# A way to text from non service phone through one that does?



## VicoDrive (Aug 26, 2014)

Im looking to switch to my personal phone for the driver app instead of using Uber's own iPhones. The only problem I see with this is riders love to text (which I really dont mind) when I am looking to pick them up. I feel this will be a big inconvenience when you are using that same phone as the GPS to pick up that person.

I have a couple older unused Android phones and I was hoping that maybe there is an app or something out there that would let me send and receive texts on my older non plan phones that is connected to the phone running the Uber Driver app which has the phone and data plan via wifi/hotspot/bluetooth/etc?


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## Showa50 (Nov 30, 2014)

Get a Google voice number for one of the other phones and tether it to a phone with data


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## VicoDrive (Aug 26, 2014)

Showa50 said:


> Get a Google voice number for one of the other phones and tether it to a phone with data


Ive tried many times to make sense of what google voice is and does and still dont really know where to start.

So would I get a google phone number and change the number google has on my account to that? If I then get voice calls, would that only go through the data?


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## Showa50 (Nov 30, 2014)

VicoDrive said:


> Ive tried many times to make sense of what google voice is and does and still dont really know where to start.
> 
> So would I get a google phone number and change the number google has on my account to that? If I then get voice calls, would that only go through the data?


I have no experience doing the Google voice number port for Uber.

I would set up a different Gmail account and get a number for that account. Then switch my Uber number too. Theoretically it should work. You'd have to use the Google Voice app or Hangouts app to send and receive text. The app should use your tethered data to send and receive.

I've used Hangouts with out a cell connection and via Wifi on a tablet I have.


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

VicoDrive said:


> Im looking to switch to my personal phone for the driver app instead of using Uber's own iPhones. The only problem I see with this is riders love to text (which I really dont mind) when I am looking to pick them up. I feel this will be a big inconvenience when you are using that same phone as the GPS to pick up that person.
> 
> I have a couple older unused Android phones and I was hoping that maybe there is an app or something out there that would let me send and receive texts on my older non plan phones that is connected to the phone running the Uber Driver app which has the phone and data plan via wifi/hotspot/bluetooth/etc?


I use the same phone. After awhile you may get used to it. It may not be as bad as you imagine. The problems you run into with Gvoice or trying to relay text messages may the worse of the two evils. The only thing I would do on a separate phone is playing or streaming music if you do that.


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## VicoDrive (Aug 26, 2014)

grams777 said:


> I use the same phone. After awhile you may get used to it. It may not be as bad as you imagine. The problems you run into with Gvoice or trying to relay text messages may the worse of the two evils. The only thing I would do on a separate phone is playing or streaming music if you do that.


Google Voice would be worse in what ways?


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## player81 (Jan 31, 2015)

I have my personal phone that I use to play Pandora, then I have an old unused Android that I run the Uber app on. I use my personal phone as a wifi hotspot and connect the Android to the internet that way. I like the Uber Driver app for Android better because I can use my bluetooth and Waze/Google Maps.

To answer your question, I've tried Many free ways to text/talk through the Android that has internet only, but could not get it to work. I'm not paying for a Voice Over IP service, which would probably do the trick. Here's what I do: I just save the Uber phone number as a favorite on my personal phone. Whenever I need to contact a passenger, or they need to contact me, I just use my personal phone. The Android phone running Uber and the GPS software never gets interrupted.

As far as my experience with Google Voice - it Theoretically should work on a tethered phone, but it doesn't. I tried changing my Uber phone number to my google voice number but I couldn't hear the passenger (I promptly hung up and texted the passenger that I was having a phone malfunction in order to avoid a down rating). I think it has something to do with the google voice number still having to dial your real number which is providing the internet connection, or whatever.


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## VicoDrive (Aug 26, 2014)

player81 said:


> I have my personal phone that I use to play Pandora, then I have an old unused Android that I run the Uber app on. I use my personal phone as a wifi hotspot and connect the Android to the internet that way. I like the Uber Driver app for Android better because I can use my bluetooth and Waze/Google Maps.
> 
> To answer your question, I've tried Many free ways to text/talk through the Android that has internet only, but could not get it to work. I'm not paying for a Voice Over IP service, which would probably do the trick. Here's what I do: I just save the Uber phone number as a favorite on my personal phone. Whenever I need to contact a passenger, or they need to contact me, I just use my personal phone. The Android phone running Uber and the GPS software never gets interrupted.
> 
> As far as my experience with Google Voice - it Theoretically should work on a tethered phone, but it doesn't. I tried changing my Uber phone number to my google voice number but I couldn't hear the passenger (I promptly hung up and texted the passenger that I was having a phone malfunction in order to avoid a down rating). I think it has something to do with the google voice number still having to dial your real number which is providing the internet connection, or whatever.


If I understand you correctly, your doing the same thing I want to do but your phones are opposite, didnt think of that. The only problem I may run into is im guessing my older My Touch 4g Slide may be too old for the driver app, will check and see...


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## player81 (Jan 31, 2015)

VicoDrive said:


> If I understand you correctly, your doing the same thing I want to do but your phones are opposite, didnt think of that. The only problem I may run into is im guessing my older My Touch 4g Slide may be too old for the driver app, will check and see...


yeah, you want to run the GPS app on the phone that doesn't have service so you're not interrupted by texts.


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## VicoDrive (Aug 26, 2014)

player81 said:


> yeah, you want to run the GPS app on the phone that doesn't have service so you're not interrupted by texts.


Dang, my newer phone is so much bigger and Purdy! :-( will see what I can make work, thanks!


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## player81 (Jan 31, 2015)

If you have AT&T or T-Mobile, just pull your sim card out of the new phone and put it in the spare phone. You may need a sim adapter if the sim slots aren't the same size.


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## VicoDrive (Aug 26, 2014)

Dang, looks like neither of my older phones will even install the driver app. The sim card on my newer phone doesnt fit my older phones either, never thought to look for adapters. Will have to find another way to make this work :-(


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## player81 (Jan 31, 2015)

VicoDrive said:


> Dang, looks like neither of my older phones will even install the driver app. The sim card on my newer phone doesnt fit my older phones either, never thought to look for adapters. Will have to find another way to make this work :-(


Find the cheapest android that will run the software on eBay or craigslist (probably Android 4.xx - but don't quote me on that). Then claim that expense on your taxes since that phone will be used exclusively for business purposes. It's not free, but it's a start. I find 2 phones to be so convenient because the Uber driver app for iPhone pretty much cripples it for any other use (no music streaming, no bluetooth, no Google maps or Waze). I also hope you're claiming a percentage of your phone bill as a business expense.


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## VicoDrive (Aug 26, 2014)

player81 said:


> Find the cheapest android that will run the software on eBay or craigslist (probably Android 4.xx - but don't quote me on that). Then claim that expense on your taxes since that phone will be used exclusively for business purposes. It's not free, but it's a start. I find 2 phones to be so convenient because the Uber driver app for iPhone pretty much cripples it for any other use (no music streaming, no bluetooth, no Google maps or Waze). I also hope you're claiming a percentage of your phone bill as a business expense.


I was thinking about that too, will have to see whats out there and what it would cost.

I havent started using my own data plan for Uber yet, thats what im working on now to see if its even possible. I do have a data plan ready to go but I need to be able to get this texting thing to work like I want first if there is a way at all.

I was thinking about the taxes things too, how do you go about writing off data plans? You said a percentage, how do you figure what percent?


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## player81 (Jan 31, 2015)

@VicoDrive It's tedious, but in general, you look up how much of your talktime and texts are spent using Uber vs personal calls. Then use that to make a good faith estimate. Let's say 50% of my phone calls are Uber (easy because I rarely actually talk). 50% of my phone bill gets written off as a business expense. It does raise IRS flags and you are more likely to get audited, but as long as you give a good faith estimate and show you how you got your calculation you won't be penalized - at most you might have to pay some of the money back. This is 3rd hand information and I'm not a tax professional. Search the boards or contact a pro before you listen to me, but that's what I'm doing.


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## painfreepc (Jul 17, 2014)

player81 said:


> I have my personal phone that I use to play Pandora, then I have an old unused Android that I run the Uber app on. I use my personal phone as a wifi hotspot and connect the Android to the internet that way. I like the Uber Driver app for Android better because I can use my bluetooth and Waze/Google Maps.
> 
> To answer your question, I've tried Many free ways to text/talk through the Android that has internet only, but could not get it to work. I'm not paying for a Voice Over IP service, which would probably do the trick. Here's what I do: I just save the Uber phone number as a favorite on my personal phone. Whenever I need to contact a passenger, or they need to contact me, I just use my personal phone. The Android phone running Uber and the GPS software never gets interrupted.
> 
> As far as my experience with Google Voice - it Theoretically should work on a tethered phone, but it doesn't. I tried changing my Uber phone number to my google voice number but I couldn't hear the passenger (I promptly hung up and texted the passenger that I was having a phone malfunction in order to avoid a down rating). I think it has something to do with the google voice number still having to dial your real number which is providing the internet connection, or whatever.


You don't need a normal cell number to use Google Voice,
You forward Google Voice to the HangOut dealer app, works well..

You can run both apps on the same phone (my personal iPhone 4),
You send and receive text with Google Voice app,
You send and receive calls with the HangOut app,

My uber profile has my Google Voice Number,

Both devices below have no data or cell plan, I use a t-mobile hotspot,
I use an asus 7in tablet to run the shareride apps, Google and waze maps,
I use a personal iPhone 4 for all shareride communication.


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## player81 (Jan 31, 2015)

painfreepc said:


> You don't need a normal cell number to use Google Voice,
> You forward Google Voice to the HangOut dealer app, works well..
> 
> You can run both apps on the same phone,
> ...


Thanks for the info. I still like my calls and texts to come to my phone with service as to not interrupt my gps on the other phone

EDIT: If I set up google voice on the phone not running the GPS software, I can only write off part of my data plan on my taxes. As of right now, I'm writing off part of my Entire phone bill since I take calls and texts, not just using data.


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