How-to: Google Voice Settings to Get SMS Texts, Step by Step Process

I originally posted this on Push To Talk Forums - Connect directly with other Sprint Nextel Users

I am now getting SMS everytime, super fast and super reliable. No more hour-upon-hour delays or "lost" text messages whatsoever. Here's what i did:

First, youll need to assign an alternate email address in Google Voice.

In GV:

1. Go to Settings

2. Voicemail and SMS

3. where it says email message to:, click Add new email address

4. input your [email protected] SMS address

5. You will get a SMS text (it was about 7 messages long in my i335), and you'll have to type out that confirmation link into your web browser and confirm it (web browser on your computer, not your phone)

6. once you [email protected] is confirmed, go back into Voicemail and SMS settings and in the drop down menu, switch to your SMS address. I know that this is for Voicemails, but when doing so, your SMS forwarding email address will automatically switch to whatever is linked to your Voicemail forwarding.


and that's it. with these settings, youll get an SMS text, but youll still get your original MMS sent to your inbox.

Now the only challenge i have, at least for my i335, is that there is no option in my i335 to send a reply from an SMS text. So, i HAVE to keep both the SMS and MMS coming to my phone or else i cant reply. It sucks because i'll get the MMS after i get the SMS; the SMS comes virtually instantly, and when the MMS does come in, it takes the usual iDEN time... i'll get 4 or 5 texts sent to my SMS before i'll even get the first forwarded MMS in my inbox. and some times, ill get the MMS right away... but in both cases, the MMS still has to be downloaded...

also, when i did my "spam" test, the MMS forwarding actually got in the way of my "fast" SMS. I sent 5 consecutive text messages quickly one-after-the-other from an iphone. Results: i received 2 SMS texts, then somehow there was a pause of about 30 seconds, then i got 4 MMS in my inbox, then about 2 minutes later, i got the remaining 3 SMS texts, then about 15 seconds later, i got the final MMS in my inbox.

So having the both SMS and MMS on at the same time can bottleneck. but in the grand scheme, the delays werent bad. the only "inconvenience" i can imagine is that because i received the some SMS first, then some MMS, i could see how one could get confused in a text conversation between different people at the same time, or if someone is texting you alot right away. but under "normal" conditions, you should do fine.

however, if your phone CAN send a reply from a SMS text, and you do NOT want a duplicate sent to your MMS inbox, do this:


in GV:

1. Go to Settings
2. Phones
3. Edit (your mobile line)
4. Uncheck "receive SMS on this phone"

even though this process is to accept/deny SMS messages forwarded to your cell phone, this actually controls your mobile inbox in general, which for us iDEN users is unfortunately our MMS.



if anyone has info on how to reply directly from an SMS on an i335 (or any iDEN phone) please help.

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