Outgoing iPhone Calls Default to Google Voice

Aug 22, 2023

Hello:

Welcome to the user-run Google Voice forum.

On iPhones, numbers dialed with the phone's native dlaler app are always

sent via the cellular number.

Aug 22, 2023

Not on my iPhone. The dialer defaults to Google Voice.

Aug 23, 2023

Hi Charles Dunlop, welcome to the free, consumer version of Google Voice (a telephony product) community forum!

I have a question to add. When you say "from my Google Contacts", are you referring to the Contacts tab in the Google Voice app? Or have you installed a separate app on your phone called "Google Contacts"?

Aug 23, 2023

I am referring to the separate Google Contacts app that I have installed on my iphone. I am not using Google Voice when the issue arises.

Aug 23, 2023

Hi Charles,

Thank you for that clarification!

Aug 23, 2023

Hi Charles Dunlop,

I know that Google Voice is not supposed to be able to intercept calls placed directly from your native Phone app. I am wondering if there may be a setting within Google Contacts that lets you choose whether to call with Google Voice. I don't have an iPhone myself, so I can not test. I have asked other Product Experts with iPhones to check, but have not heard back from them yet.

Can you please see if there is a setting in the Google Contacts app, and let me know what you find?

I do know that you can ask Siri to place a call through Google Voice, so I'm wondering if you can do the same with the Google Contacts app.

Looking forward to your reply!

Aug 24, 2023

There's no such setting in the Google Contacts app. My old Android phone had a Google Voice setting, but my iphone does not have it.

Thanks.

Aug 24, 2023

Ok. I know the Android Google Voice app has the setting. That's because Android has the ability to intercept phone calls placed with the native Phone app in the Android settings called "Call Redirection". That is why I was wondering if on iPhone it might be a setting in the Google Contacts app as to what app to invoke to place a call made through it.

When using the iPhone's native contacts app, does it also default to calling through Google Voice?

Aug 24, 2023

I don't use the iPhone native contacts app.

Thank you.

Aug 24, 2023

Actually, I think I am using the native contacts app, but I have it set to access my Gmail account, so it displays all of my Google contacts.

mudwoman

Potter, Fire-eating Nurse, and Google Product Expert since 2012

Aug 24, 2023

Hi, Charles Dunlop. Zanzabar asked me to take a look at this for you. I want to be sure that I understand your situation. From your most recent postings, it appears that you have synced your Google contacts with your iPhone’s native contacts app following the process described in this help article. Then you are choosing a contact to call by selecting a contact from your iPhone’s native contacts app. If that is the case, then the screen on which you see the contact information looks something like this:

If that is not the case, please post a screenshot of what the screen looks like when you select a contact from your phone’s native contacts app. Please be sure to obscure any private information as this is a public community.

If, however, the screen looks like mine, then when you tap on one of the phone numbers, it should launch a call through your iPhone’s native dialer. The calling out screen should not say “Google Voice Call” or anything referring to GV. Once the call is completed, the call should be listed in your call history under your iPhone’s native dialer, and it should not be listed in your Google Voice call history.

Please go through the steps, and if at any point your experience departs from what I have described, please post a screenshot, again obscuring any private information, so that I can get a better understanding of what you are experiencing. I know all of this sounds really basic, but I need to confirm what you are doing and your results in order to see where this might be going off the rails. I will be in and out of my office throughout the day, but will try to keep an eye on this and respond to you as quickly as I can.

Aug 24, 2023

Thanks for your response. I did not see any images in what you sent, so I can't compare my screen with yours.

https://storage.googleapis.com/support-forums-api/attachment/message-231814656-3903204837719542686.png

Aug 24, 2023

Hi Charles Dunlop,

I'm going to repost the image the image mudwoman posted, to see if you're able to see it. I will also post a direct link to the image:

See if you are able to view it either in this post, or via the direct link to the image file.

Aug 30, 2023

If I choose the number, it goes through my carrier.

mudwoman

Potter, Fire-eating Nurse, and Google Product Expert since 2012

Aug 31, 2023

Wow, that is new! Please check the Settings in your Google Voice app, look for an option called "Calls started from this devices phone app." It has been an Android-only feature, so on the iPhone, it should not be there. Please let me know what you see.

Aug 25, 2023

I'm curious. What does it say if you tap on the circled "i" to the right of the Voice Audio call in your first screenshot?

Aug 25, 2023

Per the screenshot below, it shows the outgoing call, but with no reference to Google Voice.

Aug 30, 2023

Hi Charles Dunlop,

Can you please post a screenshot of the prompt you are seeing? Block out any personal information, other than the last four digits of any phone numbers.

Aug 31, 2023

Hi Charles Dunlop,

I would still like to see the screenshot of the popup window you are seeing to choose "between the stored number and Voice". As mudwoman has stated, it's a popup we have not seen yet on the iPhone.

Thank you!

Aug 31, 2023

Here you go:

Aug 31, 2023

Hi Charles Dunlop,

Thank you very much for that screenshot. I've passed it along to my contact at Google.

Since @mudwoman has been unable to duplicate the behavior, I'm wondering what differences there could be between your iPhone and hers.

What iOS version are you on? Both name and version number would be useful.

What is the version of your Contacts app? Your Phone app?

Any other apps you think could have different versions between iPhone users? If you think of some, post them along with the version number, please.

Sep 11, 2023

I am still experiencing the problem. Any more suggestions?

mudwoman

Potter, Fire-eating Nurse, and Google Product Expert since 2012

Sep 11, 2023

Sorry to hear that, Charles Dunlop. I have asked for an update.

HarmonicFlower

Sep 14, 2023

I had this problem today and was able to fix it on my iPhone 11 running the latest OS and the newest version of Google Voice. I unlinked my number from voice, restarted my phone, and then relinked it. Then, for each number I dial from Contacts, the first time I press call, I’m prompted to choose to use voice or phone. Whichever I choose becomes the default for that number. To change it, I press and hold the call button until the menu pops up again. Whatever I then select is the new default. Hope this helps!

Brian Sawicki

Oct 14, 2023

Thank you so much! Your post gave me the hint that solved my problem.

In case anyone else is on IOS 17 and runs into the issue where they are no longer prompted to choose whether to use google voice or your mobile carrier's number when using the native IOS dialer app, you can change which number you are calling from by long pressing the phone number of the contact you want to call in the IOS dialer. From there you select "voice" and it will call the number from the IOS dialer but use your google voice number. If you re-use the call in your history it will continue to call from google voice.

One final note is that you can also add a contact to your favorites and default to google voice from the contacts or call history menu in the native IOS dialer. Select the contact you want to add, or if you are selecting from call history click the "i" next to the call. From there click "add to favorites", then select the "call" drop down and "voice" should appear as an option. Select that and you will add the contact to your favorites with the default outgoing number being your google voice number.

I could not find this information anywhere else so I am assuming it is a recent change with IOS 17.