Google Voice – Fixing the Cellphone Voicemail Problem

So, I love Google Voice and have been using it for years, ever since it was Grand Central.  Today, I finally figured out how to reign in the problem with voicemails showing up in either my cell phone voicemail or my Google Voice voicemail.  It was starting to become unbearable to have to check both places for voicemails that were left when people dialed my GVoice number.  Here’s what causes the problem:  When someone dials my Google number and I click ignore, or am out of service coverage, my Sprint voicemail kicks in early causing Google to think that Ive picked up the phone meaning that the calls are connected straight to my Sprint voicemail and then they would leave a message there.  If I was in service but just let the phone ring, Google would time out knowing that I hadn’t picked up in which case the caller would be connected to my Google voicemail.  Depending on where I was or what I was doing, voicemails could have ended up in either place.  Depending on your cell phone carrier you have to enable two or three types of call fowarding so that if you click Ignore on your phone, are out of service or have your phone off, your cell carrier will forward the calls to your GVoice number.  If you are on Sprint, the forwarding service is 20 cents per minute while the person is leaving you a voicemail.  For me, that cost is worth it so that I dont go crazy tracking down voicemails anymore.  I believe it is free on the other carriers.  For instructions on enabling this feature for the various carriers, click here.