

gfrobe
Posts:27
Joined:Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:50 pm

Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by gfrobe » Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:52 pm

Removed my Ooma number from GV, called Ooma number and left message and then tried retrieving voicemail from GV. Nothing there.

Not sure what this tells us though. By removing Ooma number from GV I was completely disconnecting them and would have been very surprised to retrieve the Ooma message via GV. It's when they're connected though that they're not behaving as they should.

sfhub
Posts:348
Joined:Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:22 am

Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by sfhub » Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:39 pm

Just wanted to verify that there is no other link between your GV and Ooma other than that multi-ring phone #.

Now, go into Ooma preference, change Ooma voicemail pickup to 9 rings.

Add Ooma number back to GV multi-ring.

See if you can retrieve your Ooma messages dialing into GV.

Out of curiosity which phone # are you calling from to dial into Google Voice? Is it your Ooma # or something else? If it is your Ooma #, try calling from some other number and see if it behaves differently.

gfrobe
Posts:27
Joined:Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:50 pm

Re: How are my Google Voice voice messages ending up on my Ooma?

Post by gfrobe » Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:27 pm

I think I should have left well enough alone as something is now screwed up. After doing this:

Remove your Ooma number from the multi-ring list on Google Voice. Save your changes.
Call back into Google Voice and see if you can still retrieve the messages from Ooma.


and then returning my Ooma number to GV, I can no longer call GV to get my Ooma messages. Maybe there was some kind of weird anomaly happening but it's gone now. Unfortunately, my Ooma voicemail now also seems to be screwed up. When I have a message, I call my Ooma number and hit * and nothing happens. Then when I hang up, I get a text message saying I have a message from my myself. So essentially, unless Ooma is having a problem at the moment, I can no longer retrieve my voicemails. Damn.

I'll wait and see if perhaps this is a problem with Ooma but now that I have to call Ooma to get my voicemails, is there a way to call directly into the options rather than having to sit through the home phone ringing 5 times? Also, if I call my Ooma voicemail, why is it then sending me a text telling me that I've called? Is it supposed to do that? That could get annoying very quickly.

Thanks.

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