How to Turn Off Google Voice Calling on Android

Google Voice can handle calls on an Android phone in two directions. It can route the calls you dial through your Voice number, and it can make calls to your Voice number ring the phone. Turning it off means choosing which of these to stop. Each option below can be reversed, and none of them deletes your Voice number.

Before you start

To change Google Voice behavior instead of just removing the app, you need the Google Voice app installed and signed in with the Google account that owns the Voice number. Some settings apply only to the app on this phone. Others, such as linked numbers and call forwarding, are stored in your Google Voice account and affect every device and browser signed in to it. Treat any option that mentions linked numbers or forwarding as account-wide. Account-wide changes need an internet connection to save.

Decide what you want to stop:

• Outgoing calls: calls you dial from the phone app should use your carrier number instead of your Voice number.
• Incoming calls: calls to your Voice number should stop ringing this phone.
• Everything: Google Voice should play no part in calls on this phone.

Menu wording varies between Google Voice versions and Android manufacturers. If a label in this guide doesn't match exactly, look for the closest equivalent.

Step-by-step instructions

Stop outgoing calls from going through Google Voice

• Open the Google Voice app.
• Tap the menu icon or your profile picture, then open Settings.
• Scroll to the Calls section.
• Find the option that controls calls placed from your phone's dialer or other apps. Depending on the version, it may offer choices such as using Google Voice for all calls, only for international calls, asking every time, or not using it.
• Select the choice that stops Google Voice from placing these calls. To decide per call instead, select the ask-every-time choice if your version offers it.

Some versions also have a setting that chooses whether Voice calls connect over Wi-Fi and mobile data or through your carrier. That setting changes how a Voice call connects, not whether Google Voice is used. Switching it to carrier does not turn Google Voice calling off.

Stop incoming Voice calls on this phone

• In Google Voice settings, look for incoming call options under Calls or under Account.
• If this phone's carrier number is listed as a linked number with forwarding turned on, turn forwarding off for that number. This change applies to your whole account.
• If the app has an option to receive incoming calls on this device or in the app, turn it off.
• For a temporary pause, turn on Do not disturb in Google Voice settings. This sends Voice calls to voicemail until you turn it off again.

Turn Google Voice off completely on this phone

To stop using Google Voice on this phone altogether, you have three options. You can sign out of the Google Voice app. You can disable it from the Apps section of Android Settings. You can also uninstall it. Do this only after turning off forwarding to this phone's number. Forwarding runs through your Google Voice account, not the app, so linked-number calls can keep ringing the phone even after the app is gone.

Check the output

Use the phone app to call another phone you have access to, or ask someone to tell you which number they see. If they see your carrier number, outgoing calls no longer go through Google Voice. Calls placed through Voice normally also appear in the Calls list of the Google Voice app, so a new call that shows up only in the phone app's history is another sign the change worked.

To check incoming calls, have someone call your Voice number. With forwarding and in-app calling turned off for this device, the call should go to voicemail or to another device you kept active, and this phone should not ring. A test call only reflects your settings at that moment. If you also use Google Voice on other devices or in a browser, review the account settings there as well.

Common problems and next steps

Outgoing calls still show the Voice number

Reopen the Calls section and confirm that the setting for calls from your phone's dialer stops Google Voice. Changing only the Wi-Fi-or-carrier connection option won't do it. If the setting is correct and calls still go through Voice, close and reopen the app, check for an app update, or restart the phone.

The phone still rings for Voice calls

The usual cause is forwarding to this phone's carrier number, which stays active until you turn it off in your account settings. Check the linked numbers list in the app or on the Google Voice website while signed in to the same account.

Settings are missing or cannot be changed

If your Google Voice number comes through a work or school account, an administrator may control some calling options. In that case, ask your administrator to make the change.

Keeping your number while Voice is off

Turning off Voice calling does not release your number. Google may reclaim numbers that go unused for a long time. If you plan to stop using Voice for an extended period, check Google's current inactivity terms and occasionally make a call or send a message from the number. To restore Voice calling later, change the same settings back or turn forwarding on again.