How do I turn off Google Voice on Android?

Google Voice is a telephone service that provides users with a phone number for calling, text messaging, and voicemail citation. It works across smartphones and computers, syncing across devices citation. Some Android users may wish to turn off Google Voice if they no longer want to use its features, prefer using their carrier’s default messaging apps, or want to unlink their phone number.

Check Google Voice Settings

To check your Google Voice settings on Android:

Open the Google Voice app. The app icon looks like a white speech bubble on a blue background.

Tap the three line menu icon in the top left corner.
Select “Settings” from the menu.
Review the various settings categories like “Calls”, “Voicemail”, and “Notifications”. Adjust these settings as desired.

In the “Calls” section, you can enable/disable ringing and configure call forwarding. In “Voicemail”, you can customize your voicemail greeting and notifications. The “Notifications” section allows you to control if and how you receive notifications for voicemails, texts and other Google Voice activity ¹.

Disable Google Voice Notifications

One of the easiest ways to turn off Google Voice is to disable notifications from the app.

To disable Google Voice notifications on Android:

Open your Android device’s Settings app.
Tap on Apps & notifications.
Select Google Voice from the list of apps.

Toggle off Allow notifications.

With notifications disabled, you will no longer receive notification sounds, vibrations, or visual banners from Google Voice. This prevents unwanted distractions from the app.

According to research, around 87% of users will disable an app’s notifications if it sends more than one push notification per day. Keeping notifications minimal is key to avoiding notification fatigue.

Turn Off Google Voice Ringtone

The Google Voice app uses its own unique ringtone by default when receiving calls through the app. To change the ringtone and disable the Google Voice ringtone:

Open the Settings app on your Android device.
Tap on Sound.

Select Phone ringtone.
Browse through the available ringtones and select one other than the Google Voice ringtone.

This will change the ringtone used for incoming Google Voice calls to your selected ringtone instead of the default Google Voice ringtone. You can select one of the built-in Android ringtones or use a custom ringtone downloaded from a site like Zedge.

Once you change the ringtone away from the Google Voice default, the Google Voice app will no longer play its branded ringtone for incoming calls. This effectively disables the Google Voice ringtone on your device.

Disable Google Voice App

In order to completely disable the Google Voice app on your Android, you can follow these steps:

Go to Android Settings > Apps^[1] to access the Apps section. Then, select the Google Voice app by scrolling and finding it in the list.

Once you locate Google Voice in the list of apps, tap on the app to open its app info page. Then look for the “Disable” button. Tap on Disable to deactivate the Google Voice app.^[2]

This will fully disable the app so it won’t run or send notifications. The Google Voice app icon will also disappear from the home screen and app drawer. However, it doesn’t delete the app, so you can re-enable it later if needed.

Disabling the Google Voice app in Android Settings is a simple way to turn off and stop the app if you want to temporarily pause using Google Voice without deleting your account or data.

^[1] https://9to5google.com/2022/08/15/android-settings-guide/#h2_apps

^[2] https://www.airdroid.com/parent-control/disable-apps-android/

Remove Google Voice as Default Phone App

To remove Google Voice as your default phone app on Android:

Go to Settings on your Android device.
Tap on Apps.
Tap on Default apps.

Tap on Phone app.
You will see Google Voice listed as the default. Tap on it.
Select a different default phone app instead of Google Voice from the list.

This will change your default phone app away from Google Voice to your desired default calling app. Any phone calls initiated from now on will use the new default app rather than going through Google Voice.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/18wxt0r/what_are_your_default_apps/

Sign Out of Google Voice

Signing out of the Google Voice app will disconnect it from your Google account. This is one way to disable Google Voice if you no longer wish to use the service.

To sign out of Google Voice:

Open the Google Voice app on your Android device.
Tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner.

Select Settings from the menu.
Tap on Sign out at the bottom of the Settings menu (source).
Confirm that you want to sign out of Google Voice.

Once you sign out, the Google Voice app will no longer be connected to your account. However, this alone does not fully disable Google Voice. Your Google Voice number will still work for incoming calls and texts. To fully disable it, you will also need to unlink your phone number and delete the app.

Unlink Phone Number from Google Voice

One way to turn off Google Voice on an Android device is to unlink your phone number from your Google Voice account entirely. This will sever the connection between your mobile number and Google Voice.

To unlink your phone number, first sign into your Google Voice account on the web at voice.google.com. Once logged in, click on the settings icon and select Settings from the drop down menu.

Under the Phones tab, find the phone number you want to unlink. Click the dropdown menu next to the number and select Remove. Confirm that you want to unlink this number. Once removed, your mobile number will no longer be associated with your Google Voice account.

According to Google’s support article, unlinking your number will cancel any forwarding to linked devices and disable voicemail through Google Voice for that number [1]. However, your Google Voice number itself will still exist in your account unless you specifically delete it.

Delete Google Voice App

Deleting the Google Voice app from your Android phone is a simple way to turn off Google Voice and prevent it from running in the background. Here are the steps to uninstall the Google Voice app:

Go to Android Settings > Apps. This will show you a list of all apps installed on your device.

Select Google Voice from the app list. This will open the app info screen for Google Voice.

Tap Uninstall. Confirm that you want to uninstall Google Voice when prompted.

Once the app is uninstalled, Google Voice will no longer be accessible on your device. Any notifications, calls, or texts sent to your Google Voice number will not appear on that device. However, your Google Voice number will still exist in your account and can be reactivated if you reinstall the app.

According to a 2018 report, the average person interacts with about 30 apps over the course of a month (Source). Uninstalling unused apps like Google Voice can help declutter your device and prevent resources from being wasted on apps you don’t regularly use.

Conclusion:

To recap, there are several main ways to turn off Google Voice on Android devices:

Go to your Google Voice settings and disable notifications, ringtones, and other options.
Sign out of the Google Voice app.
Unlink your phone number from your Google Voice account.

Delete the Google Voice app from your device.
Remove Google Voice as your default phone app.

Some additional tips for managing Google Voice on Android include:

You can temporarily pause Google Voice if you don’t want to fully disable it.
Check your Google account settings for additional Google Voice controls.
Consider downloading a third-party app to replace Google Voice.

If issues persist, you may need to factory reset your device.

Following these steps should allow you to successfully turn off Google Voice and take control of how the service works on your Android device.