How to Use Google Voice in Canada?

Google Voice is available in Canada, but the free version is inaccessible. While Google Voice is primarily offered to users in the United States, Canadian users can still access it by initially setting up the service in the U.S. Once set up, Canadian users can access their Google Voice account, allowing them to make and receive calls as if they were using the service in the U.S.

In the face of expensive phone plans, businesses in Canada can significantly optimize their communication by leveraging Google Voice. The advantages of using Google Voice for communication range from financial savings to operational efficiency and flexibility. Canadian businesses can improve their communication infrastructure and stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.

Google Voice offers advanced call management features, including call forwarding, voicemail transcriptions, and spam filtering, which can greatly enhance business communication efficiency. You can filter calls and messages, mark spam numbers, and forward and return calls through the Google Voice application. Call forwarding ensures that important calls reach you by routing them to your preferred device. The ability to mark spam numbers helps maintain a clean and secure communication environment, reducing the risk of unwanted interruptions.

Google Voice has an easy setup process and user-friendly interface, making it easy for businesses to start using it without technical expertise. You can get a hassle-free experience, as it guides users through the necessary steps with clear instructions. The setup process is straightforward, and maintenance is minimal, reducing the need for specialized IT support. Furthermore, it ensures that users always have access to the latest features and involvements without additional effort.

Google Voice offers scalable solutions, allowing businesses to add or remove lines and manage calls as their operations grow, which is ideal for expanding companies. When a business expands, its communication needs evolve, and Google Voice is designed to accommodate this growth seamlessly. Google Voice offers various plans that cater to different business sizes and needs by simplifying scalability.

Google Voice is a valuable tool for businesses that is integrated with Google Workspace and helps enhance productivity. It helps to seamlessly connect Google Voice with other Google tools like Gmail and Google Calendar, streamlining business communication. The integration with Google Calendar allows for effortless scheduling of calls and meetings, with reminders and notifications to keep users organized. Google Voice syncs with Google Contacts, providing easy access to contact information and enabling quick sharing of documents through Google Drive, facilitating real-time collaboration.

Direct access to Google Voice in Canada is not available, but you can still use Google Voice in Canada by obtaining a U.S. number.

To use the Google Voice, you need a U.S. phone number. This can be obtained through various services that offer virtual U.S. numbers to international users. Calilio can be a great choice for getting the number. Calilio provides a free US number that can be used for communication. You can follow the setup process and different steps to get a free USA phone number that will be used to set up your Google Voice account.

With your U.S. number ready, the next step is to sign up for a Google Voice account. To sign up for a Google Voice account, you first need to create a workspace account. Visit the Google Voice website and sign in with your Google account. Enter your Google account email address and password. If you don’t have a Google account, you will need to create one. Once signed in, you will have to review and accept the Google Voice Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Make sure you read through the documents and click on the “ Continue” button.

Google Voice offers various plans, including higher-tiered options with additional business phone features. Google Voice has several plans, each with features ranging from 10$ USD to 30$ USD. These typically span from basic options for personal use to advanced plans for business environments. These plans include:
 

• Starter: Offers VoIP services for up to 10 users.
• Standard: Provides VoIP features for calls within Canada and the U.S., along with on-demand call recording.
• Premier: Includes automatic call recording and the ability to export your Voice data to BigQuery.

Compare features and costs, and explore trial plans if available. By thoroughly reviewing the available plans and their features, you can select a Google Voice plan that best fits your needs for managing business communications efficiently.

Once you have selected the plan, log in to your Google Voice account using Google credentials. After successfully logging in, you will be directed to the Google Voice setup interface. Here, you can see various options and settings to configure your new service. This includes accessing your account dashboard, managing your phone numbers, and setting up features such as call forwarding, voicemail greetings, and text messaging settings.

After getting a new number, Google Voice will require you to verify your account by entering a 4-digit PIN code sent to your U.S. number. Verifying your account is crucial in ensuring that your Google Voice service is activated correctly and securely linked to your phone number. This step ensures the phone number is valid and connected to your Google Voice account. Enter the PIN code received via SMS or call and click “Verify”.

The Call Routing process allows you to determine how and where your calls will be directed, ensuring you manage your incoming communications effectively. Once your new U.S. number is set up, select the “Call Me Now” option. Google Voice will then route the call to your Canadian phone numbers, utilizing the Express Talk program to ring them. When the call connects, use the dial pad on the Express Talk application to input the confirmation code. This step is crucial to validate your Google Voice number.

After completing the validation process, you’ll be able to use your Google Voice number to make calls. However, it's important to note that free calling is restricted to within the USA. Also, If you don't have a phone number, verifying Google Voice can be more challenging, but there are different ways to verify Google Voice without a phone number by using a temporary number or online services.

In Canada, obtaining a free Google number is not an option. Google Voice services in Canada require a paid Google account to access its features. While Google Voice provides free numbers to users in the United States, Canadian users must subscribe to a paid plan to obtain a virtual number for Google Voice verification. You can get a Google Voice account and access its features by getting the US number from online service providers like Calilio. Almost all Google Voice calls to the US and Canada are free when you call from the US.

A significant limitation of Google Voice in Canada is its inability to provide local Canadian phone numbers, which affects businesses aiming to establish a local presence. It also lacks advanced features and doesn’t offer a toll-free number, which can be a drawback for businesses.

Google Voice may not offer all the advanced features needed for comprehensive business communication in Canada. One of the main drawbacks is that Google Voice operates without a logical interface, meaning it directs all text messages and voicemails, including phone calls, to separate inboxes. Moreover, the free version of Google Voice does not support ring groups, essential for collaborative environments. Additionally, Google Voice provides limited customer support, as Google is a big company, and one-to-one support is not offered when Google Voice is not working.

Furthermore, advanced features like call analytics, detailed reporting, and extensive customization options are not as robust as those offered by other business communication platforms.

A toll-free number makes it easy for customers, regardless of long-distance calling costs. Voice doesn’t provide toll-free numbers, which could be a limitation for businesses seeking to offer a toll-free point of contact. Without a toll-free number, businesses using Google Voice may find it challenging to compete with those that offer this convenience. Moreover, toll-free numbers are a standard feature in many business communication systems, including services like Calilio, RingCentral, and Nextiva, which provide comprehensive packages that include toll-free- numbers as a part of their plans.

The inability to offer toll-free numbers through Google Voice represents a notable disadvantage, particularly for businesses aiming to maintain high levels of customer accessibility and service.

In Canada, text messages cannot be sent or received using Google Voice, as text messaging capabilities are restricted to U.S. numbers only. This limitation significantly affects Canadian users who need to communicate via text. With 60% of customers actively reaching out to businesses over text, this restriction creates a communication gap between businesses and their clients and among team members. Texting is crucial for quick, effective communication, and its absence can hinder collaboration and responsiveness within a team.

Additionally, unlimited messaging is confined to the United States and is only available for Google Voice accounts linked to a Google Workspace. This limitation highlights a significant drawback of using Google Voice for communication in Canada.

Integration with Canadian telecom providers is limited, which can affect the seamless operation of Google Voice services. Unlike in the United States, where Google Voice can easily integrate with various telecom services, Canadian users face challenges due to a lack of support from local providers. This limitation means that features like call forwarding, number porting, and SMS functionality may not work as smoothly or be available at all. As a result, users might experience disruptions in their communication flow.

Furthermore, a lack of integration can lead to higher international calls and messages costs, as users can’t take advantage of local telecom rates. The limited integration with Canadian telecom providers diminishes the practicality and efficiency of using Google Voice in Canada.
 

Upgrade to Calilio and experience a full-featured business phone system without limitations.

Google Voice is an effective tool for Canadian businesses, particularly those with international communication requirements. Its advanced call management, seamless integration with Google Workspace, and scalability make it suitable for expanding businesses. However, it has notable limitations, such as a lack of local Canadian numbers, absence of toll-free numbers, and restricted texting capabilities, which can hinder businesses needing a more localized and comprehensive solution.

In contrast, Calilio emerges as a comprehensive business communication as it addresses these limitations of Google Voice, offering a modern solution with features like AI-powered call summary, a Unified Callbox, Call Notes & Tags, and Internal Messages. Calilio’s VoIP technology enhances business productivity through seamless communication, providing a more accessible and cost-effective alternative. This makes Calilio an ideal choice for businesses aiming to improve their global presence and streamline communication processes. It offers a more versatile and efficient alternative to Google Voice.

Yes, you can port a Canadian number to Google Voice. Porting a Canadian number to Google Voice retains your contact number and provides unified communication with features like spam filtering, call monitoring, and scalability, enhancing overall efficiency.

You can’t text a number in Canada using Google Voice, as its text messaging capabilities are restricted to U.S. numbers only.

Calilio, Skype, Slack, Zoom, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal are different alternatives to Google Voice in Canada. Additionally, you can consider VoIP services like Vonage, RingCentral, 8x8, and Ooma.