How do you get rid of Google Voice on an Android phone?

Google Voice is a telephone service that provides a personal U.S. phone number for making calls, sending text messages, and checking voicemail. Google Voice integrates with several other Google services and can sync with other phones. While Google Voice offers useful features for some users, others may no longer need or want Google Voice service on their phone. Reasons for uninstalling Google Voice from an Android device include:

Not using Google Voice features anymore
Wanting to use a carrier’s default phone and messaging apps

Concern over Google data collection
Preferring other competing services like WhatsApp
Switching phones or carriers and no longer needing Google Voice integration

This guide will walk through the steps to completely remove Google Voice from your Android device.

Check Your Connection to Google Voice

To check if your phone number is linked to a Google Voice account, first go to voice.google.com and sign in to your Google Account. Under the Account section in Settings, any phone numbers linked to your Google Voice account will be listed.

You can also try creating a new Google Voice account. When you reach the step to add a phone number, Google Voice will notify you if the number you enter is already connected to an existing Google Voice account. This is another way to verify if your number has been linked without your knowledge.

Finally, you can use the Google Voice app and try to sign in or set up an account. The app will recognize if your device’s phone number has been connected and prompt you accordingly.

Unlink Your Phone Number

If your phone number is linked to your Google Voice account, the first step is to unlink it. This will disconnect your phone number from the Google Voice service.

To unlink your phone number in the Google Voice app on Android:

Open the Google Voice app and tap on your profile icon in the top right corner
Tap “Settings”
Tap “Phones”

Tap the “X” icon next to the phone number you wish to unlink
Confirm that you want to unlink your phone number

Once unlinked, calls to your Google Voice number will no longer ring your mobile phone. You can also unlink your number by logging into your Google Voice account on the web.

If you don’t have access to the account connected to your phone number, you may need to contact Google Voice support for assistance unlinking it.

Delete the Google Voice App

To uninstall the Google Voice app from your Android phone:

Go to your phone’s Settings app

Choose Apps
Scroll down the list of apps and tap Google Voice
Tap Uninstall

For additional details, check out this article for step-by-step instructions with screenshots.

Removing the Google Voice app from your Android phone will no longer show it on your device’s home screen, app drawer, or anywhere else on your phone. This prevents you from accessing Google Voice services from the app. However, it does not delete your account or data.

Remove Google Voice Widgets

To delete any Google Voice widgets from your Android phone:

Tap and hold on an empty space on your home screen
Tap “Widgets” in the pop-up menu
Locate and tap on the Google Voice widget to open the app info page

Tap the “Remove” button to delete the widget

To remove the Google Assistant widget specifically, go to device Settings > Apps and tap on the Google App.

Tap on the three dots at the top right and select “Uninstall updates.” This will reset the Google app and remove any widgets (source).

Delete Google Voice Account Data

To delete your Google Voice account data including call history, voicemails, and text messages, you’ll need to sign in to your Google Account on your computer:

1. Go to google.com and sign in to your account

2. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner and select “Manage your Google Account”

3. On the left side of the page, click “Data & privacy”

4. In the Download, delete, or make a plan section, click “Delete a service”

5. Select “Voice” from the dropdown menu and click “Delete” to confirm. This will permanently erase your entire Google Voice account and all associated data.

Once your Google Voice account data is deleted, there is no way to recover it. The phone number will become dissociated and available to claim. Consider downloading any data you want to keep as a backup prior to deleting your account.

Clear Google Voice Cache and Data

Clearing cache and data will remove temporary files, stored data, cookies, account information, and other elements stored by the app on your device. Removing app data will also reset any Google Voice settings and preferences.

To clear cache and data for Google Voice on Android:

Open your phone Settings and go to Apps.
Scroll and tap on the Google Voice app entry.
Tap Storage & Cache.

Tap “Clear Cache” to remove temporary files from Google Voice.
Tap “Clear Storage” to delete all data stored by the app and also affect sign-in credentials.
Confirm clearing data if prompted. Select “OK”.

After clearing cache and data, the Google Voice app will run like a newly-installed version. You may need to reconfigure your account and preferences (according to source). Removing data permanently erases your app data, so use with caution.

Remove Google Voice from Contacts

Removing Google Voice from your contacts involves unlinking the app from your phone’s contacts and clearing your Google Voice call history. First go to your phone’s Contacts app and unlink your Google account. Then in the Google Voice app go to Settings > Calls and select ‘Do not save call history’. This will prevent any future call history from being saved by Google Voice.

To delete your existing Google Voice call history, go to menu > Settings > Calls > Clear call history. You may also want to go into each individual contact and tap ‘Forget this Caller’ to remove any existing call logs attached to that number. This will completely sever ties between your Google Voice account’s history and your phone’s contacts app.

To permanently delete Google Voice contacts, log into your Google Voice account on desktop at https://voice.google.com/u/0/contacts. From here you can manually delete contacts one by one. Additionally, you can go to Contacts > More > Delete contacts to delete multiple contacts at once.

Consider Alternatives

There are several other voice over IP (VoIP) apps and services available that can replace Google Voice for your phone needs. Some popular alternatives include:

RingCentral: A comprehensive VoIP service with features like video conferencing, phone system administration, and video messaging (source).

Dialpad: An AI-powered VoIP solution with automatic translations and transcriptions (source).
Nextiva: A VoIP provider focused on ease of use, reliability, and great customer service (source).

All of these alternatives offer competitive pricing options, advanced features, and excellent voice quality. They can integrate with your existing business phone system and provide similar capabilities to Google Voice. Carefully evaluating each option based on your specific needs and budget is recommended to find the best replacement service.

Conclusion

In summary, the main steps to remove Google Voice from your Android phone are:

Unlink your phone number from your Google Voice account
Delete the Google Voice app

Remove any Google Voice widgets
Delete Google Voice account data and clear caches
Remove Google Voice from your contacts

Following these steps will completely disconnect Google Voice from your Android phone. You may want to remove Google Voice if you no longer need or want to use it, if you want to switch to another service, or if you’re facing issues with Google Voice on your device. Removing it fully ensures it won’t continue syncing data or affecting your messaging and calls.