For those looking for a simple solution for a mobile phone line with plenty of features, Google offers its Voice service. If you want to port your current phone number over, however, there are a few things you need to be aware of. Here’s how you can transfer your number over to Google Voice.

Why Would You Port a Mobile Number to Google Voice?

When purchasing a phone plan from a new carrier, you will usually be assigned a new number. If you are interested in keeping your old number, an easy way to do so is to port it to Google Voice.

The Advantages of Google Voice

The single largest advantage that Google Voice offers is cost. If you’re interested in keeping an old number in addition to a new one, porting it over is the simplest way to avoid paying for a pair of plans.

There are many reasons why you might want to retain your old number. If you have contacts who need to get in touch with you at your old number, it may be worth saving temporarily. It can also be worthwhile to keep separate phone numbers for personal and professional purposes. If your old number is plagued by spam calls, however, you may simply want the filtering services that Voice offers.

Potential Issues When Porting a Number to Google Voice

There are a few things to consider before you start the porting process. First, is the one-time $20 charge when you bring the number over. In almost all cases, however, this will be far less than the long-term cost of keeping the old number active.

The second thing to consider before you port is that Google Voice is not a stand-alone phone service. Making use of the app does require an internet connection, whether Wi-Fi or cellular. This means that even though Google offers the service free of charge, it isn’t an on-the-go replacement for a standard cell phone.

Finally, depending on who your current carrier is, porting your number over to Voice may auto-cancel your current service. The request is sent to your service provider, and many will automatically cancel your service if they receive it.

This means if you are completely leaving your old carrier, you will need to have your new contract firmly established before you make the request. Additionally, make sure that you know about any penalties you might incur from your provider before you start the process.

How to Create a Google Voice Account

If you don’t already have a Voice account through Google, you’ll need to set one up before you port your existing number. Thankfully, the process for doing so is fairly straightforward. If you already have an account set up, then feel free to skip ahead to Porting Your Number to Google Voice.

Getting Started With Google Voice

The first step in the setup process is to access the main page for Google Voice. Here, you’ll be greeted with two options, personal or business use. Select whichever option is best suited for what you’ll be using the service for:

The main landing page with info for Google Voice. It has buttons to sign up for personal or business use.

For the purposes of this article, we will be signing up for an account for personal use. Clicking on the button will bring up a drop-down where you can select your platform.

Selecting Android or iOS will send you to the Google Play Store and the Apple Store pages for the Voice app. Choosing Web will take you directly to the signup process. If you already have a Google account, then you’ll be able to skip most of the process.

The main welcome page for the Google Voice signup process.

Click on the continue button to move on to the next step. You’ll be prompted to search for a number to use as your Google Voice number. You can either select a nearby city from the dropdown or enter a zip code of your choosing.

A page of the Google Voice signup process prompting the user to select a Google Voice number. A search box in the center of the page allows the user to search by city or zipcode.

Attaching Google Voice to Your Current Phone Number

Once you’ve selected a phone number, you’ll be prompted for your existing number. This is part of why you’ll need to have a second currently functional service before starting the porting process. Enter your new number and click the send code button.

A form used by Google Voice to send out a verification code to a pre-existing phone number.

Once you’ve clicked the button to send out a code, your new phone will receive a text to verify that it is your phone number. Completing this process attaches your main phone number to this Google voice account.

You must not use the number you are planning to port over to verify with. If you do, you may not be able to continue porting it later on. Once you’ve completed this step, you are ready to bring your old number over and connect it to your account.

How to Port Your Existing Mobile Number to Google Voice

To get started porting, you’ll need to head over to your main Voice dashboard. You’ll see a gear icon near the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Clicking on it will bring you to the settings page for Google Voice​.​

The main settings page for a Google Voice account.

Scrolling down slightly will show a section in the settings labeled “Port your number to Google Voice”. Under this section, click the “Port a number” button. This will bring you to the first page.

The start screen for Google Voice’s phone number porting process.

Click on the “Get started” button to begin the porting process. First, you’ll be prompted to enter the phone number that you are bringing over.

A form in Google Voice prompting the user to enter the phone number that they would like to port to the service.

Once you’ve entered your old phone number into the box, you’ll be texted a confirmation code. Enter it into the boxes, and you’ll be brought to the next step in the process. At this point, Google will perform a check to ensure that your number can be ported over.

Some carriers will not allow the number to be released, and as a result, your number may not be available. If it is, you'll automatically be directed to the next step in the process.

Here, you will be offered several checkboxes to agree to. Each is attached to a different part of the porting policy. You’ll need to check each before you can move forward with the process. Once you click to continue, Google will begin the mostly automated steps to move the number.

You will need to enter some personal information as it appears on your current carrier contract to authorize the release. The exact info required depends on who your current carrier is.

Once the request can go through, you’ll be directed to the final step in the process, paying the fee. Once you make the payment, your provider is alerted and your part is done.

It may take up to 24 hours for the transfer to finish up, and during that time, you won’t have access to that number. Make sure that anyone who may need to get a hold of you in that period has access to your new phone.

You can check the process by returning to your main Voice dashboard. On arrival, a status message at the top of the page will inform you that you currently have a port in progress. Once this message disappears, your old phone number will automatically be attached to your voice account.​​​​​​​

Google Voice Enables You to Have Multiple Numbers Attached to One Phone

Once you’ve taken the steps to port your phone number to Google Voice, you can attach it to your new phone. You can now route both numbers to a single device or leave them separate to have two different lines.

Your Voice number will be free as long as you stick to the standard account, so you won’t need to pay for multiple plans. You’ll also be free to take advantage of the service’s benefits, like call screening, spam filtering, and voicemail transcription.

The simple process of porting a number to Google Voice allows you all the advantages of having multiple phone numbers attached to a single phone. There are plenty of other benefits Google Voice brings through some of its rich features.