Google Voice problems w/call screening

[NewOBI200User]

I imagine this has already been covered, but I can't find the thread. Sorry

So, I configured my new Obi200 for Google Voice on SP1 and checked the google chat box on my google voice account.
The calls go out and come in, but incoming calls are not screened as they are on my other connected phones (cell, work,etc.)
Does anyone know what I might have done or missed doing to allow the call screen setting to apply to the Obi set-up?

Thanks

[SteveInWA]

Hi:

It's likely that the change you made on this page:  https://www.google.com/voice#phones
wasn't picked up by, or is currently overridden by the settings on this page:  https://www.google.com/voice#groups

First, ensure that the default settings on the Phones tab are the way you want them to be.  Then, edit every row of the Groups and Circles settings.  Start with the "All Contacts" row, and set it to "ring default phones", and turn on call screening.  Be sure to click the "save" button, even if you don't change anything.  Repeat this with all the other rows, either setting them to recursively use the "All Contacts" row's settings, or some custom setting, for example, a "send to VM" group that doesn't ring any phones, or a "Friends" group that doesn't screen calls.  Again, save every row's settings.

[NewOBI200User]

I was able to find a thread from a while back which stated that the problem I am experiencing has to do with the fact that Obi is emulating a "google chat" client which doesn't support call screening. If this is still true, I'm hopeful there is a work around? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[LTN1]

I was able to find a thread from a while back which stated that the problem I am experiencing has to do with the fact that Obi is emulating a "google chat" client which doesn't support call screening. If this is still true, I'm hopeful there is a work around? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Have you tried Steve's suggestions yet?

The thread that you found appears to have false information. You should listen to Steve and follow up with him than going after incorrect information. On the Google Voice forum, Steve is the expert and if he can't find the answer, he will be able to contact a Google employee.

[Taoman]

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Why are you ignoring the help SteveInWA has already given you? That is the solution to your problem.

[SteveInWA]

Well, I sincerely appreciate the votes of confidence, but, in this case, I was not paying attention closely enough.

• When call screening is enabled, and an inbound call to a GV number is forwarded to a real telephone number (e.g. a POTS, mobile or SIP DID configured on an OBi or other ATA), call screening works according to the settings I mentioned.
• However, when the inbound call is forwarded to the chat client (OBi in this case), call screening doesn't work.  It was a moot point when Chat was used on a computer with a display, as the pop-up would show the caller ID and let you decide if you wanted to accept it or send it to voicemail.

I forgot about this, as I forward all inbound GV calls to SIP DIDs and mobile numbers, and not to Chat.

So:  if you must have call screening, then you need to get an actual telephone number and forward to that number.  Sorry for the cornfusion.

[NewOBI200User]

Thanks for the clarification Steve. To be clear, you are saying that in order to use call screening with my OBi device, I need to forward incoming calls to another DID configured on the same device? If so, that would be very disappointing.

I purchased this device primarily to

"enjoy all the benefits of Google Voice on your OBi device"

as stated here

http://blog.obihai.com/2014/09/google-voice-and-obihai-update.html

I feel misled by the promotional material cited. I get that you can make outgoing calls on the device, but the inability to use incoming features without subscribing to additional services is disappointing given the broad claim. In any case, thanks for your clarification.

[LTN1]

Thanks for the clarification Steve. To be clear, you are saying that in order to use call screening with my OBi device, I need to forward incoming calls to another DID configured on the same device? If so, that would be very disappointing.

I purchased this device primarily to

"enjoy all the benefits of Google Voice on your OBi device"

as stated here

http://blog.obihai.com/2014/09/google-voice-and-obihai-update.html

I feel misled by the promotional material cited. I get that you can make outgoing calls on the device, but the inability to use incoming features without subscribing to additional services is disappointing given the broad claim. In any case, thanks for your clarification.

What you can do is subscribe to a free CallCentric account (if your registration address is not in the U.S. and Canada, there is no E911 fee--thus completely free (Need I hold you by the hand anymore?)). Instead of using Google chat to forward your incoming calls, you uncheck that and just forward the call to the free CallCentric number--that way, you will get both call screening and incoming caller ID name. Dialing out using the OBi and that GV account is the same...it will use the caller ID of that GV account.

[rossmort]

Thanks for the clarification Steve. To be clear, you are saying that in order to use call screening with my OBi device, I need to forward incoming calls to another DID configured on the same device? If so, that would be very disappointing.

I purchased this device primarily to

"enjoy all the benefits of Google Voice on your OBi device"

as stated here

http://blog.obihai.com/2014/09/google-voice-and-obihai-update.html

I feel misled by the promotional material cited. I get that you can make outgoing calls on the device, but the inability to use incoming features without subscribing to additional services is disappointing given the broad claim. In any case, thanks for your clarification.

What you can do is subscribe to a free CallCentric account (if your registration address is not in the U.S. and Canada, there is no E911 fee--thus completely free (Need I hold you by the hand anymore?)). Instead of using Google chat to forward your incoming calls, you uncheck that and just forward the call to the free CallCentric number--that way, you will get both call screening and incoming caller ID name. Dialing out using the OBi and that GV account is the same...it will use the caller ID of that GV account.

Hello - I've tried the above but didn't get call screening to work - Has anyone been successful? Thanks

[SteveInWA]

Has anyone been successful?

Thousands of people have this working successfully.  You need to route your inbound calls through a SIP VoIP service provider, such as Callcentric.

[jsneeringer]

Steve,

I tried the CallCentric solution you suggested to allow call screening, but I can't get it to work.

I set up CallCentric, assigned it to an available position (SP4) on the Obi and told it to answer incoming calls on Phone 1. When I call the CallCentric number, it works fine.

Then I went into Google Voice (legacy), successfully added the new CallCentric number, and checked boxes to forward to that number but no longer to forward to Google Chat. My mobile number is still in there, but I did not check to forward there.

Finally I went to SP1 on the Obi, where Google Voice is, and unchecked "Incoming Calls Will Ring On Phone 1." Here I hit a snag, because after I saved I noticed that "Phone 1" was checked again.

Incoming calls to my Google Voice number still ring, but on Google Voice.  I know this because I get Google voicemail instead of CallCentric, and because call screening still doesn't work.

Can you help?

[SteveInWA]

Hi:

Finally I went to SP1 on the Obi, where Google Voice is, and unchecked
"Incoming Calls Will Ring On Phone 1." Here I hit a snag, because after I
saved I noticed that "Phone 1" was checked again.

This shouldn't matter.  OBiTALK requires that you have at least one phone port selected to ring.  As long as you have correctly removed the checkmark to the left of Google Chat, on the Google Voice settings page, Google Voice won't forward those calls to that SP on your OBi, so the OBi ring setting is moot.

You've got some other setting error somewhere.  Try deleting both of the two SPx slots:  SP1 and SP4.  Then, reverse the two:  setup Callcentric on SP1, and Google Voice on SP4, and try your calls again.

[jsneeringer]

Thank you for your help!

No joy, but at least I have some clues.  As you can see from CallCentric screen capture, Google is trying to send the calls to CallCentric.  The ones that do not say extension 100 are where I temporarily told CallCentric to use the line as a fax, just to see if I could get something different to happen.

Any more suggestions?

[SteveInWA]

Thanks for the screenshots, but they aren't useful, since you've blurred out the details for privacy.

Call your Google Voice number from some unrelated phone number, NOT from your T-Mobile forwarding phone number (important!).  What happens?  Open (or refresh) your Google Voice web page, and click on the "Calls" tab.  Do you see an entry for the call you just placed to that number?  If so, go to your Callentric call log.  Do you see an entry for that call?  There should be several entries, including the inbound call, and then the route to the extension number (100, 101, etc) to which CC should have sent the call.  If those entries aren't there, then you didn't properly set up call treatments for that number.

[jsneeringer]

Done.  Twice.

The phone is not related to my Google Voice, but it is connected to SP2, because it is my wife's. I can't see how that would matter, but I'm mentioning it to be sure.

The calls appear in both logs.  In CallCentric, the spam probability shows "low."

The first time, I hung up.  The second, I left a voicemail, which arrived at Google Voice.  However, both times CallCentric sent me a voicemail message saying "Press 1 to take this call."  Is this perhaps the Google screening mechanism?

[SteveInWA]

Now you have at least two problems.  It looks like you didn't properly set up call treatments for the CC number.

You need to tell it to ring an extension (100, 101, 102, etc.) and you need to edit your OBi's settings for Callcentric to log into that extension (e.g 1775555555101), and not just the main CC account number.

You also need to change, again on the call treatments page, the setting to ring the corresponding extension for 30 seconds before going to CC VM.

[jsneeringer]

So I should create a call treatment instead of using DID forwarding?

[SteveInWA]

Yep, in addition to the default settings.  You must confirm, after doing this, that your OBi shows a status of "Registered" for SP1 (the Callcentric registration), and "Connected" for SP4, the GV account.

[jsneeringer]

Done, and verified 'registered' vs 'connected.'

GV call screening still doesn't work (See attachment.), but if I take the call then I get a good connection.  (Of course, call screening is the goal of all of this.)

However, if I let it go to voicemail (or maybe if I just let it ring a long time before answering), I'm still getting a voicemail from CC saying 'Press 1 to take this call' and a also a voicemail from GV with the message I left.

[SteveInWA]

Remove the checkmark from the setting shown below.