10 ms·

Get the perfect Google Voice number, Grep-style

36 points by moonlander 14y ago

aMoniker 14y ago
I wrote something like this a while back in order to snag a Skype phone number ending in 1337. It was a little trickier since they require a session token generated from obfuscated JS on the search page. Rather than try to reverse engineer that code, I used Node.js to control a PhantomJS instance which did the scraping.
tshtf 14y ago
This will be great until Google sunsets Google Voice next year.
- drivebyacct2 14y ago
  Oh man! I can't wait to read this on every single HN post for the next three weeks.
  - shoopy 14y ago
    Remember, you're not their user, you're their product. Ad companies are the real customers.
    - drivebyacct2 14y ago
      I still don't know why that's supposed to scare me. As long as they don't purge the contents of my Gmail and give me three months notice on closing products that I can export my data from... then, I'll find a way. If I have my way, sooner or later it will be more convenient to just run your own Google Voice clone on Twilio, Tropo, etc.
- niggler 14y ago
  The good thing about google voice is that when it is finally axed, the US laws require them to give a way to port numbers. That's the only reason why I was comfortable using their service
  - derleth 14y ago
    > The good thing about google voice is that when it is finally axed, the US laws require them to give a way to port numbers. Or what? What's the penalty if they don't?
    - niggler 14y ago
      You can do it today: https://support.google.com/voice/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1316844&topic=1708124&ctx=topic https://support.google.com/voice/bin/answer.py?hl=en&ans... You can initiate the request from the other side (the new carrier), in which case it is forcefully wrested in a day. If google still refuses, you can complain to the FCC. As for google penalties for holding your number hostage, given that the business is dying there's really nothing other than an FCC lawsuit (which, as you imagine, would be for a paltry sum)
- reedlaw 14y ago
  Do you mean until they start charging for it? They've been saying for a number of years that "next year" it will no longer be free. But I have not heard they plan to sunset the service altogether.
  - jordonwii 14y ago
    That wasn't about Google Voice. That's regarding free calling via Google Voice from the GMail/GTalk interface.
- justincormack 14y ago
  They havent introduced it outside the US yet AFAIK so it cannot be a high priority.
cypherpunks01 14y ago
What point is Google Voice at now, usability-wise? I used it in 2010 and it was slow to make outgoing calls and had some limitations as far as text messaging from the gv number. There were also some concerns about its general reliability. Is anyone using it fulltime now and happy with it?
- drivebyacct2 14y ago
  >Is anyone using it fulltime now and happy with it? Yes. I exclusively use it. The Messaging (SMS) app is disabled on my phone, I don't pay for SMS service and my friends and family only know my Google Voice number. The only usability issue I've had wasn't even a problem for me. My Mom's RAZR was slow to receive messages through her Google Voice number. Amazingly that went away when it got updated to ICS/JB. Taking calls through Gmail (I have a bluetooth headset I use anyway, I get lazy from holding up my phone) and sending/receiving SMSs from any browser is great too.
- blankenship 14y ago
  I’ve found it useful for a catch-all incoming number (e.g. my wife has a studio/storefront with a Google Voice number so when anyone calls it rings her cellphone with the Shop name in it). We use it exclusively for business-related things.
- Ricapar 14y ago
  I got my GV number back in 2008-2009ish.. Not 100% sure on the exact date, but I've had it for a while. I didn't start using it full-time at first, since I had an old flip-phone and there really wasn't much value added by having another number to make calls from. Once I got an Android Phone, I started trying to use it a bit more. Started out really... "raw" would be a good word. The GV app on Android was pretty poor at first. Push notifications wouldn't go down half the time, and you wouldn't know you got a text until several hours later. Today though - it's my full-time number, and none of my friends have my carrier-assigned cell phone number. Everything is through Google Voice. The app has greatly improved. I also have a problem with my phone being dead half the time. If I have my GMail open though - calls get redirected to there, and I can answer from my computer. There is also an extension for Chrome that'll "ding" when you get a text or missed call. Makes for really quick and easy replies to text messages.
Ricapar 14y ago
I got into Google Voice very early on. I grabbed a number ending in 1337 in my area code. That's now become my main number I give out to people. It brings a smirk to the few people who get it :)
- jevinskie 14y ago
  I got KOR-DUMP. =)
  - jonursenbach 14y ago
    I got ROF-LLOL. It's quite the conversation starter, ha.
keda 14y ago
The GV Android app still feel slow even on my N4 and haven't seen new feature added for couple years. MMS missing and still lacks Chinese language support.
Zaephyr 14y ago
I still used Google Voice some; like others mention it's a safe number to give out for calls and txts when you're not sure how contentious the receiver will be with the number. I've switched to RingCentral for my main forwarding number as it has more features, though there's a monthly cost for that service.

36 points by moonlander 14y ago

I wrote something like this a while back in order to snag a Skype phone number ending in 1337. It was a little trickier since they require a session token generated from obfuscated JS on the search page. Rather than try to reverse engineer that code, I used Node.js to control a PhantomJS instance which did the scraping.

tshtf 14y ago

This will be great until Google sunsets Google Voice next year.

drivebyacct2 14y ago
Oh man! I can't wait to read this on every single HN post for the next three weeks.
- shoopy 14y ago
  Remember, you're not their user, you're their product. Ad companies are the real customers.
  - drivebyacct2 14y ago
    I still don't know why that's supposed to scare me. As long as they don't purge the contents of my Gmail and give me three months notice on closing products that I can export my data from... then, I'll find a way. If I have my way, sooner or later it will be more convenient to just run your own Google Voice clone on Twilio, Tropo, etc.
niggler 14y ago
The good thing about google voice is that when it is finally axed, the US laws require them to give a way to port numbers. That's the only reason why I was comfortable using their service
- derleth 14y ago
  > The good thing about google voice is that when it is finally axed, the US laws require them to give a way to port numbers. Or what? What's the penalty if they don't?
  - niggler 14y ago
    You can do it today: https://support.google.com/voice/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1316844&topic=1708124&ctx=topic https://support.google.com/voice/bin/answer.py?hl=en&ans... You can initiate the request from the other side (the new carrier), in which case it is forcefully wrested in a day. If google still refuses, you can complain to the FCC. As for google penalties for holding your number hostage, given that the business is dying there's really nothing other than an FCC lawsuit (which, as you imagine, would be for a paltry sum)
reedlaw 14y ago
Do you mean until they start charging for it? They've been saying for a number of years that "next year" it will no longer be free. But I have not heard they plan to sunset the service altogether.
- jordonwii 14y ago
  That wasn't about Google Voice. That's regarding free calling via Google Voice from the GMail/GTalk interface.
justincormack 14y ago
They havent introduced it outside the US yet AFAIK so it cannot be a high priority.

cypherpunks01 14y ago

What point is Google Voice at now, usability-wise? I used it in 2010 and it was slow to make outgoing calls and had some limitations as far as text messaging from the gv number. There were also some concerns about its general reliability. Is anyone using it fulltime now and happy with it?

drivebyacct2 14y ago
>Is anyone using it fulltime now and happy with it? Yes. I exclusively use it. The Messaging (SMS) app is disabled on my phone, I don't pay for SMS service and my friends and family only know my Google Voice number. The only usability issue I've had wasn't even a problem for me. My Mom's RAZR was slow to receive messages through her Google Voice number. Amazingly that went away when it got updated to ICS/JB. Taking calls through Gmail (I have a bluetooth headset I use anyway, I get lazy from holding up my phone) and sending/receiving SMSs from any browser is great too.
blankenship 14y ago
I’ve found it useful for a catch-all incoming number (e.g. my wife has a studio/storefront with a Google Voice number so when anyone calls it rings her cellphone with the Shop name in it). We use it exclusively for business-related things.
Ricapar 14y ago
I got my GV number back in 2008-2009ish.. Not 100% sure on the exact date, but I've had it for a while. I didn't start using it full-time at first, since I had an old flip-phone and there really wasn't much value added by having another number to make calls from. Once I got an Android Phone, I started trying to use it a bit more. Started out really... "raw" would be a good word. The GV app on Android was pretty poor at first. Push notifications wouldn't go down half the time, and you wouldn't know you got a text until several hours later. Today though - it's my full-time number, and none of my friends have my carrier-assigned cell phone number. Everything is through Google Voice. The app has greatly improved. I also have a problem with my phone being dead half the time. If I have my GMail open though - calls get redirected to there, and I can answer from my computer. There is also an extension for Chrome that'll "ding" when you get a text or missed call. Makes for really quick and easy replies to text messages.

Ricapar 14y ago

I got into Google Voice very early on. I grabbed a number ending in 1337 in my area code. That's now become my main number I give out to people. It brings a smirk to the few people who get it :)

jevinskie 14y ago
I got KOR-DUMP. =)
- jonursenbach 14y ago
  I got ROF-LLOL. It's quite the conversation starter, ha.

keda 14y ago

The GV Android app still feel slow even on my N4 and haven't seen new feature added for couple years. MMS missing and still lacks Chinese language support.

Zaephyr 14y ago

I still used Google Voice some; like others mention it's a safe number to give out for calls and txts when you're not sure how contentious the receiver will be with the number. I've switched to RingCentral for my main forwarding number as it has more features, though there's a monthly cost for that service.