can you hear me now?

I was thinking about how to stay in touch with friends and family back home as much as I can, and a friend told me about Google Voice.  It's a pretty nifty creation, and I thought I would explain how to set one up and how to use it.


First of all, log in to your Gmail account.  If you don't, you will need to create one.

After you create one, go to https://www.google.com/voice


This window will pop up:

Click "I want a new number"

You will then get to choose your number.

You can pick a number based on a specific area code, or a number that has a certain phrase in it.  You can type in an area code, and available phone numbers will appear.

You can go through your options and select which number you prefer.  If you want a specific number with a word or phrase in it, you can try that too.

You can also combine the two options and pick an area code with a word or phrase.

Select your number and click "Continue".

You will then enter a PIN number to access your voicemail by phone.  (If you access your voicemail through Gmail, you don't need this PIN number).

Now you add a forwarding phone (which you can "unforward" later).  You must provide a phone number to finish the setup.

This window will appear

This is to verify that you have access to that phone.  Click the "Call me now" button, and it will ask for the verification code.  It then says you can change your voicemail greeting now or wait and do it later.

Click the "Finish" button and voila!  You have Google Voice!  But now we need to make sure Google Voice and Video is activated.  Go to your Gmail inbox, and on the left panel at the bottom there is a chat bubble icon.  Click that and then click "Call phone".  A dial pad should appear on the right side of the screen.  If there is a message above the dial pad that says to download Google Voice and Video, click it, and follow those directions.  If it doesn't, you are good to go, and people can call/text you and vice versa!

Now, if you want to "unforward" messages/calls to your phone, go to your Google Voice home screen.  On the right side of the window towards the top will be a gear shaped icon.  Click that and click "Settings".  Under the "Phones" tab, you will see that it says "Forward calls to:".  Unclick "Mobile" and click "Google chat".  This will allow calls to connect to your Gmail account rather than your phone.

For you to be able to answer a call, you must be signed in to Gmail.  Otherwise, people can leave you a voicemail or a text.  If you would like to change your voicemail greeting, click the "Voicemail & Text" tab.  Then you can click "Record New Greeting" and follow those directions.

Well, I think that's about all the basics you need to know when figuring out your Google Voice!  Let me know if something doesn't make sense, or if you have any questions!  Happy Talking!