How To Use Google Voice On Phone Without Service

Smartphones accept become an integral part of our lives, and carriers know it—then they charge a lot of money for something they know you're going to pay. Simply what if I told you lot that you could apply your telephone, including calls and texts, with nothing only Wi-Fi?

It'due south true—it definitely comes with some caveats, but if you're looking to ditch your cellphone bill altogether (or you never had one to begin with), you can still make calls and texts on your smartphone.

(Note: If you're just struggling with poor reception in your house or office, this solution may be overkill—first, give Wi-Fi calling a try on your iPhone or Android device, if your carrier supports it. Betwixt that and services like iMessage, which can ship text messages over Wi-Fi, you may exist pretty well covered. If not, you can come back here and endeavor this setup.)

How This Works

By using this guide, yous'll be able to make and receive calls, too as send and receive text messages—all without a SIM menu or cellular service. And of course you'll be able to do notwithstanding stuff y'all already apply your smartphone for, too.

RELATED: How to Use Android's Wi-Fi Assistant to Safely Connect to Public Wi-Fi Networks (and Save Data)

Basically, we're going to gear up upward your telephone with Google Voice and Google Hangouts, which allow you to do all these things over Wi-Fi. That means, of course, that in order for everything to work, you'll need to be connected to Wi-Fi any time yous want to apply your phone. That'due south definitely a downside, but if Wi-Fi is ubiquitous where you alive, you might be able to make information technology work. Android's Wi-Fi Assistant feature tin can make this easier by automatically connecting to trusted networks, and if you have internet at home, yous may also have free access to Wi-Fi hotspots around boondocks from the same provider. Comcast and AT&T, for example, have Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere.

In add-on, all calls in/to the U.s.a. and Canada are free using the following methods, but you'll have to pay extra for international calling.

Lastly, let'south talk about 911 emergency services. Every bit long as yous're doing this from a telephone (not a tablet or iPod touch-like device), 911 serviceswill always work, but you have to use the stock dialer (not the apps we're going to use in this guide). All phones are required to support 911 services—fifty-fifty without a SIM carte du jour—then you'll never have to worry during an emergency. Your phone volition even so accept your back.

With that, let's get started.

What You lot'll Demand

This should work on both Android phones and iPhones, both with the aforementioned tools. I'll exist primarily using Android in this guide, but will likewise try to mention if something is different on iOS. Here are the tools you'll need:

A Google Account
A Google Phonation number and the Google Voice app for Android or iOS
The Google Hangouts app for Android or iOS
Hangouts Dialer for Android (this is integrated into the Hangouts app on iOS)

These are going to be the backbone of our carrier-free setup.

Footstep One: Set Upwards Your Google Phonation Account

The get-go thing you'll need is a Google Voice business relationship and number. If y'all already take that, skip this step!

RELATED: How (and Why) to Port Your Old Phone Number to Google Voice

If you lot're not familiar with Google Vocalisation, hither's the quick and muddied explanation of what it is: Google Voice is a completely free phone number provided to you by Google. It tin make calls in the United states of america over the internet and send and receive text messages, without yous having to pay for any phone service. However, those calls and texts volition appear to people as coming from your Google Voice number, so you'll need to give information technology to all your friends and family as your "new number"—unless you port your current number to Google Voice (which is a bit more of a semi-permanent solution, but doesn't come with the hassle of giving out a new number).

To gear up it up, head over to the Google Vocalism homepage on your computer and click on "Get Google Voice" to go started. When the dropdown shows up, click on "Web" (assuming you lot're doing this from a computer, of grade).

Click through the showtime prompt, then enter your city or surface area code to go a nearby number. Keep in mind that Google doesn't offer numbers for all locations, then you may have to choose something close by instead of your actual town.

Selection a number that suits you and click "Select."

During the initial setup process, you lot'll have to link an existing number to Google Voice (don't worry, if you're getting rid of jail cell service birthday, you can unlink it later). Click on Next, then enter your phone number. Y'all'll get a text message with a six-digit code to confirm.

I you lot're finished with that, it'll let yous know your number is confirmed. Nice!

If you don't want your principal number to ring when y'all get a telephone call on Google Voice (which is what happens when you link your number in the to a higher place step), Yous'll need to and then unlink your number. First, bound into Voice's Settings carte by clicking the the dots in the left pane, then choose "Settings."

In the Linked Numbers section, click the X next to your primary phone number.

It'll ask if you're sure that'southward what you want to it. If it is, click the Delete push.

Blast, done. Now y'all don't have to worry almost getting calls onboth numbers.

Stride Two: Prepare Up Your Phone

With all the tools in hand and everything installed, you're pretty much set to roll. It'due south a relatively straightforward setup, and then hopefully you won't hit whatsoever snags forth the way.

It's besides worth mentioning that while yous could technically exercise almost of this stuffjust using the Google Vocalism app, I had issues getting notifications for calls and whatnot with simply Vox. Switching everything over to Hangouts stock-still that, so I recommend using that instead of just Voice.

Kickoff, fire up Hangouts. This will ultimately be the hub that handles all of your settings.

If you've used Hangouts before, then yous already know the interface. On Android, there are two tabs: i for messages, and one for the calls (which is only present once the Hangouts Dialer is installed). On iOS, the tabs are along the bottom, and at that place are iv: Contacts, Favorites, Letters, and Calls.

Ultimately, these work the aforementioned fashion, and y'all really but need to worry almost the Messages and Calls tabs on both platforms.

Go ahead and slide open the bill of fare on the left side by pressing the three lines in the superlative corner (or just sliding in from left to right), then choose Settings.

On Android, choose your business relationship, then discover the Google Voice section. On iOS, scroll down to the "Phone Number" entry and tap into this carte du jour.

The beginning affair you'll want to enable is the "Incoming Phone Calls" selection, which ways it will band on this phone when you get a phone call.

If y'all'd similar to use Hangouts instead of Google Vox for text messages also, toggle the "Letters" option here, as well. Information technology's nice to be able to handle everything from the same app, plus SMS in Hangouts is slightly nicer than the Voice app. Also, I found GIF support to be meliorate in Hangouts than Vocalisation, then accept that into consideration likewise.

Go along in mind that if yous choose to utilise Hangouts for SMS, you'll get notifications on every device that has Hangouts installed—including computers.

On iOS, there's 1 other setting you'll desire to brand sure is enabled. Back in the primary Settings menu, toggle "Answer on lock screen" to on, which volition allow you to answer calls direct from the lock screen, only like a native call.

From at present on, yous tin text and call like yous normally would, but instead of using the stock dialer and messaging applications, you'll just use Hangouts (unless, of course, you opted to apply the Google Voice app for messaging).

Stride Three: Tweak Your Google Voice Settings (Optional)

Google Voice settings are synced across devices (and the web), and so there are a few things you lot may want to tweak.

Link Your Master Number

Get-go off, if you don't plan on using this every bit your primary telephone (which I really suggest against doing anyway), you can gear up all calls to forward to your main number. In Google Voice, open Settings, then choose "Linked Numbers" to add your master number. If you lot did this when setting up your Vocalism number and didn't unlink information technology, then you're already expert hither.

Go along in mind that all calls and whatnot will also band your main phone afterward that, so you'll get calls on both. If you plan on using your new carrier-less setup as a standalone system, I wouldn't worry about linking numbers.

Enable Missed Phone call Notifications and Messages Over Email

When you get a missed call on your Google Vocalization number, you lot tin can get email notifications. I personally discover these abrasive equally hell, merely you do you.

To enable this feature, open up the Phonation app, then go to Settings.

To enable SMS over email, enable the "Forward messages to…" choice.

To get missed call notifications over email, enable the "Become e-mail alerts for missed calls" option.

Gear up for the flood in your inbox.

Get Voicemail Transcripts

Since you lot're using Google Vocalization to receive calls, you can too permit Google transcribe your voicemails, which is corking.

In the Phonation app, open the Setting menu and ringlet to the Voicemail section. Enable the "Voicemail Transcript Analysis" selection to make information technology happen.

Likewise, yous can enable the "Become voicemail via e-mail" option to become these transcriptions in your email, which I actually like.

Other Apps

To say that Google Voice/Hangouts is the only way to do this would be silly, considering there are a lot of other apps out there that do the same things. The matter is, the combination of Hangouts and Vocalisation is easily the nearly universal way to apply your phone without the need for a carrier, and it's the best option for an all-in-one solution that volition handle both calls and texts. All others just fall apartment in this regard.

But! There are another options for staying in touch on with people:

Facebook Messenger:This is a great way to make calls and send letters to people you know, but the problem here is that everything is handled through your Facebook account—significant you don't have an actual telephone number to give out in this example.
WhatsApp:Pretty much the aforementioned as Facebook Messenger, simply with a WhatsApp account.
Other Instant Messaging Clients: The story is going to be same across the board hither—you can talk to people you know over pretty much whatsoever IM client you lot're both on, simply you'll be defective the robustness and versatility of having an actual phone number to apply.

This is a great way to use an sometime phone every bit a second line if you need one. And considering how ubiquitous public Wi-Fi is now, yous can get coveragealmostanywhere—the primary exception is going to exist when travelling. If yous're in the automobile, you lot're pretty much out of luck. As soon as you re-connect, however, you're dorsum in business.