When setting up a new Obi, it used to be necessary to use Google Talk (in Gmail) to place one call that somehow activated the service. Will new Obi activations be affected after June 26?
No impact.
Thanks, Steve! Do you have updated instructions that do not include these steps?
QuoteIf you do not see the Google Chat forwarding destination, then open another browser tab, log into Gmail, not GV, and use Google Chat, not Google Hangouts to make one outbound phone call. This will restore Chat to your list of forwarding targets.
If your Gmail account is using Google Hangouts, instead of Google Chat, then you need to temporarily revert back to Chat to make the phone call. To do this, click your chat avatar (the generic head and shoulders or photo you may have uploaded), and then click "Revert to old Chat" (see screenshot attached to this post). After you make the one outbound call using Chat, you can go back to Hangouts if you wish, by clicking the "Try the new Hangouts" link.
You don't need updated instructions. All you need to do is navigate to the "Legacy" Google Voice settings page, and the Google Chat setting is/will be still there, for OBi users. See the screenshots below.
The rest of the instructions are the same as before.
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=8560.msg56460#msg56460 (http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=8560.msg56460#msg56460)
To get all the voice calling functions without google Talk do this;
1. Use gmail in the chrome browser. 2. add the google voice extension to chrome through chrome settings. 3. In gmail settings in the chat settings tab, turn chat on; also turn on desktop notifications in general settings. 4. Switch gmail to use hangouts for SMS and phone calls - integrate hangouts (e.g. Expand the Google Talk box in the left-hand sidebar by clicking the 'speech bubble' icon. Click on your chat avatar. Select 'Try the new Hangouts' option.).
Cheers
Quote from: wvanbusk on May 22, 2017, 12:07:54 PM
To get all the voice calling functions without google Talk do this;
1. Use gmail in the chrome browser. 2. add the google voice extension to chrome through chrome settings. 3. In gmail settings in the chat settings tab, turn chat on; also turn on desktop notifications in general settings. 4. Switch gmail to use hangouts for SMS and phone calls - integrate hangouts (e.g. Expand the Google Talk box in the left-hand sidebar by clicking the 'speech bubble' icon. Click on your chat avatar. Select 'Try the new Hangouts' option.).
Cheers
- The Google Voice extension has nothing to do with Hangouts, and it does not work with Hangouts. It can only be used to have Google Voice call you on a 10-digit telephone number.
- Hangouts does not use the Google Chat setting. It operates independently. The Chat setting is only used to forward calls to an OBi device.
- It is not necessary to integrate Hangouts with Google Voice; that integration only applies to using Hangouts for voicemail or text messaging. Since Hangouts no longer supports carrier SMS, it's not advisable to use Hangouts/GV integration.
- The only thing in your post that is relevant is to convert Gmail-based calling to Hangouts. This has no effect whatsoever on anything related to OBi use.
Isn't it possible the chat option found in Google Voice's legacy settings (that is necessary for the calls to be directed to an Obi device)will disappear, as nothing will be using it except for Obi devices?
Quote from: Steve56 on May 22, 2017, 04:03:44 PM
Isn't it possible the chat option found in Google Voice's legacy settings (that is necessary for the calls to be directed to an Obi device)will disappear, as nothing will be using it except for Obi devices?
I already discussed this, in response to your questions, here:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=12661.0 (http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=12661.0)
The old, "Legacy" user interface will not go away, until the new user interface reaches feature/function parity with it. I other words, Google isn't going to take away any settings you can now adjust. Optimistically, they will add the missing settings to the new UI. Otherwise, they'll just leave the old UI around for those who need it.
Google is well aware that the "forward to Chat" setting is used by OBi customers, and they are specifically leaving that setting accessible. Remember: Google Employees use Google Voice, too, and many of them use it with OBi devices.
By the way, I did suggest to one of the Google Voice team members that they rename that setting "Forward to OBi device", but their lawyers are so strict that they probably won't include some other party's trademarked name.
SteveInWA: Thanks for posting this info, very helpful. I too had been wondering if these various changes announced by Google would affect my Obi device! :)