How to Use Google Voice Calling on Android

Google Voice gives you a phone number linked to your Google account, and its Android app lets you make and answer calls with that number. Your settings decide how each call travels: over Wi-Fi or mobile data, or through your carrier's network. Set this up on purpose rather than accepting whatever the defaults are.

Before you start

Google Voice calling is an online service. Calls are handled by Google, so you need an active account and a network connection. Check the following first:

• A Google account with a Google Voice number. Personal accounts and Google Workspace accounts have different eligibility rules, and availability varies by country, so check Google's current help documentation for your account type.
• The Google Voice app from the Google Play Store, updated to the latest version.
• A stable Wi-Fi or mobile data connection if you want to call over the internet, or a mobile plan with minutes if you want calls to go through your carrier.
• A working microphone and earpiece, speaker or headset.

Google sets call rates by destination. Check the current rates before calling another country. Your call history and voicemail are stored with your Google account. If privacy or retention matters to you, read Google's privacy documentation and review your account settings instead of guessing how long this data is kept.

Step-by-step instructions

Menu names can differ between app versions and between personal and Workspace accounts. If a label below doesn't match what you see, use the closest option in the app's settings.

• 1. Install Google Voice from the Play Store and open it.
• 2. Sign in with the Google account you want to use. If the account doesn't have a number yet, the app walks personal users through choosing one where the service is offered. On Workspace accounts, an administrator assigns the number.
• 3. Allow the permissions the app asks for. Microphone and phone access are needed for calls. Notifications are needed to see incoming calls. Contacts access is optional and only shows names. You can change these later in Android's app settings under Permissions.
• 4. Open the app's settings from the menu and find the calling options. Choose whether calls use Wi-Fi and mobile data or your carrier. Data calls don't use plan minutes but depend on your connection. Carrier calls use your plan's minutes.
• 5. Some versions have a setting for whether calls you start from the phone's built-in dialer go through Google Voice. If you only want to use Voice when you choose to, leave this off and call from inside the Voice app.
• 6. Set up incoming calls. Make sure Voice is allowed to ring on this device, and check whether calls are also forwarded to other linked numbers so they don't ring somewhere unexpected.
• 7. To make a call, open the Calls tab, tap the dial button, enter a number or pick a contact, and tap the call button.

You can change any of these settings back later. To stop routing calls through Voice, turn off the dialer setting and switch incoming calls back off for this device.

Check the output

Make a short test call to a phone you own or to someone who has agreed to help, then check the following:

• The other person sees your Google Voice number as the caller ID, not your carrier number.
• The call shows up in the Voice app's call history.
• You can both hear each other clearly, and audio moves to your headset or Bluetooth device when one is connected.
• A call to your Voice number rings on this phone, and a missed call goes to Google Voice voicemail.

Data calls are only as good as your network. Weak Wi-Fi, busy networks or patchy mobile data can cause delay, choppy audio or dropped calls. Routing calls through your carrier avoids this but uses your plan's minutes.

Common problems and next steps

The other person can't hear you

Make sure Google Voice has microphone permission. Close any other app that might be using the microphone. If a Bluetooth headset or car system is connected, audio may be going there, so switch outputs during the call or disconnect the device and try again.

Calls go out from your regular number

This happens when you dial from the phone's built-in dialer while Voice isn't set to handle those calls. Call from inside the Voice app, or change the dialer setting described in the steps above.

Incoming calls don't ring

Check that notifications are allowed for the app, that Do Not Disturb isn't silencing calls, and that Voice is set to ring on this device. Android battery optimization can also limit background apps, so look at the app's battery settings if calls arrive late or not at all. Also check whether calls are forwarded to another linked number instead.

Poor quality or dropped calls

Move to a stronger Wi-Fi network, switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data, or set calls to go through your carrier if you have minutes.

Calling is unavailable or you can't get a number

This usually comes down to account eligibility or region. On a Workspace account, ask your administrator to confirm that a Voice license and number are assigned to you. If none of these fixes work, check the Google Voice Help Center for current guidance on your account type.