Is there a Google Voice equivalent in Canada?
Google Voice is a telephony service offered by Google in the United States that provides users with a phone number for calling, text messaging, voicemail, and other features. While Google Voice is popular among many users in the US, it is currently not available in Canada (source). Many Canadians would likely benefit from a similar service, leading some to look for Google Voice equivalents that work in Canada.
This article will provide an overview of Google Voice and its key features, discuss why the service is not yet offered in Canada, review some of the top Google Voice alternative options available for Canadians, and compare their capabilities. The goal is to help Canadian users understand their options for Google Voice-like services that can be used within Canada.
What is Google Voice?
Google Voice is a telephone service that provides users with the ability to make and receive phone calls through their existing phone numbers and allows them to manage voicemail, texts, and phone calls through a singular virtual phone number operated online.
Some of the key features and capabilities of Google Voice for Americans include:
– Virtual phone number – Users get a free virtual phone number for calls and texts.
– Voicemail transcriptions – Voicemails are automatically transcribed and sent to the user’s inbox.
– Free calling within the US and Canada – Users can make free calls to the US and Canada.
– Text messaging – Users can send and receive texts through their Google Voice number.
– Call screening – Users can screen calls and reject those from undesired numbers.
– Call recording – Users can record inbound and outbound calls.
– Multi-device integration – Google Voice syncs across devices so calls and texts can be managed from any phone or computer.
– Voicemail management – Users can access, listen, delete, and forward voicemails.
– Call forwarding and blocking – Users can forward calls to different numbers or block unwanted callers.
– Conference calling – Users can set up conference calls with up to 10 participants.
– Business features – Paid plans add features like call routing, toll-free numbers, call analytics, and more.
Why Google Voice isn’t available in Canada
Google Voice is currently only available in the United States and not in Canada. There are a few key reasons for this limitation:
First, Google Voice relies on integration with US phone networks and systems 1. It transcribes voicemail, provides call routing services, SMS texting, and other features by partnering with US carriers. Extending these services outside the US requires establishing similar partnerships internationally.
Second, there are regulatory hurdles in expanding Voice globally 2. Telecommunications are heavily regulated, especially around VoIP services, and there may be legal or licensing issues preventing rollout in Canada.
Lastly, there simply may not be enough demand from Canadian consumers to justify the costs of launching in additional countries yet 1. As a free consumer product, Google Voice only operates in its single largest market for now. Google may assess expansion when usage in the US grows to a level that warrants the infrastructure investment.
In summary, Google Voice’s US-exclusive availability results from its reliance on US carrier partnerships, regulatory challenges, and insufficient current demand internationally.
Canadian Alternatives
Since Google Voice is not available in Canada, Canadians have to rely on alternative services that offer similar features. Here are some of the top Google Voice alternatives for Canadians:
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Fongo – Fongo provides free phone numbers and free calling within Canada. It has features like voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID blocking, and SMS capabilities.
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PhoneBox – PhoneBox offers Canadian and U.S. phone numbers with unlimited inbound calls and SMS messages. Outbound calls are charged per minute. It also includes features like voicemail, call forwarding, conference calling, and call recording.
While services like Fongo and PhoneBox aim to provide a similar experience to Google Voice, there are still some limitations compared to Google Voice which offers seamless integration with the Android OS. Canadians continue to request for Google to officially launch Google Voice in Canada.
Fongo
Fongo is often cited as one of the top Google Voice alternatives available in Canada. Fongo provides Canadians with a free phone number and voicemail, allowing users to make unlimited local calls from their Fongo number to landlines and mobile phones in Canada and the US (Source). Some of Fongo’s key features as a Google Voice alternative include:
- Free Canadian or US phone number
- Voicemail and voicemail-to-text transcription
- Unlimited free local and nationwide calling within Canada and to the US
- Call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID
- Conference calling
- SMS/MMS text messaging
- iPhone and Android apps
- Web calling on PC and Mac
Fongo offers a free ad-supported version along with Fongo Pro for $9.99/month with additional features like international calling, enhanced voicemail and no ads. Overall, Fongo provides a very solid free alternative to Google Voice for Canadian users looking for core phone number and calling capabilities.
PhoneBox
PhoneBox is a Canadian startup that offers a similar service to Google Voice, providing Canadian phone numbers and call forwarding features. Founded in 2021 and based in Toronto, PhoneBox aims to fill the void left by Google Voice’s absence in Canada (<"https://gophonebox.com/">source).
With PhoneBox, users can sign up for a Canadian phone number that works over WiFi, allowing you to make and receive calls through the PhoneBox app on your mobile device or computer. Key features include (<"https://gophonebox.com/">source
):- Free Canadian phone numbers
- Call forwarding to link with your existing number
- Voicemail transcription
- SMS capabilities
- No contracts or monthly fees
While PhoneBox offers similar functionality, it lacks some of Google Voice’s features like group texts, call screening, and international calling. However, for a free Canadian alternative, PhoneBox provides robust core capabilities.
Comparison of top alternatives
The top Google Voice alternatives available in Canada include Fongo, PhoneBox, and TextNow.
Fongo offers free calling within Canada and to the US. It provides a Canadian local number and free incoming texts. However, outbound SMS is paid. PhoneBox has similar capabilities to Fongo but also offers call recording. TextNow provides a Canadian or US number for calling and texting. It offers unlimited calling and texts in the North America. However, call quality can vary.
In terms of pricing, Fongo and PhoneBox are free while TextNow has ad-supported and paid plans. Fongo and PhoneBox lack some features like visual voicemail offered by TextNow. Overall, Fongo likely offers the closest capabilities to Google Voice while TextNow provides more robust features.
However, no service fully matches Google Voice in terms of integration of calling, voicemail transcriptions, spam filtering, and other smart features. There are clear limitations compared to what US consumers have access to with Google Voice.
Limitations of Google Voice alternatives in Canada
Canadians seeking a Google Voice alternative face some key limitations despite a few viable options like Fongo and PhoneBox.
According to this report, the current Canadian offerings are unable to provide seamless integration like Google Voice can in the US.
A key drawback is limitations around texting. Fongo and PhoneBox cannot enable free native text messaging support like Google Voice. Users have to rely on workarounds that impact the user experience.
Additionally, the Google Voice alternatives in Canada do not provide the benefit of a single, consolidated voicemail inbox like Google Voice offers.
While services like Fongo and PhoneBox provide alternatives for free calling, their offerings come with compromises Canadian users have to make due to the lack of technology infrastructure that exists in the US for Google Voice.
Calls for Google Voice in Canada
There have been some petitions and campaigns calling for Google to launch Google Voice in Canada. One petition with over 5,000 signatures argued that Google Voice would provide Canadians with free calling and voicemail services within Canada. The petition called on Google to expand Google Voice to Canada to give consumers more options for communication services.
Another campaign was started by a group of Canadian entrepreneurs who relied on Google Voice for their businesses in the US. They started a social media campaign with the hashtag #GoogleVoice4Canada to try and convince Google there was demand for the service. The campaign gained some mainstream media attention but did not ultimately succeed in bringing Google Voice to Canada.
While there continues to be interest from some Canadian consumers and business owners, Google has not announced any plans to launch Google Voice in Canada. Google may be reluctant due to regulations or smaller market size compared to the US. Unless there is a major shift, it seems unlikely Google Voice will be available in Canada anytime soon despite petitions and campaigns.
Conclusion
Currently, there is no perfect equivalent to Google Voice available in Canada. While services like Fongo and PhoneBox provide some similar functionality like free calling and voicemail transcription, they lack some key features that Google Voice offers.
For example, neither Fongo or PhoneBox integrate seamlessly with your existing phone number or provide the same level of call routing and management as Google Voice. The Canadian options also don’t have a robust mobile app or web interface on par with Google Voice.
So in summary, while we have some decent alternatives in Canada, there is no true replacement for Google Voice available here yet. Many Canadians continue to hope that Google will expand Google Voice into the Canadian market to fill this gap. For now, the available options serve some basic needs but aren’t comparable in functionality and convenience to Google Voice.