If you’re looking to consolidate your phone bills and save a few bucks, Google Voice may be just the right thing for you.
The free service offers call forwarding and voicemail services for both incoming and outgoing calls, as well as outbound calling abilities via the web or using prepaid phone cards (which can be purchased at many convenience stores).
Unfortunately, major roadblocks like no 911/emergency services and lack of portability make it less impressive than it seems on the surface.
What Is Google Voice Used For?
Google Voice was originally built under the name GrandCentral, which Google bought in 2007. The company has since integrated its messaging service into Gmail, allowing users to record voice messages that can be sent as emails to anyone else’s email inbox — including their own.
GrandCentral was bought for $95 million, and Google views it as a potential future competitor to Skype.
Google Voice has undergone changes since it started life as GrandCentral (now renamed Gizmo5). Under its new name, Google said users can make calls through Gmail’s instant messaging service for free.
The company also announced that incoming calls ring simultaneously on both mobile phones and landlines; outbound calls can be placed using prepaid phone cards, and toll-free numbers are available to businesses without having to pay the fees charged by other phone companies.
Google Voice is now open to everyone with a U.S. telephone number, not just those invited by existing members of the experimental site.
Accounts are limited to U.S. users only, but Google is looking into ways of making the service available in other countries.
Once activated, an American Google Voice account can be used to route calls from any of your phones or devices through Gmail or via the web at www.google.com/voice.
Pros and Cons of Using Google Voice as a Primary Phone Number
Advantages of Using Google Voice
1- Voice Transcription
There’s also a voicemail feature that transcribes your voice mails into email form so you can read them on your computer rather than listen to them.
2- Call Forwarding
The service provides call forwarding, voicemail services, SMS text messaging, and automatic call recording capabilities without ads or monthly fees.
3- Call Recording
Speaking of call recording, ever had a phone conversation that you wish you had recorded?
You’re calling customer service, and the recording tells you to call back later. Or perhaps your child is sick, and they’re not going to school.
You want to have a record of the conversation with their teacher so that they can refer back to it at a later date.
Both of these situations are very frustrating because there’s no way for you to capture what was said in either situation without writing it down or getting another person involved every time.
Google Voice allows you to do just that by simply pressing the 4 key in order to start and stop the recording. The other party will, of course, be notified of the monitoring.
4- Send SMS From Almost Any Device
You can send SMS text messages from your desktop or laptop, too, if it might be useful to have that capability.
5- Custom Voice Greetings
Google Voice allows users to choose custom greetings for specific callers.
A voicemail greeting is exactly what it sounds like: A recording of your voice that plays when someone calls into your number. You can record up to 3 minutes of audio and upload it at voice.google.com, and it will play for anyone who calls your Google Voice number.
6- Send SMS to Canadian Numbers
What’s that? You want to text your Canadian friends and family, but you don’t have a texting plan with your phone carrier?
Google Voice is great at making free calls in the United States, but did you know it can also be used for free texting to Canadian numbers? Well, now you know.
7- Choose to Accept or Reject a Call
Many people use Google Voice to screen callers. If the caller’s phone number is in your contact list, you can look at their name and decide what to do with the call: accept or reject it.
In this regard, it’s similar to other free VoIP (voice-over-Internet protocol) phone services, such as Skype.
8- Less Expensive and Potentially Better Call Quality
By offering the ability to place calls over a Google server rather than through a third-party cellular carrier like Verizon or AT&T, pricing can be kept at a minimum, and quality of call may even improve, although you will still be charged for your selected calling plan.
9- Additional Numbers
Google also offers users extra features not typically found with other types of services: additional numbers, voicemail transcriptions, and SMS text messaging between phones that use different carriers.
10- The Ability to Add Contacts from Gmail
Users who have Gtalk activated on their Google account can add contacts from other Gtalk or Gmail accounts to their address book using phone numbers instead of email.
11- You Can Keep Your Main Phone Number Private
You can set up Google Voice to give out a different number than your private one.
Once configured with the right voice mailbox and settings, this will make it easy for those people who need to contact you for business or other reasons, to leave a message with Google Voice.
If you want, you can also have Google Voice forward the calls to your home / business number, which is kept private at all times, thus sparing you the occasional robocall at three in the morning.
Disadvantages of Using Google Voice
1- No Emergency / 911 calls using Google Voice
The main reason why you shouldn’t use Google Voice as a replacement for a cell plan or landline.
Google Voice cannot make a direct connection to any Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) like 911.
Google has said they are working out ways to get around this problem, but until then, it doesn’t work.
The best solution, for now, would be to keep the traditional cell phone plan you have and supplement it with Google Voice.
2- Data Privacy Concerns
Google Voice can pose some data security problems for businesses and individuals who use it, but there are ways to mitigate the risks of using Google Voice.
The first thing you should be aware of before signing up is that by using Google Voice, you’ll be placing quite a bit of trust in Google.
In order to get the most out of this service while mitigating risk, one must take some time to tweak their settings and ensure that everything is configured properly.
For example, if you are concerned about your privacy when it comes to your phone number, be sure to set up a new Google Voice number instead of using your primary one.
The same advice usually applies in security matters: in order for something like this to work well, there needs to be a balance between what you get and what you give up.
If you want the convenience of having all your numbers in one place with free voicemail but don’t trust Google enough to do it, then perhaps this service isn’t for you.
3- Lack of Customer Support
Many Google Voice users have had the same frustrating experience: they’re trying to find information on how to use the service, but there is basically no customer support available.
Google Voice has no knowledge base or FAQs where you can look up your problems. There is no live chat option for assistance. And it’s very difficult to contact Google Voice representatives over the phone… if you can track down a number in the first place.
Even worse, many of these options do not work or lead to broken links.
There are several ways you can reach out for help for your Google Voice-related problems:
- The Google Voice Help Center – Mostly outdated information and incomplete articles;
- The Google Voice Help Forum – Here, you may find support from other users and maybe even an answer from a Google representative. It can be difficult to have your questions answered though, as many of the forum posts are left unanswered for months or years on end. Furthermore, you’ll have a hard time following a discussion as replies come sporadically without any sign/notification they’ve been posted.
- The Gmail Community Forum – If you have problems with switching between Google accounts in Gmail, here’s where you can turn for help. In addition to excellent FAQs written by people who know their stuff, there are official responses from Google employees. Again though, you only get help for your specific problem.
- The Google Product Forums – This is the place to go if you need assistance with Gmail, Chrome, Android, Maps, or any other Google product. Here, you can find written responses from Google employees as well as official documentation that may solve your issue. You must have a registered Gmail account in order to post here, and the process of registering is somewhat time-consuming. There are 4 different sub-forums available for each product, so it’s easy to lose track of the support thread you’re following without having notifications turned on.
- The official Gmail Help Center – While not specifically devoted to Google Voice, many questions about Google Voice can still be found here. The FAQs are organized by subject, with articles on Google Voice appearing under the “Email” section. While this is helpful for Gmail-related questions, some of them will appear in multiple categories or not at all. There may be other options Google has not yet publicized.
For instance, if you go to support.google.com, there’s a dropdown where you can choose from different services like Gmail and Chrome; but you’ll have to scroll down quite a bit to find Google Voice.
No matter which option you choose, don’t expect an immediate reply even if the only thing you need help with is activating your number.
4- Difficult Porting
If you’ve recently tried to port your landline phone number or VoIP (Voice over I.P.) service’s phone number into Google Voice, then you know that it can get a bit tricky. Worse still, the company charges $20 for the privilege of doing so.
5- Google Voice Can be Unreliable
Voice call quality can fluctuate, and dropped calls are quite common. There will not be any technical support from Google if you experience problems with this free service offering.
In case you’re having any issues try resolving them using the tips I’ve mentioned above.
Google Voice Cross-Platform Compatibility
Does Google Voice Work on Android?
If you’re looking for a way to use Google Voice on your Android phone, the good news is that calls made through Google Voice for Android can be placed through any valid 10 digit U.S. phone number (i.e., not just Google Voice numbers.)
Google Voice access number-based calls will incur standard minutes from your cell phone plan and may incur costs when traveling overseas.
Your cell service provider must also offer voice roaming in order to place outgoing Google Voice for Android calls while traveling internationally. Check with your carrier to verify they support international roaming and what rates they charge.
Does Google Voice Work on iPhone and iPad?
Google Voice for iPhone gives you a free U.S. phone number that can be used from your iOS device or your Android device. You get the exact same benefits as if you were using an Android device or your desktop.
FAQs About Google Voice
Does Google Voice Support Text Messages?
You can send text messages using Google Voice, but if you send a lengthy text message that has more than 160 characters to a non-Google Voice number, it will be split into multiple pieces.
These text messages can be sent from your computer, Android, or iOS device. But keep in mind that you can’t send SMS to five- or six-digit “shortcode” numbers.
Is Google Voice Safe?
It’s very safe. When you send or receive your a message and attachments through Google Voice, it’s stored securely, plus, data is encrypted when transmitted.
And even though they can’t see your passwords or credit card numbers, all account information needed to verify your identity (like phone number, email address) is protected by strong public-key cryptography.
For folks who like specifics: When users sign into their Google Voice account using the web interface (or an Android device), that traffic is encrypted using SSL.
All data sent between user devices and Google’s servers is also secured with SSL; for example, this is how a Google Voice client on a smartphone talks to the Google Voice servers.
The same goes for XMPP, which is how text messages and certain types of attachments are sent between phones. All data stored in their database is encrypted.
In other words, if you use Google Voice with your phone number, no one can read your SIP/XMPP traffic or stored voicemail without being able to decrypt it.
And even when that encrypted data is being transported from one data center to another, SSL keeps it safe from eavesdroppers along the way.
Bottom Line on Using Google Voice as Your Primary Phone Number
Google Voice provides a free phone number that can be used on all devices and lets you port in an existing number. It’s often compared with Skype and other VoIP services, and comes with benefits like free calls to U.S. and Canadian numbers, transcription, voicemail, and privacy. The main drawback is that it doesn’t allow you to make emergency calls or dial 911.