Voice FAQ for administrators

Below are common questions about managing Google Voice for a team of Google Workspace users.

Overview

Google Voice is a cloud telephone service for businesses. With Voice, your organization can give users local telephone numbers for phone calls, text messaging (market dependent), and voicemail. Users can also forward their number to any mobile or landline number and access Voice on their smartphones and computers.

Does Voice support desk phones?

Yes. The Voice Standard and Premier subscriptions support these business telephones from Poly:

Poly EDGE B10, B20, and B30
Poly OBi 300 and 302
Poly VVX 150, 250, 350, and 450 OBi Edition

Which countries is Voice available in?

Does Google Voice support SMS?

Google Voice currently supports SMS messages only in the U.S.
Note: SMS/MMS are not supported for SIP Link numbers.

Setup

How can I set up Google Voice in my organization?

Voice is available as an add-on subscription to any Google Workspace edition. To learn how to set up Voice in your organization, see the Google Workspace Administrator Help Center.

I ran out of numbers in my area code. What can I do?

If you run out of numbers, you can choose numbers in a nearby area code or transfer numbers from another carrier into Voice.

Can I transfer numbers my company owns to Voice?

Yes. If you have existing phone numbers with another service provider, you can port those numbers to Voice. Learn how to Port business numbers to Voice.

Porting numbers into Google Voice is not yet supported in Canada.

What do I enter for the emergency service address?

Enter the physical location of the user. If a user calls an emergency number, Voice sends their service address to emergency services.

Management

Can I let someone who’s not a super admin manage Voice?

Yes. You can grant someone in your organization privileges to manage Voice. Learn how to create a Voice admin role.

What should I do with my numbers if I stop using Voice?

If you stop using Voice, you can port the phone numbers to another carrier. To port a number out of Google Voice for Google Workspace, you need to initiate the request with the receiving service provider.

Porting numbers from Voice for Google Workspace to other Google services, such as personal Google Voice, Google Fi, and Google Fiber, is not yet supported.

Can I manage users with existing Voice accounts?

Yes. If users in your organization already have a Voice number associated with their Google Workspace account, you can migrate existing users to managed accounts.

Can I let users pick their own number (self-signup)?

Yes. You can let users in your organization choose their phone number when they sign up for Voice. Learn how to let users choose their own number.

When I’m on a call, why don't the other devices for a given Voice user ring for subsequent incoming calls?

The call waiting feature rings the device that’s busy on a call and offers options to handle the subsequent call. Other devices with the same login will no longer ring. If you need multiple devices to ring for simultaneous incoming calls, go to Set up Google Voice ring groups.

Reporting

How can I see Voice usage?

To see how many users in your organization are using Google Voice, go to View Apps reports on your organization.

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