GrooVe IP's Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started?

Install GrooVe IP VoIP Calls & Text or buy GrooVe IP Pro (the Ad Free version) from the Google Play or Amazon App store.
Open/run the app.
Follow the on-screen instructions to create an account and get a new phone number in the area code of your choice.
Start making/receiving calls and sending/receiving SMS!

Is the service free?

The GrooVe IP app is free to download and use. You are provided with a US phone number for one dollar that lets you make calls to any other phone in US or Canada, and receive phone calls from anywhere in the world. All calls and texting between GrooVe IP users is totally free. In addition, all incoming calls/texts from anywhere are also free. Free credits every month allow you to make outgoing calls and send texts. If during the month you run out of credits, you can easily earn credits by watching some videos or participating in partner offers. You can also buy credits very inexpensively.

How many free credits are provided per month?

You are provided 16 free credits per month. These are enough to send 45 text messages or make 10 minutes of outgoing calls.

If I run out of free credits, what will it cost to buy extra credits (if I don't want to watch videos or participate in offers)?

$1.99 will buy you 200 credits. This will allow you 125 minutes of outbound calling or will let you send 570 text messages.
You can also choose to buy 550 credits for $4.99 (10% credits free!) or 1000 credits for $8.49 (15% credits free!).

How much does an outgoing call or SMS cost?

An outgoing call to a non-GrooVe IP number costs 1.6 credits/minute. An outgoing SMS to a non-GrooVe IP number costs 0.35 credits. Of course, calls/SMS to other GrooVe IP users are totally free.

How do I customize my voice mail greeting?

From the GrooVe IP app, please dial your own number. Follow the voice prompts to record custom greeting, or to disable/enable voice mail.

What will it cost to use other SIP clients?

If you use your account on SIP clients other than GrooVe IP, an outbound voice minute will cost 1.8 credits while an incoming voice minute will cost 0.8 credits. Please note that you cannot use your monthly free minutes on non-GrooVe IP SIP clients.

Can I use short-code SMS?

We no longer support inbound or outbound short-code SMS messages for GrooVe IP.

Can I receive social account verification codes (WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.)?

We strongly discourage the use of GrooVe IP for SMS-based verification code delivery to sign-up for other apps and services--WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. If you do use GrooVe IP for this purpose, it will cost you 100 credits per message. The monthly free credits cannot be used for this purpose.
If we determine that your account was opened solely for signing up for other apps and services, we will release your phone number and terminate your account. In addition, we will disallow any further activity (e.g. requesting another phone number) from this account.
Acceptable Use Policy (https://snrblabs.com/GrooVeIp/AcceptableUsePolicy)

Will you provide 911 service?

In order to keep the costs down, we will not be providing 911 service.

The app opens but I get an error saying the application is not licensed

The app uses the Android License Check. Sometimes the license check fails or the server returns an incorrect response. We've found restarting your device generally fixes the error. Another solution that worked for some people is to click Buy on the pop-up and then click open from the Android Market (it won't charge you again, it will take you to the Android Market)
Of course, if you are using a pirated version of the app, you will be getting the "Application Not Licensed" message for a legitimate reason!

Why is GrooVe IP switching away from RingTo?

RingTo is transitioning to a paid service and will no longer offer free accounts to new or existing users.

Why can’t I get a number in my area code?

Our intention is to be able to provide phone numbers in all US area codes, and for the vast majority of area codes we can. Unfortunately some area codes will not be available due to lack of available numbers in them. If you are not able to get a number in your desired area code, please use our search option to find a number in an alternate area code.

Can I call outside of US and Canada?

Not at this time. This functionality is being planned.

Can I use GrooVe IP outside of US/Canada?

You can receive calls to GrooVe IP from anywhere in the world. However, currently you can only call US or Canadian numbers.

What ports are used by GrooVe IP?

For registration and call signaling, GrooVe IP uses UDP port 9060 as a default. If desired, this can be changed to 5060 from the Settings – Troubleshooting section.
On the local side, GrooVe IP will use a port between 5060 and 5110 (the first unused one that it can find).
For communicating with a STUN server, by default, UDP port 19302 is used. (The STUN server is configurable under the Settings - Troubleshooting section.)
For audio traffic, UDP ports in the 19000 to 19099 range are used. (The audio port range--starting port number and the number of ports--is configurable under the Settings - Troubleshooting section.)

If I purchase the Pro (Ad Free) version, and I change or format my device, how can I get GrooVe IP back without paying again?

Just download it again from the same place you originally purchased it from (Google Play or Amazon App store). You will not be charged again as long as your device still syncs with the account that was used to purchase.

I'm having poor voice quality, what should I do?

Check your data connection speed on the phone. GrooVe IP generates about 85 Kb/s upload and download traffic on the data network. (You need much more than this speed for good voice quality.) You can check your connection speed using the free speedtest.net app.
If you are using WiFi and your call quality is poor, try the "Keep Screen Alive" checkbox. Many phones, especially HTC devices, put the WiFi chip into a power saving mode when the screen turns off.
The Synchronize Voice checkbox can improve voice quality on some devices.
Increasing the mic buffer can improve sound towards the person you are talking to.
Ensure that any task killer apps or battery monitor apps (e.g. Juice Defender) ignore or exclude GrooVe IP.
If quality is poor on both WiFi and 3G/4G, and your connection speeds are good, first try enabling the Audio Processing checkbox.
If call quality is good for incoming calls but bad for outgoing calls, enable the Audio Processing checkbox.
If call quality is good for outgoing calls but bad for incoming calls, enable the Audio Processing checkbox.
The Audio Mode Fallback checkbox can be used in addition to the Audio Processing checkbox. Audio Mode Fallback will not do anything unless the Audio Processing checkbox is also checked.
If your calls are good over WiFi but bad over 3G/4G, no settings will likely help. See the above point about bandwidth requirements. Also, 3G/4G connections have more latency and jitter than WiFi connections. Latency can add delay and jitter can cause background noise. Typically calls will sound better when you have a strong data network signal

Voice is coming out of the speaker instead of the ear-piece

Enable just the Audio Routing checkbox in the Troubleshooting section.
If that does not work, disable Audio Routing and enable both Incoming & Outgoing Audio Processing
If that doesn't work, leave those two checked and also check Audio Mode Fallback
If you are using a Motorola Atrix this was a known issue in the Froyo versions. The Gingerbread update fixes this issue for the Atrix. The Atrix will require Audio Processing to be checked.
If none of the above works you can also repeat the above with the Wifi Tablet checkbox enabled.
If that still doesn't work, please contact us and let us know what type of device you have. Please note that the Atrix and Intercept have known problems with audio coming out the rear speaker.

People can hear me but I can’t hear them

You can increase the Speaker Volume to increase voice towards you
Try Enabling the WiFi Tablet checkbox
The audio ports used by GrooVe IP are configurable in the app Troubleshooting settings. Ensure those UDP ports are open, or change the configuration to ports you know are open on your firewall. In older versions of GrooVe IP UDP ports 19003 and 19004 are used for audio and are not configurable.

What is the Codec and how much bandwidth is used?

GrooVe IP supports the G.711 mu-law codec.
The bandwidth usage is approximately 10 KB/second in each (upstream and downstream) direction (or about 600 Kilo Bytes per minute per direction).

The market says “purchased” but the app download doesn’t start—applicable to the Pro (Ad Free) version only

Please contact Android Market Support. The Android market is responsible for all billing and distribution related issues.

I can make calls but there is no voice

First try the Audio Processing checkbox
If that doesn't help try the Synchronize Voice checkbox
The audio ports used by GrooVe IP are configurable in the app Troubleshooting settings. Ensure those UDP ports are open, or change the configuration to ports you know are open on your firewall. In older versions of GrooVe IP UDP ports 19003 and 19004 are used for audio and are not configurable.

The person I am talking to hears echo or hears themselves speak

Try enabling the Echo Canceler from the Audio/Echo settings
Ensure Echo Post Processing is enabled and the echo tail setting is set to auto detect (unless you know the proper tail size)
The Synchronize Voice checkbox under Troubleshooting can improve the Echo Canceler performance
Try lowering both the Speaker Volume and Mic Gain settings

How do I delete my GrooVe IP account?

In the navigation drawer (three lines at the top left side of the main screen), click on “Delete User”. This will delete your GrooVe IP account and release your phone number.

How can I change my email address?

Currently this is not possible in the app. This is planned for a future release.

How do I redial the last number?

To redial the last number, click on the dial button (the handset symbol) in the app's dialer screen to bring up the last number dialed. Click one more time to dial it

How do I use my Google Voice number as my calling-out number?

Go to Voice.Google.com
Add your GrooVe IP number as a forward number (make it mobile)
If you already added the GrooVe IP number and it is selectable, click: Edit
Click: Show Advanced Settings
Click: Voicemail Access
Click: Yes (and decide if you want to require a PIN)
Click: Save
Now open your phone's Groove IP app
Go to Settings
Click: Google Voice Integration
Select: Make calls via Google Voice
Click: Your Google Voice Phone Number, and enter your Google Voice phone #
Click: Your Google Voice VM PIN (if any), and enter your PIN (only if you selected this option in voice.google.com)

Can I use my Google Voice number with GrooVe IP?

Yes, you can! If you wish to use your Google Voice phone number, you can get a new number from GrooVe IP and forward your Google Voice calls to this new number.
You can also use your Google Voice number as the caller ID. Right now this requires a few steps. You will have to call your own Google number. Press 2. Enter the number you want to call. Press the # key.

I am forwarding my Google Voice calls to my GrooVe IP phone number. Can I answer incoming calls without having to dial ‘1’?

Yes, you can! In the GrooVe IP app, go to Settings – Google Voice Integration, and turn on the “Receive calls via Google Voice” feature.

I have a problem that is not covered here

Please contact us! We will be happy to work with you.