Feb 14, 2020
When calling from landline with google voice, caller ID reads "Private"
Thanks
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Original Poster Paul Germain marked this as an answer
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Hi Paul Germain: thanks for posting in the volunteer-run Google Voice Community forum.
This can happen for several reasons:
- The most common: Google Voice is a service, not a standalone app. All Google services are tied to a Google account which is accessed via a Gmail address and password. When you authorize one of the Service Provider (SPx) slots on an OBiTALK device to use Google Voice, you're not linking it to a phone number; you're giving the device your permission to use the Google Voice service on whatever account you select. It is very easy to select the wrong Google/Gmail account, since Google permits multiple accounts to be signed in at the same time on the same web browser.
- You had a Google Voice number, but it was reclaimed for lack of use. "Lack of use" is defined as making at least one outbound call or sending one SMS in a rolling six month period. Inbound activity doesn't count.
Use a laptop or desktop computer's web browser, not a tablet or smartphone. Sign into the correct Google (Gmail) account that holds your Google Voice phone number, and go here: https://voice.google.com/settings. Confirm that you see your Google Voice phone number at the top of the page. If not, then you're signed into the wrong Google account, or you don't have a Google Voice number.
Assuming you found the Google Voice number, hover your mouse cursor over your avatar in the upper right corner of the web page. It's a colored circle with a letter in it, or a photo you uploaded. Look at the Gmail address it displays. Write it down.
Press Ctrl-T or CMD-T on your keyboard to open a new tab in the same web browser. Sign into your OBiTALK device configuration dashboard: http://www.obitalk.com/obinet/pg/obhdev
Click on your device, then click on the SPx you configured with Google Voice. Compare the Gmail address shown on this page with the Gmail address you wrote down. If they are different, follow the procedure below the address, to link the SP to the correct Google account.
Last edited Feb 14, 2020
Here's a picture:
Feb 14, 2020
Thanks for your reply.
I went through the steps you mentioned. I'm ruling out option 2 because I use the number constantly, and to this day I haven't had the number an entire six months. So I don't think it's a "Lack of Use" issue.
Following the steps you mentioned in option 1, the correct phone number is definitely associated with the correct gmail account on my web browser. After confirming that, I signed into my obitalk device (an Obi 202, by the way), and it listed the same email address as on my gmail account. As far as I can tell, all of that's correct (not surprising, since caller ID had shown previously, and as far as I know, nothing has changed).
BUT the "Private Number" issue persists. When I call my cell phone from my landline, caller ID is still not displayed. This is consistent with reports from friends and family, so I know it's not simply a quirk with my cell phone. Not sure what to try next...
Feb 14, 2020
Original Poster Paul Germain marked this as an answer
Feb 14, 2020
... wait for it...
I THINK IT WORKED!
It's late at night here, so I can't really call anyone, but I dialed my own cell number, and THE OUTGOING NUMBER SHOWED UP ON CALLER ID! So i think this did the trick. I'll make some more calls in the morning to confirm, but THANK YOU!!!