Get started: Voice setup guide for admins

Assign Voice numbers to users

After you assign licenses to users, you can assign them each a Google Voice number or let users choose their Voice number. Each Voice number can only be assigned once and each user can only be assigned one number at a time. It can take up to 48 hours for Voice numbers to become active.

For information about billing, learn how numbers are charged.

Note: Before Voice for Google Workspace, people in the U.S. could use their work or school account to sign up for Voice. If your users have unmanaged accounts, you must migrate them before number assignment. To learn more, read Migrate users to managed accounts.

Service address for emergency calls

If a user calls an emergency number, Voice sends their service location to emergency services. You add the service address when you assign a user their Voice number. If you let users choose their own phone number, they add their service address when they sign up for Voice.

Additional functionality is also available for inbound and outbound calls, including the dialing of emergency numbers for users using two-way dialing.

Choose how to assign numbers

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Let users choose their own number

This feature is supported in only the U.S. and Canada.

You can let users in your organization choose their phone number and provide their service address when they sign up for Voice.

Before you begin

Before you begin: If needed, learn how to apply the setting to a department or group.

  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. In the Admin console, go to Menu and then Appsand thenGoogle Workspaceand thenGoogle Voice.
  3. Click Settingsand thenUser signup.
  4. (Optional) To apply the setting only to some users, at the side, select an organizational unit (often used for departments) or configuration group (advanced). Show me how

    Group settings override organizational units. Learn more

  5. Check the Let anyone sign up for Google Voice box.
  6. Click Save. Or, you might click Override for an organizational unit.

    To later restore the inherited value, click Inherit (or Unset for a group).

Invite users to sign up

After you turn on user sign-up, you can let users know how to sign up for Voice, choose their own number, and enter their service address.

  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. In the Admin console, go to Menu and then Appsand thenGoogle Workspaceand thenGoogle Voice.
  3. Click Users.
    The Users page shows each user and their Voice number. This page is blank if you haven't yet assigned licenses to your users.
  4. In the top right, click More and then Send Invites
  5. In the confirmation window, click Send Invites.

Voice sends emails to users with:

  • Self sign-up turned on for their organizational unit
  • A Voice license and no Voice number

Note: If a user is outside the U.S. or Canada, the email tells them to contact their administrator because self sign-up isn't available.

Assign numbers to users individually
  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. In the Admin console, go to Menu and then Appsand thenGoogle Workspaceand thenGoogle Voice.
  3. Click Users.
    The Users page shows each user and their Voice number. This page is blank if you haven't yet assigned licenses to your users.
    Important:
    • If a user doesn't already have a license, they're assigned one.
    • If there is an error in license assignment, for example, purchased licenses exhausted, the admin will be notified by email.
  4. Point to a user you want to assign a number and click Assign number.
    The number assignment window appears.
  5. Click Add the service address.
    A new window opens.
  6. Choose an option:
    • Search for an existing location to use as a service address.
    • Click Enter a new address instead.
    Note: You can use one of your existing Voice locations with an additional address line (optional), or enter a new address in the form provided.
  7. In the Google Voice number field, Voice shows an available number:
    • To keep the number, click Assign.
    • To find a different number:
      1. Click Change.
      2. Next to a number in the list, click Select.
      3. Click Assign.
Assign numbers to a large batch of users

If you have many users, you can assign their numbers all at once from a Google Sheets file. Users that don't have a Voice license are assigned a license during the batch process.

  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. In the Admin console, go to Menu and then Appsand thenGoogle Workspaceand thenGoogle Voice.
  3. Click Users.
    The Users page shows each user and their Voice number. This page is blank if you haven't yet assigned licenses to your users.
  4. In the top, click Batch assign numbers.
    A window opens with options to make a new list or use an existing one.
  5. Click Start New List or Use Existing:
    • Start New List—Voice creates a spreadsheet with the filename, "Batch Assignment on date."
    • Use Existing—A window opens showing your existing spreadsheets.
      1. Click the name of the spreadsheet you want to use. To use a spreadsheet that isn't listed, at the top, click Upload.
      2. Click Select.
  6. Click the name of the spreadsheet.
    The file opens in Google Sheets in a new tab of your browser.
  7. For each user you want to assign a number, fill in the 4 columns with their email address, country/region, service address, and phone number.
    • Enter the complete address of each user's location. This address needs to be correct for emergency services.
    • If a user already has a phone number, the admin decides whether to unassign their current number, or mark it as failed at the validation step.

      Tip: You can export users from the Users page to create a list that's easy to copy to your chosen spreadsheet instead of manually entering each one. This feature is useful for any process that affects large numbers of users at once. For details, go to Export filtered users in bulk to Google Sheets

  8. After you complete the spreadsheet, return to the Admin console and click Continue.
    Voice verifies each service address and email address:
    • If there are errors, a window opens and you can fix the errors. Learn about verification errors below.
    • After Voice verifies all addresses, a window opens showing the user information.
  9. Review the information for each user, and click Assign Numbers.

    Important:

    • If a user doesn't already have a license, they're assigned one. If you don't have enough Voice licenses for all users that need one, you get an error message and can't assign numbers.
    • If you get the message, "Error processing the request, please try again," one of the users might have a suspended account. Remove the suspended user from the list and submit the list again.
  10. In the top right, click Tasks . You get the status of assigning numbers.
    Depending on the number of users you upload and the service provider, it can take up to 24 hours to assign all numbers.

If you get an error, correct it and try to update the address or submit the list of users again.

  • Address couldn't be verified—This address can't be verified. Change to a valid address. For details, review About service addresses.
  • Already has an assigned number—This user has a Google Voice number. Remove this user from the list.
  • Doesn't qualify for Google Voice—This user isn't eligible for a Google Voice number. Remove this user from the list.
  • Email format is incorrect—Use the format [email protected].
  • Google Voice isn't available in this country—The service address is in a country or region where Google Voice isn’t available. Update with the correct address or remove this user from the list.
  • No email address—Add the email address in the format username@example.com.
  • No service address—Add the service address. For details, review About service addresses.
  • No user has this email address—This email address doesn't belong to a user in your organization. Change to a valid email address in the format username@example.com.
  • Service address is incomplete—The address is missing information. Add the complete address. For details, review About service addresses.
  • User needs to be migrated to managed accounts—This user has an unmanaged Google Voice account. Migrate it to a managed account. To learn more, read Migrate users to managed accounts.

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