How to Get a Google Phone Number

It’s easy to do from any device and shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. Here’s how to sign up for a free Google number from a computer:

1. Visit the Google Voice website.
2. Select For personal use, assuming this won’t be a business number.
3. Choose Web.
4. Sign in with your Google account. You can make a new account on this screen if you don’t yet have one.
5. Choose Continue on the ‘Welcome to Google Voice’ page.
   
6. Search for a city or area code to get a list of available phone numbers.
7. Choose Select next to the Google phone number you want.
   
8. Select Verify to confirm that you want that number.
9. Enter your cell phone number in the prompt, and select Send code.
   
10. Type the code into the space provided on the website, and then select Verify, followed by Finish.

What Is a Google Phone Number?

A free phone number Google is just that! A totally free, internet-connected phone number that you can use much like a regular cell phone number. This means you can make and receive calls, exchange text messages, and even manage voicemail.

What makes the Google Voice service unique compared to other services that provide a phone number is, first and foremost, that it’s totally free. There are no hidden fees for normal calls and texts. As long as you use the number occasionally, you don’t have to worry that you’ll be charged to keep it.

Another difference between Google Voice and other free phone number services is that one of its main selling points is as a barrier between your ‘real’ number and your Google phone number. In other words, your real number is tied to this one, meaning that you can give out your Google number without ever revealing to the recipient your real number. Plus, you can have your real number ring when someone calls your Google phone number.

In fact, you can link multiple numbers to your Google Voice account. For example, you can have both your phone and your spouse’s ring when someone calls your Google number. Google Voice also works from the web, so you can make and receive calls and texts without ever picking up your phone.

If you prefer, you can even port your number to Google Voice so that you can use Voice’s features with the phone number everyone already knows you have. This probably isn’t the goal for most people, but it is an option if you want it.

Google Phone Number Features

In addition to your typical features like texting, calling, and voicemail, Google Voice offers a lot of other really great features:

• Do not Disturb mode automatically sends all incoming calls to voicemail.
• Record, screen, and block calls.
• Automatically filter spam calls and texts.
• Select * during a call to ring your other phones. This makes it easy to switch to a different phone mid-call.
• Transfer a call to anyone in your contact list.
• Set a custom voicemail greeting.
• Listen to voicemails or read their transcripts.
• Turn on anonymous caller ID to hide your number.
• The device that receives the forwarded call can show your Google number or the caller’s number.

What to Remember About Google Phone Numbers

Here are some things to keep in mind before you sign up for a free Google Voice number:

• You must have an existing US-based mobile or landline phone number to qualify.
• Google Voice numbers might expire after 30 days of inactivity. You’ll get an email from Google if this is about to happen. If your Google phone number is removed from your account, you can add it back within 45 days.
• The phone number must be deleted if you want to make a new one using the same Google account.
• You can’t make emergency calls.
• Calls use about 0.2 MB of data per minute.
• Check Google Voice Calling Rates if you plan to call an international number from a US number. Paid calls require credits.