How do I adjust Google Voice settings?

Google Voice is a telephony service from Google that provides a phone number for calling, text messaging, and voicemail. With Google Voice, you can make and receive calls on any device using your Google Voice number. This article will walk through how to customize your key Google Voice settings to optimize the service for your needs. We’ll cover adjusting notifications, voicemail, calls, texts, and more. The goal is to help you configure Google Voice to best suit your preferences.

Accessing Settings

To access the Google Voice settings page, first log in to your Google Voice account at voice.google.com or open the Google Voice app. Once logged in, click on the menu icon in the top left corner and select “Settings”.

On the web, you can also access settings by clicking your profile photo in the top right and selecting “Settings” from the drop-down menu. In the mobile app, tap the three horizontal lines “hamburger” icon in the top left corner, then tap “Settings”.

This will open the Settings page where you can manage various options for notifications, voicemail, calls, texts, groups, account access and more. The settings are organized into different sections that can be accessed from the left sidebar on desktop or the top menu on mobile.

Most Google Voice settings are available on both web and mobile, with only minor differences. Key settings like notifications and voicemail can be configured directly from the Google Voice app for convenience.

Notifications

Google Voice provides users with various notification settings that can be customized as per the user’s preferences. You can manage notifications for calls, voicemails, text messages, and other account alerts.

To adjust notification settings in the Google Voice app on Android or iOS, go to Settings > Notifications. Here you can toggle notifications on or off for different categories like Missed Calls, Voicemail, and Text Messages. You can also set notification sounds and enable vibration for alerts.

On the Google Voice website, go to Settings > Notifications to manage preferences. You can opt to receive email notifications for new voicemails, text messages, missed calls and more. The frequency of email notifications can be controlled as well. For example, you can choose to get email alerts instantly, every 30 minutes, hourly or daily.

Notification settings can also be configured at an individual contact level. Open the conversation thread for a specific contact in the Voice app and tap their name at the top. Go to Notifications to mute notifications just for that person. This comes in handy for contacts who message frequently.

To stop notifications on iOS when Focus mode is enabled, allow Google Voice notifications in Settings > Focus. On Android, notifications can be turned off for Google Voice only under Settings > Apps & notifications > Google Voice > Notifications. Refer to Google’s support article on managing Voice notifications for more details.

Phones

The Phones section in Google Voice settings allows you to manage the phone numbers linked to your Google Voice account. Here’s how to add or remove phone numbers:

To add a phone number:

Click the “Add phone” button in the Phones section.
Enter the phone number you want to add.
Google will call the number to verify it. Answer the call and enter the provided PIN.

The phone number will now be linked to your Google Voice account.

To remove a phone number:

Click the “Remove” link next to the phone number you want to unlink.

Confirm you want to remove the number.

Removing a number will stop calls and texts to your Google Voice number from ringing that device. You can add and remove as many numbers as you like to control where Google Voice calls and messages are received.

Voicemail Settings

Google Voice provides several options for customizing your voicemail settings. You can record personalized greetings, manage transcriptions, and control voicemail forwarding.

To access voicemail settings in the Google Voice app, tap the three line menu icon and select Settings > Voicemail. From here you can:

Record greetings – Create custom greetings to be played when you can’t answer the phone. You can set different greetings for different situations.
Manage transcriptions – Enable voicemail transcription so you receive a text transcript of messages. You can choose to receive just the transcript or both the transcript and audio file.

Text forwarding – Forward voicemails as text messages to your linked phone numbers.
Call forwarding – Forward voicemail messages as calls to your linked numbers.

On the web, you can access voicemail settings by clicking on the gear icon and going to Settings > Voicemail. Options are similar to the mobile app.

Customizing your voicemail settings allows you to control how you receive and manage voicemails through Google Voice. With options like transcriptions and forwarding, you can ensure you never miss an important message.

Texts

Google Voice allows you to manage various settings related to text messages. You can control text forwarding, blocking, notifications, and more.

To enable text forwarding, go to Settings > Phones and toggle on “Forward texts” for your linked phone number. This will send copies of incoming Google Voice texts to that phone. You can also enable forwarding to email.

To block unwanted texts, go to Settings > Blocked text and add phone numbers you wish to block. Google Voice will automatically filter out texts from blocked numbers.

For notifications, go to Settings > Notifications. Here you can enable or disable message notifications for your mobile app, email, browser, etc. You can also set quiet hours to silence notifications during certain times of day.

Other text settings allow you to customize your Google Voice number, enable group messaging, and manage archives. Overall, Google Voice provides robust options for managing texts to suit your preferences.

Calls

Google Voice allows you to customize your call settings in detail. You can adjust settings for call screening, blocking, forwarding and more.

To access your call settings in the Google Voice app, tap the menu icon in the top left corner and select Settings. Under the Calls section, you can configure options like:

Call screening – Choose whether to screen all calls and send them to voicemail, or just screen unidentified calls.

Blocked numbers – View and manage your blocked contacts.
Call forwarding – Forward calls to your linked numbers or voicemail.
Do Not Disturb – Silence incoming calls during designated times.

Incoming call options – Select whether your phone vibrates or rings for incoming Google Voice calls.

You can also enable calling from multiple devices, so your Google Voice calls will ring all your linked phones. Adjusting these settings allows you to customize Google Voice to best fit your preferences and calling needs.

Groups & Circles

The Groups & Circles settings in Google Voice allow you to customize how incoming calls and texts are handled based on your contacts.

To access the Groups & Circles settings, open the Google Voice website and click on “Settings” in the left sidebar. Then click on “Groups & Circles” under the “Phones” section.

Here you can create groups of contacts, such as “Family”, “Friends”, or “Work”. You can then configure different settings for each group:

Send incoming calls from a group to voicemail or block them entirely.

Create a custom voicemail greeting for each group.
Forward texts from a certain group to your linked devices or block them.

The “Circles” feature allows you to designate your closest contacts. Calls and texts from your circles will ring through even if you have enabled do not disturb.

These advanced routing options allow you to customize Google Voice to best fit your needs. Groups & Circles gives you control over how and when you receive communications from specific contacts.

To learn more, refer to Google’s support article on managing Groups & Circles: https://support.google.com/voice/answer/115061

Account

The Account section allows you to manage core aspects of your Google Voice account. Here are some of the key things you can do:

Change your password – You can update your Google Voice password for added security by going to the Password subsection under Account. Just enter your current password, new password, and confirm the new password to change it.

Manage account access – If you want to allow others to access your Google Voice account, you can add additional users under Account Settings. This could be useful for shared business or family accounts.

Transfer your number – If you want to transfer your Google Voice number to another account, you can initiate this under Account > Transfer number. You’ll need to enter the required information and confirmation PIN to complete the transfer [1].

Close your account – Don’t want Google Voice anymore? You can permanently close your account through the Account settings. Just keep in mind you won’t be able to reopen it or recover your number.

Managing your core account settings helps ensure you maintain control over your Google Voice account. Check the Account section periodically to update settings or manage account access.

Conclusion

In this guide, we covered the key settings in Google Voice and how to adjust them to your preferences. This included notifications, voicemail, calls, texts, groups, accounts, and more. With your notifications set up, you can stay on top of incoming calls and messages. Customizing your voicemail greeting and transcriptions ensures you get the most out of the service. Adjusting call and text settings allows you to route communications smoothly. Groups and circles help you organize your contacts efficiently.

We also saw how to access the main Google Voice settings menu to make changes. Whether on desktop or mobile, you can get to the settings quickly to tweak options as needed. Overall, Google Voice provides extensive customization so you can optimize it for your needs.

If you need any further assistance, be sure to consult the official Google Voice Help Center or reach out to Google Voice customer support. The Google Voice community forum is another great troubleshooting resource. With these settings mastered, you’ll get the most out of Google Voice.