Is There a Faster Way to Dial Internationally with Google Voice?

January 9, 2011 3:23 PM

I frequently use Google Voice for cheap outbound international calls. The problem is that it's really cumbersome--I dial my Google Voice number from my iPhone, enter my PIN code, PAUSE, press 2 to place a call, PAUSE, enter the 13 digit phone number, PAUSE, and finally get through. Does anyone know a way to automate this? Is there a way to store frequently dialed numbers or otherwise get through the menus faster?
posted by whitewall to technology (8 answers total)

You want an app that integrates your contacts list with GV. Like the Google Voice app on iTunes.
posted by zippy at 3:26 PM on January 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Just use your computer? Type the number into the web interface, pick up your phone when it rings, done.

I think there is even an official iPhone app now: itms://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-voice/id318698524?mt=8
posted by jrockway at 3:26 PM on January 9, 2011

YOu could try onesuite.com. Not the cheapest VOIP (compare to voip.ms) but very comfortable to use.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 3:28 PM on January 9, 2011

Yea, just use the Google Voice app. That's what I do - you just choose whatever number you want to call from your contact list (or put it in yourself) and it calls it. No pausing, no waiting.
posted by carmel at 3:40 PM on January 9, 2011

It may also be possible to use commas in the stored number: I had a phone in which you could enter, say, ###-###-####,,,,####,# (etc.) and each comma would pause for a second, allowing such a process to be wholly automated.
posted by astrochimp at 3:42 PM on January 9, 2011

Thirding the Google Voice app. I use it to call Luxembourg (incidentally the HQ of Skype) everyday. Ironically, it can be three times as expensive to call a mobile phone in Luxembourg than in Russia or Romania.

You might try the Skype app for the iPhone, it is pretty good over 3G (at least in Cleveland).
posted by vkxmai at 4:24 PM on January 9, 2011

Thank you all for the timely and awesome answers! I just downloaded the Google Voice app and it seems to solve my problem entirely. I don't know why I never thought to look for it before, but there you go... Thanks again!
posted by whitewall at 7:36 PM on January 9, 2011

Before the google voice app was (finally!) released, I just used google.com/voice from my iphone
I would either dial from there or select the number from my contacts (note: google.com/voice used the contacts stored in your google profile.)
posted by Redmond Cooper at 2:20 AM on January 10, 2011