If you’re looking to get started with your first call or conversation, read on for a five-step tutorial on how to set up and use Google Voice service.
Photo by Benjamin Dada on Unsplash
We’ll cover how to register for a Google Voice account and then how to configure the device you want, before finally showing you how to make that first phone call.
1. Open your web browser and enter www.google.com in the URL bar
2. Click Sign in
3. Enter your phone number
4. Enter the email address associated with your phone number (this is optional)
5. Enter a user name (optional) and password (optional)
6. Enter your phone number again
7. Enter the passcode you chose in step 3 if you chose to enable mobile verification (optional)
8. Select “continue”
9. You should now see a screen saying “You are now set up for Google Voice”.
10. Select “Continue” so that you go to the next step of configuring your device.
11. Now select Continue > Next > Personal Information > Continue followed by Next > Continue if you have registered an email address with Google Voice (you will not be prompted to do this unless this is your first time using the service).
12. Select the option that suits your device and hit Next.
13. Now you are at the screen prompting you to make your first call. It’s a good idea to set up Google Voice before you make any call, so select “Make a Call” (you will not be prompted to do this if this is your first time using the service).
14. Enter the mobile number or 10-digit Skype number of the person you are calling and hit “Call”.
15. You will hear Google Voice ringing the recipient, then select their name from the drop-down list when they answer and hit “Spoken Name” (if they don’t answer, select “Leave a Message”).
16. You will now see your call history that shows the duration of the call, the number you called and what option you selected.
17. Now you can configure other devices, like your computer or mobile phone by selecting “Sign in” in step 2 above, making sure to sign in with the same Google Account used to register for your Google Voice account.
Any questions about Google Voice? Contact Google for assistance.
You may also wish to try out some of the video tutorials on Google Help Central: https://support.google.com/voice
Conclusion
We hope that you’ve found this tutorial helpful and if you still have questions, visit the Help Center on Google Voice. Let us know what you think or ask questions if something is unclear in the comments below.