End of free Google Voice - Do I need to port GV number to Red Pocket before EOL?

[BGood]

I have an Obi-202 with 2 lines (SP1 Anveo; SP2 Google Voice). Anveo provides 911 service and Cname lookup for both lines. I've investigated porting the Google Voice # to Red Pocket, but only after testing Red Pocket network coverage first with a temporary Red Pocket number under their $10/month 1GB data plan. 

Red Pocket customer service chat advised me that the best way to do this is order a starter kit SIM, and if service and coverage works well then cancel the temporary service and port-in my GV number under a new service plan.  Conceptually simple, but I've got 3 questions about this process:

1) Is there a checklist for porting out a GV number to Red Pocket?   
2) Is it necessary to port-out the GV# before the Obi202/GV end-of-life in mid-December?
3) The remaining Anveo number on SP1 renews mid-January.  It is an old landline which mainly gets robocalls, but is nice to have for 911 and communications backup.  What low-cost Obi-compatible service providers remain these days for 911 service and occasional low-volume outbound calling?

Thanks!

[rjniles]

Most Analog telephone adapters will work with Anveo.  There is no replacement for the OBI for Google Voice.



 https://www.amazon.com/Grandstream-GS-HT802-Analog-Telephone-Adapter/dp/B01JH7MYKA/ref=asc_df_B01JH7MYKA/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312114598008&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7675767059528700443&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9051697&hvtargid=pla-426929404237&psc=1&mcid=dc192fb8ed153d75a29ae93dd248d101&gclid=Cj0KCQiA6vaqBhCbARIsACF9M6m_C7pOw29cnYvhV22ryAaGyfdfLDvLqHEsaCYTbFpxW2jz29s8Pq0aArf4EALw_wcB

[drgeoff]

2) Is it necessary to port-out the GV# before the Obi202/GV end-of-life in mid-December?

There is no "Obi202/GV end-of-life in mid-December".  Yes the OBi devices will have no support from Obihai/HP and devices not already configured for GV will not be able to be so configured.  Devices that are working with GV before 18 December will continue to do so until GV makes some change which would require support from Obihai/HP.

Even if or when GV ceases to work with OBi devices, that has no impact on porting a number out of GV.  An OBi is only one of the possible endpoints for GV.  Landline phone numbers, cellphone numbers, GV app on smartphones and web browser can also be used with GV.  Google would not stop making it possible to port out just because OBi devices were no longer in the list of possible endpoints.

[BGood]

Thanks for the clarification, drgeoff.

I understood that after 12/18/23 Obi 200, 202, and 212 units will not be provisioned via the Obitalk server and must be provisioned/configured using the unit's built-in webserver. But perhaps I mistakenly associated Google's announced transition (termination?) of the legacy Google Voice free service to business-oriented commercial Google Voice offerings under the Google Workspace umbrella.

So after 12/18/23 will my legacy Google Voice free service still forward incoming calls to my Google Voice number to the cell phone and Obi 202 device identified in GV settings.?  I was fearful that this valuable feature was going away.  And what about text forwarding?

Thanks again for your insight.

[SteveInWA]

Thanks for the clarification, drgeoff.

I understood that after 12/18/23 Obi 200, 202, and 212 units will not be provisioned via the Obitalk server and must be provisioned/configured using the unit's built-in webserver. But perhaps I mistakenly associated Google's announced transition (termination?) of the legacy Google Voice free service to business-oriented commercial Google Voice offerings under the Google Workspace umbrella.

So after 12/18/23 will my legacy Google Voice free service still forward incoming calls to my Google Voice number to the cell phone and Obi 202 device identified in GV settings.?  I was fearful that this valuable feature was going away.  And what about text forwarding?

Thanks again for your insight.

There is no such thing as "Legacy free Google Voice".  There are two Google Voice services:  the mostly-free, consumer version for Gmail.com users, and the paid, business version for Google Workspace Domain customers (e.g. you@yourcompany.com).

Long ago and far away, there was G-Suite, the service before Workspace.  Google never included Google Voice as an officially supported component of that service, but it let its users add free, consumer-class Google Voice numbers.  G-Suite is no more, and users were given plenty of time to migrate to a paid Workspace account.  You cannot transfer, port, change or otherwise do anything with a consumer Google Voice number still on a free G-Suite account, nor are any hardware VoIP devices supported on those accounts.

With regard to the future of consumer Google Voice on OBiTALK devices, here's the information:

https://support.google.com/voice/community-guide/248839601

You are certainly free to add an ITSP as a forwarding number.

[AClaborn]

Long ago and far away, there was G-Suite, the service before Workspace.

If one is talking "long ago and far away", one would be referring to Google Apps For Your Domain (GAFYD).  G-Suite was a more recent rebranding (2015? 2016?).

G-Suite is no more, and users were given plenty of time to migrate to a paid Workspace account.

Or a free "GSuite Legacy" personal account.

Or a no-charge "Google Workspace Business Starter" account.

The former does not have access to any Google Voice service, but I believe the latter does?  That could be incorrect, however.

The ability to port/transfer/migrate/etv an aforementioned consumer Google Voice number out of a Google Workspace account is now indeed gone.  It could be done for the first part of 2022 using the Legacy interface of Google Voice.

[BGood]

Thanks for the feedback and clarification. I ended up porting my mobile phone # from the old cellular provider to Red Pocket in order to keep the same direct mobile# for contacts who had been using it.

Before porting to Red Pocket, I ordered several SIMs to test the signal difference between T-Mobile and AT&T here at the house.  I found that GV worked as it had in the past and I was able to set up the temporary RP forwarding number I was using for testing.