Google Voice (formerly Grand Central) is currently a call management and routing service.

It's purpose is to give you a single unchanging number that can ring to all of your phones. Your home and cell numbers can change over time, but your voice number won't. You need to hand out the number to people who will call you for it to be useful.

Calls made from an android phone using your Google voice number actually use your phone service provider to make a call into google's servers which connect you to the number you dialed while displaying your google voice number on the recipient's caller ID (optional).

You can also set your phone to ask you which number you want to call from, each time you place a call.

When you get called on your Google voice number, Google's servers take the call while checking your voice settings to determine where to route the call.

In addition to ringing your phones, it can also ring to your email. I make and receive calls in my google mail all day.

It hasn't yet evolved into a full voip service. It currently allows you to make VOIP calls from ya computer via Google mail to other Google mail users or even landlines much like skype.

With Google's aquisition of Motorola Mobile last year, a full phone service could be on the horizon, but I don't think it's going to be a free service. It will likely be competitively priced with other phone service providers. :)

Technical Details:

Google Voice leverages a softswitch which connects to the PSTN via Bandwidth[dot]com's SIP network. It is theorized that Google is running an open-source softswitch, but it is not known which of the many projects they've chosen to use (FreeSwitch, Asterisk, Yate, SipXecs, to name a few).

Google Voice does not currently support SIP registration of handsets or other devices but does provide basic call handling features like "find-me, follow-me", Simul-ring and the prized Voicemail Transcription. Google lacks a number of the business phone features so many organizations cherish and thus hasn't become a commercial offering yet.

As others have stated, you can’t link a physical phone number to more than one google voice number…..

However, if you’ve created two google accounts with two separate google voice numbers, you can get them to both work (for calls and texts) on the same mobile device using the Google Voice + Hangouts App.

On the first google voice number, link your cell phone physical number. Then in Google Voice, activate Hangouts. Once you’ve signed up for the second GV number (skipping the phone linking), be sure that it is still setup to forward to “Google Talk”. (You will need to switch over to the Legacy Google Voice interface to see this in Settings).

When you log into the Hangouts application on your phone, go to the settings for the specific account(s) and in the Google Voice section, turn on “Incoming Phone calls” and “Incoming Messages”.

I’ve done this with two separate gmail accounts and corresponding google voice numbers and now have a single mobile phone that can be reached with 3 separate numbers (1 carrier provided, and 2 google voice).

Note: This was on an Android device. I’m not sure Google Voice/Hangouts will work the same on an iPhone.

Google Voice works by providing users with a virtual phone number that they can use to make and receive calls, send text messages, and manage their voicemail.

When someone calls your Google Voice number, the call is routed through the internet to your designated phone or device.

Here's how it works:

1. Sign-up: Users sign up for Google Voice using their Google account. They can choose a new phone number or link their existing number to the service.
2. Call Routing: When someone calls your Google Voice number, Google Voice forwards the call to your designated phone or device. This can be a mobile phone, landline, or computer.
3. Call Screening: Before answering a call, users have the option to screen the call by listening to the caller's recorded message. They can then choose to answer the call, send it to voicemail, or block the caller.
4. Voicemail: Google Voice provides voicemail transcription, which automatically transcribes voicemail messages into text and sends them to your email or Google Voice inbox.
5. Text Messaging: Users can send and receive text messages using their Google Voice number through the Google Voice website or mobile app.

Overall, Google Voice offers users a convenient way to manage their phone calls and messages, with features like call forwarding, voicemail transcription, and text messaging all accessible through one platform.

I just spent about 3 hours on the phone with about 7 different techs at ATT. One tried for an hour to switch numbers for me, but GV needs your number on the plan to port, and ATT needs it off to avoid ETF, so things are sticky.

I eventually wound up with a retention guy, and he said there was nothing he could do despite the fact that my line was (ironically) the only line of a family plan still on contract -- and that if I ported and they charged me an ETF even though I wanted to stay with them, all *five* of our lines would be out of contract.

We pay more per month than the ETF is, and they still wouldn't waive the fee.

For me, this was the last straw with ATT. They've lost me as a customer for life.

Leaving aside any quasi-legal and generally unreliable activities like SIM cloning (which will likely get you in trouble with your carrier), there is no way to use them both at the same time.

However, if your goal is to simply be able to alternate between the two, you can purchase a micro-SIM adapter that will allow you to use your iPhone 4/4S micro-SIM in the Android phone. A Google search for micro-SIM adapter will turn up a number of possibilities; I haven't specifically used any so there aren't any I can personally recommend, but I suspect they should all work about the same as they aren't particularly complicated -- they're really just a plastic size adapter.

Most other features on your account should be equally compatible between both devices -- for everything except Blackberry devices, a data plan is a data plan regardless of which device you're using it on. Visual Voicemail will obviously only work on the iPhone, but unanswered incoming phone calls will still be sent to voicemail regardless of which device the SIM card is in as this is done by the carrier -- you'll just have to dial in the old-fashioned way to listen to your voicemail messages when you're using the Android device.

I just ported my go phone account number to Google Voice and was wondering if I had to contact AT&T to cancel my go phone account or does Google Voice do that automatically when the port is completed? Who knows?

Part of the porting process involves your new provider (in this case Google Voice) requesting the number from the previous provider (AT&T). If the number can be ported, the previous provider will release the number and cancel the service associated with it. Everything should be automated, so no call to cancel will be needed.

There is alway the potential for some type of technical mishap, so taking a quick look at your account management site/app from the old provider to confirm it is canceled is not a bad idea once the port is complete.

I've been using Google voice with a Google assigned number for over 10 years. I'm no tech expert and recently there have been some changes. But basically using GV with a compatible carrier and phone means that if someone calls the Google provided number 555–555–5555, it will hold that call ( if you have “call screening” on, if not, the call is simply forwarded to your device {619}444–4444 and rings as the an incoming call. ) and it will play a recording that you've made the caller will be asked to say thier name, or if the contact info is already in you contact the system will match it up then your phone will ring and it will announce who is holding. Mean while the caller heard a recording saying “please hold while the Google subscriber you are calling is located”. If you want to accept the call Google recoding tells you to press 1 and the call is forwarded to your device.(619–444–4444> If not, it will play the designated outgoing voice mail message you have recorded and ask the caller to leave a message. The call is retained in your Google voice account for that number {555–555–5555} If you change you mind you can still enter the call while the caller leaves a message. If not, that voice mail message will be transcribed and if set up properly, it sends that transcription to you via email and or SMS.

It's a bit like warehousing your calls. It simply forwards calls made to that Google number to your device and then keeps records of calls and texts.

I have actually chosen to access my Google voice account via chrome as if it's on my desk top. It just gives more info. But I have the app downloaded as well.

Google Voice allows making calls from multiple numbers as long as each account has an associated phone number that Google uses for verification, and the one that’s used for sending and receiving calls. If you have set up multiple GV accounts with different phones, there shouldn’t be a problem. But as I wrote before, you can bypass this requirement by just using your primary phone number each time to set up an account, and then temporarily removing it from the call settings before creating another GV number associated with your primary phone. So, if you want to make calls from a different GV #, just make sure you have a primary phone number associated with that, or temporarily move it from another GV account to make the call and then bring it back to the first account after you make the call.

Original question - “How do I sync my Google contacts with my phone contacts?"

My answer - You do not need to sync your Google Contacts with your phone contacts.

Actually, if you want to make your life a little easier, export out your Phone Contacts and import them into your own Google Contacts. Then, always put new contacts into your Google Contacts and not your phone contacts.

I demonstrate doing this in the following video on my iPhone.

Gmail and Google Workspace are powerful business tools. I will keep answering business-related questions with the hopes of helping you use these business tools even better.

Follow my Quora Profile for more answers to LinkedIn or Google Workspace/Gmail questions.

/Teddy

Q. When outgoing calls do not work, how do you fix Google Voice?

A. Are you using your Google Voice number in the Voice app on your phone, web-browser or a Plantronics/Polycom/OBihai SIP/VoIP phone/analog device?

If this is happening with the smart phone app, I would remove the Google account for it from the phone and then relogin. (This recently happened to me, that is how I fixed it.)

If this happening in when you are using computer based web-browser, you can try logging out of Google and logging back in. I have never had this happen when using it on web-browser but I suppose it could happen.

If this is on a Plantronics/Polycom/OBihai device, you can try cycling the power to the device but if that doesn’t fix the problem you may need to default the device back to factory settings and remove the device from the OBiTalk portal and re-register the device in the portal. Note: I have setup many of these devices and it can get frustrating when trying to register a device with the portal, I have actually had to try multiple various times, over 3 days to get a device to register with the portal.

Note: If you are reading this answer within a monetized space, its presence there is against the wishes of the author.

Suggestions:

1. Contacts - Use Google Contacts to enter contacts. There’s an option to import data to give one a headstart.
2. Consistency - The key to any good data is to be consistent e.g. First Name, Last Name. For businesses, restaurants or shops where there is no name, consider entering the entity details such as business name in the correct field.
3. Comprehensive - Try to include as much data as needed and tag them properly e.g. Mobile, Work numbers. Work, home email or address etc.
4. Dates - It is useful to enter birthdays are key dates. Done properly, these will appear in Google Calendar. You can send birthday wishes which makes you look good.
5. Categories - It is helpful to categorize each contact e.g. alumni’s, sports, interest groups, school or whatever you find useful. Each contact can be in multiple categories if needed.
6. Relationships - Useful to help put the contact in context.
7. Custom field - Create your own e.g. Chinese Name.
8. Notes - Try to capture sometime interesting about the contact e.g. favourite food, how you know them etc.

This could take a while so be diligent since it is a useful one time exercise. Once complete, sign into your Android device and allow it to sync. Ensure that the contact management function is saving to your Google Account.

Done properly, in the event of device loss, get a new phone, sign in, sync and you are good to go.

Not if you are creative. Set up a new email account for google Fi (assuming you are porting your cellphone number). You might want to use your phone digits plus at least one letter (your initials, maybe?) so you will remember it, i.e. 515.555.5555.JH@gmail.com. I use that format for all my google voice numbers (you can transfer that randomly obtained google voice number to your newly identifiable gmail account at any time). It makes it easier to identify them when using hangouts on a cellphone for additional “lines”. I still haven’t figured out why a second program (dialer) is required to have your phone ring when you use Android, but iOS just needs hangouts to use as a standalone second line!

A2A

This is a near-constant question in many forums, and there are good thoughts available in several other questions and answers. My take on it:

No really good way to sync multiple accounts (or contacts) on an Android (or iPhone) exists. So... don’t do it there! Use only one (personal) account on your phone.

Sync/merge multiple accounts into one, instead. Yes, this is a bit tricky too - but only a little.

Use the personal account to import your Gmail/contacts from the G Suite account. You do this in your personal Gmail settings, on the Accounts and Import Tab.

Use “Import mail and contacts:” to import the existing mail and contacts from the G Suite/work account. This is a one-time thing. Once it has synced you can turn it off.

Personally, I do NOT use “Check mail from other accounts:” unless getting that email quickly is not important. The mail checker can take a long time to *pull* from other accounts, especially ones with low activity. I greatly prefer to *push* - which means I do a direct forward from the G Suite/work account to the Personal account. You do this from the G Suite account Gmail, in the Forwarding POP/IMAP tab.

This makes the work mail come to the personal account instantly - and leaves the Work account inbox clean.

Back in the personal account, I make a filter&label for mail from the work account, so it’s easy for me to see which is which. My label simply says “WORK”.

You will also want to set up the “Send mail as”, so when you reply to work emails, it comes from your work address. No need to mix people up.

You can also easily share your work account calendar with your personal account calendar, so you see & use both, from one account. This is a lifesaver!

If you want to actively use Docs/Drive or Keep on both accounts, on your phone, that can be confusing. It can add another layer of complexity & confusion, and I recommend avoiding it - if possible.

Admittedly, this takes a little work to get everything all set up correctly. And you may run into a snag, depending on what policies your G Suite admin has set up. But you will find most admins are quite sympathetic to solving this quandary - they have to deal with it too, far more so than most!

It also leaves you with a minor chore of manually importing/updating the G Suite contacts into the personal contacts, now and then. This is unavoidable - to date. I keep hoping Google will fix it.

Still… this is a tried and true approach. I have used it consistently for several years (and accounts!) now. It causes me the least confusion because I only need one account on my phone, and I only need to look at one Gmail inbox - ever.

Also, I don’t depend on apps - that may flake off at any time - to do the sync.

Oh one more thought... Whether you use an iPhone or an Android, Google things always work best with the official Google app. Gmail, Contacts, Keep, Drive... It doesn't matter what Google thing we're talking about. If you want the best experience, get rid of whatever the phone came with and use the Google app.