How do I add Google Voice to my home screen?

Google Voice is a popular VoIP service from Google that offers free calling, voicemail transcriptions, call routing, and more. According to market research, Google Voice has 26% market share in the VoIP space, second only to Skype (Source). Users may want quick access to Google Voice on their home screen to make and receive calls without having to open the full app.

Prerequisites

Before you can add Google Voice to your home screen, you’ll need to meet the following prerequisites:

• Have the Google Voice app installed on your device. You can download it for free from the Google Play Store.
• Use an Android device. The Google Voice app is only available on Android, not iOS.
• Have a Google Voice number. If you don’t already have one, you can get a free Google Voice number when you create a Google Account and set up Voice.
• Be located in an area where Google Voice is available. Google Voice is currently offered in the United States and in certain countries in Europe and Asia according to Wikipedia.

As long as you meet these prerequisites, you’re ready to add the Google Voice app icon to your Android home screen.

Open the Google Voice App

The first step is to open the Google Voice app if it is not already running. Google Voice is available as a free app on both iOS and Android devices.

To open the app on an iPhone or iPad, go to the home screen and locate the Google Voice app icon. Tap the icon to launch the app. If you cannot find it on your home screen, swipe left to access other home screens or folders where it may be located.

On an Android phone or tablet, swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to access your list of apps. Scroll and locate the Google Voice app icon, then tap it to open the app. If you do not see it, swipe left or right to view other home screens where it may be.

Once launched, the Google Voice app will open to the main screen displaying your messages, calls, and other account info. Now you are ready to add it to your home screen.

Access Home Screen Editing

To access your Android home screen editing mode, complete the following steps:

1. Long press on any empty area of your home screen for 2-3 seconds. This will bring up the home screen editing menu.

2. Look for an icon or text that says “Edit Home Screen”, “Edit”, or similar. Tap on this to enter editing mode.

3. You may also swipe down from the top of the screen to access the notifications shade. Tap on the settings/edit icon in the bottom right corner. This will also bring you into home screen editing.

4. On some Android devices, you can pinch inwards with two fingers on the home screen to trigger editing mode.

5. Once in editing mode, you will be able to add, remove, and rearrange apps and widgets on your home screen pages. The Google Voice icon can now be moved around.

Source: How to edit your Android home screen

Locate Google Voice Icon

The next step is to find the Google Voice app icon on your iPhone’s home page or app drawer. Here are the steps to locate it:

1. Swipe left on your home screen to access the full list of apps installed on your iPhone. This is called the app drawer. You can also search for “Google Voice” using the search bar at the top.

2. Scroll through the list of apps until you find the Google Voice app icon. It looks like the Google Voice logo on a white background.

3. If you don’t see the Google Voice app installed, you’ll need to download it from the App Store first. Open the App Store app, search for “Google Voice”, and tap “Get” to download it.

4. Once downloaded, you should now see the Google Voice app icon in your iPhone’s app drawer or home screen. Locate it so you’ll be ready for the next step.

Now that you’ve found the Google Voice app icon, you can proceed to drag and drop it onto your home screen in the next step. Let’s customize your iPhone layout by moving this important app front and center.

Drag Icon to Home Screen

Once you have located the Google Voice icon, the next step is to drag it to your home screen. Here are the instructions:

1. Press and hold the Google Voice app icon. After holding for a couple seconds, you should see the home screen icons start to wiggle.
2. While still holding the Google Voice icon, drag it to an empty space on your home screen. You can customize where you want it located.
3. Once the Google Voice icon is positioned where you want it, release your finger and the icon will be dropped into place.

Tapping and holding the icon is the key to initiating the edit mode that allows you to drag apps around. It may take a couple seconds of holding before the home screen enters editing mode. Go ahead and play around with arranging your home screen during this process.

Position the Icon

After you have dragged the Google Voice icon out of the app drawer, you can position it wherever you like on your home screen. The home screen has multiple pages that can be accessed by swiping left or right.

To position the Google Voice icon on your preferred home screen page and location, simply drag the icon to the spot you want while still in edit mode. You can place it towards the top of the screen, the bottom, or even in the app dock at the bottom of the screen.

Icons can be dragged around and repositioned even when not in edit mode, but exiting edit mode will lock them into place. Be sure to position the Google Voice icon where you want it before moving on.

Some people like to organize their home screen with related apps together in groups or folders. Others spread their most used apps around the home screen pages for easy access. Place the Google Voice icon wherever is most convenient for you.

Exit Editing Mode

Once you have finished adding apps and widgets to your home screen, you need to save your changes and exit the home screen editing mode. Here’s how to do it:

Tap on the check mark icon in the bottom right corner of your screen. This confirms all the changes you made and exits the editing mode. Your newly customized home screen will now be live.

If you want to discard the changes, tap on the ‘X’ icon instead. This will revert your home screen back to how it was before you started editing.

Some Android launchers may use a back arrow icon instead of a checkmark to save and exit. But the process is basically the same – tap the icon to confirm your layout changes.

After tapping the save icon, you should see your home screen reload. You can now access all your newly positioned apps and widgets. The editing toolbar at the bottom will disappear.

And that’s it! With just a few taps you can easily customize your Android home screen. Once you exit editing mode, all the changes will remain in place unless you delete or move them again.

Test It Out

Now that you’ve added the Google Voice icon to your home screen, it’s time to test it out. Just tap on the new Google Voice icon on your home screen to open the app. This will confirm that you’ve successfully created a home screen shortcut for quick access to Google Voice.

When you tap on the icon, Google Voice should launch and open normally, just as if you had tapped on the app icon from your phone’s app drawer. Test out some common actions like making calls or checking voicemail to ensure everything functions properly.

If Google Voice opens as expected, then congratulations! You’ve seamlessly added the app to your home screen. Enjoy the convenience of rapidly accessing Google Voice without having to sort through all your apps.

Customize Further

After adding the Google Voice icon to your home screen, there are additional options to customize the experience further:

You can change the icon size by long pressing the icon and selecting a new size from the popup menu. Options include small, medium, or large icon sizes.

Google Voice also offers widgets that can be added to your home screen. On iOS, open the Widgets screen and find the Google Voice widget. You can add the Contacts shortcut widget to quickly call or text frequent contacts. There is also an Inbox widget to see your latest messages (source).

For even quicker access, add a Google Voice widget to your lock screen, available since iOS 16. Open the lock screen customization settings and select the Google Voice widget.

With widgets and icon shortcuts, you can access the key Google Voice features directly from your home screen without needing to open the app.