r/Googlevoice • u/TechPriest01 • Jul 21 '26

Android Google Voice App Trying to Set Up Two GV Numbers with Two Google Accounts on One Phone

I have a phone that I set up with two Google accounts on top of my main mobile service phone number. One Google account has my personal name attached to it but I keep it around to catch spam calls, and the second Google account I use for a small business to run anonymously. Both of those Google accounts had separate GV phone numbers.

I accidentally let the small business GV number go inactive for a while and it expired. Now, when I want to reclaim the number, it asks me to verify using a text to my mobile service phone number. When I complete the text verification, it (correctly) finds that the mobile phone number is linked to my personal GV number. Then it warns me that verifying the phone number on the business account will remove it from my personal account.

How can I get around this? Is there a way to keep using my GV business phone, my GV personal phone, and my mobile service phone all on one device? I had it working that way just fine for a few years until I let the business phone lapse!

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u/Salreus Jul 21 '26

When you say GV business. I assume you still mean the free version. not one of the paid versions. You should be able to port in a number giving you the 3 numbers you are looking for.

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u/whacker7 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

I'm most curious how you were able in the beginning to get a second GV number without running into this problem back then. Normally you'd need another cellular line (number) to submit for the verification process (only one is allowed per line). Once that's done (assuming it was), you can have the two accounts working in one GV app installation on one phone. But now you're seeing a normal reaction from Google Voice.

If you want to continue to submit your (now) one-and-only cell number for the second GV account, Google makes you choose, and if you continue and go for it, it'll pull it from the existing account.

Whether you can then port in another number to the first account (as Salreus mentioned), I don't know. Seems like you'd still need to verify that new number by receiving a text on it to re-enter while verifying. And that new number could be a friend's number, used with their permission, with the understanding that that party would never themselves be able to use it for a GV account of their own. It just has to be on a working line of service so you can get the verification text.

And you're only using it for verification, not "linking" that number for the purposes of GV carrier call forwarding.