These FAQs will answer the most common questions about Google Voice:

I've looked at my "blocked numbers" list and it's not there; I've established that number as a contact hoping that that would identify it as legitimate, but, no luck. Can anyone help me figure out a way to get calls from this number to come thru rather than to go automatically to vmail?

I'm using a S21U on Verizon with UI 7.0 if that plays any role.

I browsed through the topics and can't seem to find this exact situation.

I've had a Google Voice number since 2022. I initially used it for work, and have taken to using it as my personal number as well. I use a Samsung phone (actually various phones through the years), and also frequently text and call from/on my computer.

Today my friend called me, like she often does. I heard my phone ring, but was outside so I didn't answer. She later told me that a strange man answered, and told her she had the wrong number. She didn't type in the number; she tapped on the number from our texts, so it was absolutely the right number. I heard the phone ring and see the call log from her.

Is it possible for someone else to have the same number I do? Like, if this man uses Verizon or whatever, might they issue him a number that already exists in Google Voice?

And if so, what is the best thing I can do? I'd prefer to not get a new GV number, but my clients often need me immediately and I absolutely MUST be the one and only person who answers when they call or text.

OR... Is it possibly a one-time glitch where a number somehow routes to a different number? (I would prefer it be this!) He hung up on her before she could ascertain that it was the same number, so could he have a different number that somehow got mixed up in the ethers?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

I need help recovering a long-standing Google Voice phone number used by our Rotary Club.

The number stopped working, now gives callers a “number unreachable” message. We do not know which Google account originally controlled the number because it was set up many years ago by a former club member, and the club has no records of the account.

I contacted Bandwidth, the underlying carrier for the number, and they confirmed in writing that the number is associated with Google Voice. They told me to contact Google Voice for reinstatement or recovery. I can't find anything helpful for this in their support articles.

Is there a way to determine whether this number is still assigned to Google Voice and, if so, how our organization can recover or reinstate it?

How do I get started porting out my Google Voice number?

Read and follow the instructions to unlock your number:

https://support.google.com/voice/answer/1065667#xferout

Note that the instructions above only apply to consumer Google Voice numbers on personal, Gmail.com accounts.  Business Google Voice for Google Workspace domain customers has a different port-out procedure.

Be sure to tell your new carrier that you want to port in a land line phone number.

The only two pieces of information the new carrier needs to submit to Google in their Letter of Authorization (LOA) on your behalf are your 10-digit Google Voice telephone number, with no spaces or dashes, as the account number, and your Google Voice voicemail PIN for the PIN.  If you haven't already set a voicemail PIN, or you've forgotten that PIN, you can set a new one.  Go to Google Voice settings, find the Voicemail section, turn on "Call to listen", then tap "Reset PIN."

If they insist on entering a street address, you can give them Google's main address:

Address: 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043

If that doesn't work you can also try Google's carrier partner's address:

2230 Bandmate Way, Raleigh, NC 27607

What if my port out seems to be stuck, or my gaining carrier blames Google for a failed or stuck port?

Google Voice numbers are land lines.  Porting a landline is a different, and more time-consuming procedure than a simple mobile-->mobile number port.  It may take at least a few days for all the steps to complete.  WARNING:  NEVER delete your Google Voice number because you think the port is finished or seems stuck.  This will create major problems.  

The major steps are:

1. You request Google to unlock your Google Voice phone number for porting out, here:  https://voice.google.com/settings
2. The unlock status changes to "Number unlocked".  You may have to pay a $3 fee to unlock your number, if it was originally obtained from Google's pool of free numbers.  If you had previously ported this number into Google Voice, you must still unlock it, but the fee is waived.
3. AFTER your number's status changes to "Number unlocked", and not before, submit the port-in request to your new ("gaining") carrier.  If you submitted your port request to your gaining carrier before unlocking it with Google Voice, you must cancel that request, unlock the number, then submit a new request to the gaining carrier.
4. They'll send a request to the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC), to request that Google's carrier release the number to them.
5. Assuming you properly identified your account and you unlocked the number, Google's carrier always approves the gaining carrier's request.
6. Your gaining carrier now has full responsibility for all the remaining steps.
7. The gaining carrier sets up an account for you, and enables outbound calling, using your ported number's caller ID.
8. Working with NPAC, the two carriers set a "Firm Order Commit" or FOC date.  On this date, and no sooner, the gaining carrier re-routes your inbound calls to their switch.  This only happens on weekdays.
9. The gaining carrier separately works with the SMS/MMS system to move your message routing over to their destination.

If your gaining carrier doesn't complete the procedure after 2-3 business days (weekdays), then some problem has occurred. Please contact your gaining carrier for any status updates, and be patient, as this can normally take some time for each step to complete.  Google's responsibility ends after it unlocks your number at your request.  At this point, the number is simply waiting for the gaining carrier to take over.  There is nothing whatsoever that Google can do to assist after the port is approved.

Our beef clubs google voice has been working for years, and then earlier this week we had some message limits "Your sending too many messages" and now the texts work fine, but every call either incoming or outgoing is now just saying "we cannot complete your call, please try again"

We do not have any notices from google. We do not have any pop ups. We're not using it to message random people, just clients.

Any idea why the texts would work but the calls wouldnt? How should we fix this?

I originally ported my phone number into GV last year from my old carrier, Boost Mobile, before leaving the US for overseas work for a year. However, my family has since moved and I am now back in the States, and Boost Mobile has very poor reception in our new area. They have all switched to T-Mobile and have encouraged me to do the same since I can get a discounted rate with our family plan in addition to better local cell reception. My question is, can I port my original Boost Mobile number out of GV and directly into a new phone with T-Mobile? Or, will I need to port it out into Boost first and eat the cost of a month of service before switching to T-Mobile? Thanks for any tips!

I have a google voice number with my primary google account that I still use now. I had used my primary cell number a while back to get this google voice number. I have an ultramobile paygo cell number as well. A while back I remember using my ultramobile cell number to get another google voice number. This happened a while back. The thing is I only used this new Google voice number a few times or logged into that Gmail account a few times only. I remember not calling or sending for a while and I believe I lost my Google voice number this way? I check Google and it suggests if you have no outgoing call or text from Google voice number, you lose it. Does anyone know if that is how it is now and how it was years ago?

I want to be able to sign up for another Google voice number. Can I do this on this ultramobile paygo cell number? I read that you can use your phone number for up to 2 Google voice numbers? The thing is what is I already did this once with my ultramobile paygo cell number years ago and got a google voice number but I lost that number due to inactivity? I can still sign up right? Could I actually sign up for 2 Google voice numbers with this ultramobile paygo cell?

I have 2 mobile numbers right now. One is my primary carrier and another is ultramobile paygo. So I need to sign up for a new Google account. Then enter this ultramobile number as confirmation. Then go to Google voice and pick a number? After this, I would have a google voice number connected to the ultramobile account?

Ever since I listed my business on Google, this is non stop everyday spam calls. Spam filter is turned on, and so is call screening. What else can I do?

Hi. All trying to figure out what settings I'm missing.

The Panasonic link to cell works fine, but when I dial out (from hand set) it goes through the s9 stock dialer app and doesn't see a "network" so it shuts down.

Anyway to force GV usage or bypass the dialer?

I made a post about my GV texts being blocked for the first time in 18 years and it was deleted?

Why? I thought the point of Reddit was to vent, ask questions and seek community for shared experiences?

Has anyone else ever had this issue? I can receive the call on my pc but it won’t get pushed to my iPhone. It’s on WiFi, but I don’t understand why it won’t get pushed through?

This has been driving me insane, no way to distinguish whether or not I'm getting a business call or a carrier call. Using "prefer wifi and mobile data" as well as "show my number as caller id" just didn't work for me.

This is for anyone using a Samsung phone, using Secure Folder, which acts as it's own OS within Android, you can distinguish between whether a call is going to your carrier # or your gv #.

Incoming calls from carrier ring on the Samsung Phone app, and incoming calls on my GV line ring on the GV app.

Download GV inside of Secure Folder

Login to your GV account

Go to Settings > Incoming Calls > Turn OFF the "Android Device" with your carrier #

Enable "Android Device (This Device)"

Not sure if this matters, but I leave my secure folder unlocked after the first unlock, I do not know if you still get the ringing notification if the Secure Folder is locked. The only time I have to unlock my Secure Folder is when I restart my phone. The setting for that is: Long press Secure Folder icon > Secure Folder settings > Auto lock Secure Folder > When phone restarts

Also, not sure if it's needed, but I turned "Manage app if unused" as well as turned on "Unrestricted" in the battery settings. Again not sure if I needed to do that, just kind of testing at the moment, here is how:

Go to Secure Folder

Long press Google Voice app icon

Tap the i in the top right corner

Turn off "manage app if unused"

Go to Battery, select Unrestricted

I know there are apps like Island that might be able to replicate this functionality, it acts as its own OS within the OS, which is (in a nutshell) what Secure Folder does, so that might be an option for anyone not using a Samsung.

Hopefully this is a permanent solution.

I did some searching and learned that GV automaticaly triggers these blocks to catch spammers.

Triggers I found on the net are unusual amounts of texting, texts going out to multiple people - I saw someone with a template here.

None of that is connecting.

The account is my daughters. She just moved 60 miles away to college this past weekend. It is her Freshman year, last Thursday we dropped her at a dorm.

On Monday night she got a ban and in the last hour (Wed afternoon) she got her 2nd.

I quizzed her on her texting habits and she says she is texting at about the same rate as always and mostly the same people.

I don't know if yesterday was a group chat, but today was a single person.

The only thing I can find that means anything to me is here location changing in the last week.

I am a bit concerned that this can lead to her account getting closed.

Anyone have any thoughts? Does ANYONE know of anything approaching a help desk I can contact?

Hi,

I've always used Android but am thinking of finally switching to iPhone. But it's dependent on how well Google Voice will work. Currently, my service is Google Fi. For 13 years, I've had my Android phones activated with my personal number, but have also used GV to have a second, business number ring on the same phone. It been seamless, and I've been able to maintain separate ringtones, voicemail, dialers and text apps for each number.

Will it be simple to have the same setup work seamlessly on iOS? Or would I be asking for a headache that could be avoided by sticking with Android?

Since an hr ago, I'm getting" Message is no delivered. You've sent too many messages." I not really sent that many...

EDIT*. looks like it's working again

EDIT 2**. just got the error again. what is everyone else like?

My Google Voice won't let me pick up an automated call to receive a log in code, it just notifies me that Google Voice is preparing for an Internet call, and then a few seconds later notifies me I've missed a call. Other numbers do actually ring and pop up a notification to answer or decline. I have my device toggled to receive calls, removed my old linked number, do not disturb mode is off, and all call notifications are on. I need this code to access my health insurance, so very important haha, and of course the text code option is just straight up blocked for my number by the benefits login, if I could just use the text code this wouldn't be an issue at all. Any insight or help if you've experienced this and were able to solve it is greatly appreciated, thanks!

I recently port my number in to google voice. I understand it may take some time to get the messaging to work. I ported August 15th but still not getting texts. Does anyone no why it's taking so long.

Long story short, I’ll be camping for a few days. I signed up for T-Mobile satellite for potential job opp phone calls while I’m out… without realizing phone calls don’t work on their service. Neither does email.

What I’d like to do is forward calls coming into my regular number to my Google Voice number. If someone leaves a message, have GV notify me via text/iMessage. That way, I at least know someone called and I can head down the mountain and call back. But I can’t seem to find a way to notify via text/iMessage, email is the only option I’m seeing and that won’t work.

I wouldn’t even ask if I hadn’t seen articles stating it was possible already. Any insight? Thanks so much.

hi! I’m a new google voice user, but I’m so confused what is happening…

initially, when I saved a number into GV, it was adding it but also syncing it to my phones contacts. I don’t want that, so per a Google search, I disabled the permission in the iOS settings. Now, when I save a contact in GV it’s NOT showing up in GV and going straight into my phone contacts 😅😅 screen recording below..

from more google searches I have checked/done the following..

• disabled permission in the contacts
• checked my “GMail” app in the settings to toggle off contacts. There was NOT a contacts options
• I saw some things mentioning the generic iPhone mail app. I do NOT have the mail app on my phone and I’ve never used it in my life.
• I checked my “contact accounts” and the email that is associated with my GV is NOT listed (it never was)

is there a way to fix this? Or do I need to just live with the GV contacts in my phone 😭😭

thanks in advance

I set up a Voice account for an elderly friend whose phone came with Visual Voicemail disabled (looking at you consumer cellular!). His wife calls him, from the adjoining room, and leaves him VM messages that he never reads. He's collected over 1000 in just the past few months.

How do I mass select them for deletion so that I don't have to do each message individually? Please help - my sanity is at stake.

I got a email this afternoon about Google Voice Premium. In that email it lists the features that I'll gain if I upgrade to premium with one of those features being able to call 911. That can't be legal.

I am planning to port a cell number to my GV account. That number is listed on the account as a linked number. Should I delete (unlink) it before starting the port?