Where are my Google Voice settings?

Google Voice is a free application by Google that allows you to make voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone calls and send text messages for free from your computer, mobile phone, or tablet. Google Voice gives you your own phone number that you can use to make calls and texts from essentially anywhere. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to find and adjust the various settings in Google Voice, whether you are accessing it from the website or mobile apps.

Accessing Google Voice

To access your Google Voice account, you first need to go to the Google Voice website at https://voice.google.com/. This is where you can log into your Google Voice account and access the web interface. Once logged in, you will see your Google Voice phone number displayed at the top.

Google Voice is available as mobile apps for both iOS and Android devices. To get the iOS app, go to the App Store and search for “Google Voice” – the official app from Google is free to download and install. For Android devices, go to the Google Play Store and search for “Google Voice” to download the official app. The mobile apps allow you to access your Google Voice account, make calls, send texts, and manage voicemail on-the-go.

The Google Voice website functions as the main dashboard for your account, while the mobile apps provide quick access and notifications when you are away from your computer. Both the website and mobile apps sync together, so changes made in one place will automatically update across the other access points.

Settings on the Google Voice Website

When you log in to the Google Voice website, you can access various settings to customize your Google Voice experience. The main settings menu is located in the top right corner of the website.

To access it, click on your profile icon in the top right, then select “Settings” from the dropdown menu:

This will open up the full Settings page. On the left sidebar, you can navigate between different categories of settings:

Calls

Texts
Groups & Contacts
Account

Within each tab, you can configure options like:

Call forwarding
Voicemail notifications

Text messaging options
Ring schedules
Account security

For example, under the Calls tab, you can set your call forwarding and voicemail preferences:

The settings allow you to customize Google Voice to best suit your needs.

Settings in the iOS App

The settings in the Google Voice iOS app allow you to configure various options and preferences for the app. To access the settings, open the Google Voice app and tap the menu icon in the top left corner (it looks like three horizontal lines). This will open the side menu. At the bottom of the side menu you will see a “Settings” option – tap this to open the Settings screen.

On the Settings screen, you can configure options such as your caller ID, call forwarding, notifications, voicemail, and more. Some key settings to note include:

Caller ID – Choose which phone number is displayed when you make outbound calls

Call Forwarding – Forward calls to your linked phone numbers or voicemail
Notifications – Manage notifications for incoming calls, voicemails, and texts
Voicemail – Customize voicemail options like greetings and transcription

Devices – Manage linked devices

Here is a screenshot showing the location of the Settings screen in the Google Voice iOS app:

The Settings screen provides easy access to customize and optimize your Google Voice experience on iOS. Be sure to review the available options to enable features like voicemail transcription, call forwarding, and more.

Settings in the Android App

The Google Voice Android app offers customizable settings that allow you to tailor the app to your preferences. The settings are found by tapping the three line “hamburger” menu icon in the top left corner of the app and selecting Settings.

Some of the key settings available in the Android app include:

Calls – Set call forwarding, voicemail, and other call preferences.
Texts – Manage text message notifications and other text features.
Groups & contacts – Control how groups and contacts are displayed.

Accounts – Manage multiple accounts and account notifications.
App settings – Customize notifications, sounds, and other general preferences.

Here are some screenshots showing the settings pages in the Google Voice Android app:

Source

As seen above, the Android app provides easy access to all the key Google Voice settings to customize the experience. Users can manage calls, texts, contacts, notifications and more.

Calls Tab Settings

The Calls tab in Google Voice allows you to control several settings related to how incoming calls are handled. Some of the key settings available are:

Call Screening – This feature allows Google Voice to screen your calls and provide you a transcript so you can decide whether to answer or not. You can enable or disable call screening here.
Call Forwarding – Forward incoming calls to your linked phones, email, or other numbers. You can set call forwarding to always redirect calls or only when you are busy, unanswered, or unreachable.
Do Not Disturb – Temporarily stop incoming calls from ringing. Callers will get your voicemail or a busy signal.

Blocked Numbers – Add numbers to your block list to reject incoming calls from those numbers.
Voicemail – Customize your voicemail greeting messages.
Notifications – Choose notification sounds and vibration options for incoming calls.

Adjusting these settings allows you to control how Google Voice handles your incoming calls for the best experience. For example, enabling call screening gives you a transcript of suspicious calls, while do not disturb silences calls when you need to focus. With the forwarding, voicemail, and notification settings you can also customize how you receive and are alerted to incoming calls.

Texts Tab Settings

The Texts tab in the Google Voice settings allows you to configure options related to sending and receiving text messages with your Google Voice number. Some of the key settings available in the Texts tab include:

– Notifications – You can enable or disable notifications for incoming texts. You can also set notifications to only alert you when receiving texts from contacts or from anyone.

– Blocked texts – View a list of numbers that you have blocked from sending you text messages. You can unblock numbers here as well.

– SMS forwarding – Forward incoming texts to another number like your cell phone. You can add multiple forwarding numbers.

– Pinpoint notifications – Get notifications that tell you which Google Voice number an incoming text was sent to, in case you have multiple numbers.

– Delete texts – Choose how long to keep your text message history. You can automatically delete texts after 30, 60 or 90 days.

These settings allow you to customize your Google Voice text messaging experience to best suit your needs and preferences. The options provide control over notifications, blocking unwanted texts, text forwarding, and message history retention.

Groups & Contacts Tab Settings

The Groups & Contacts tab in Google Voice allows you to manage your contacts and create call and text groups. Here are some of the key settings you can configure:

Add Contacts – Import your existing contacts or add new ones manually. You can add a first name, last name, phone number, and photo for each contact.

Create Groups – Make call and text groups to send a message or call multiple people at once. Give the group a name and add members.

Set Ringtones – Customize ringtones for your contacts and groups so you can identify callers easily.

Block Contacts – Prevent people from calling or texting you by blocking their numbers.

View Spam – See messages and calls that Google Voice has flagged as potential spam.

Set Favorites – Pin your most important contacts to the top of your list for quick access.

Contact History – View your past calls and texts with each contact.

With these settings, you can organize your contacts and control how they communicate with you through Google Voice.

Account Tab Settings

The Account tab in the Google Voice settings contains options to manage your Google Voice number and account. Here you can view your Google Voice number, set a PIN for added security, enable call screening, and transfer your number to another account.

To view your Google Voice number, go to the Account tab and look under “This Google Voice number.” You’ll see the phone number associated with your Google Voice account.

Under “Security” you can manage your account PIN, which is used to access your Google Voice account. Enable this option and set a 4-digit PIN for extra security (1).

Call screening allows you to screen calls and prevent unwanted calls from ringing your phone. Turn this on under “Incoming call options” if you want callers to record their name before the call rings through.

Finally, you can transfer your Google Voice number to another Google account. Under “Transfer your number to another Voice account,” click Accept to initiate transferring your number. You’ll need to enter the PIN for the account receiving the number (2).

The Account tab provides control over your core Google Voice number and account settings.

Conclusion

Looking for your Google Voice settings can seem overwhelming at first, with options available on both the web interface and mobile apps. However, the settings are organized into logical groups that allow you to customize your Google Voice experience.

On the web, the key settings areas are Calls, Texts, Groups & Contacts, and Account. These control preferences for voicemail, call handling, messaging, contacts, account management, and more. The mobile apps provide quick access to notifications, call and text preferences.

Access settings anytime by logging into voice.google.com or opening your Google Voice mobile app. Take the time to explore all of the options – with so many ways to customize Google Voice to your needs, you’re sure to find useful settings to optimize your experience.