Introduction to Google Voice

As a fellow, you are responsible for contacting students' parents/guardians every two weeks to provide updates on your caseload of students. If you do not wish to use your personal phone number for calling, you can set up a Google Voice number using a Gmail account. Note that Saga accounts cannot be set up for Google Voice, so you will have to use a personal account. If you do not have a personal Gmail account, please refer to this guide and set one up.

• Setting up Google Voice
• Using Google Voice

Setting up Google Voice

On web browser

1. Go to the Google Voice page. Click "Sign in" on the top right corner.

2. Choose your personal Gmail account if you have signed into it on your device, or click "Use another account" to sign in. Do NOT use your Saga account for Google Voice.

3. After signing in, you should have a welcoming page on the browser. If you do not see the welcoming page, click "Sign in" again and you'll be taken to the page.

4. Next, you will be prompted to select a Google Voice number. Type a city or an area code you desire in the text box, then choose a number from the available options. If no option is available for the city/area code you type, change it to somewhere else. Note that you must have a working US phone number in order to use Google Voice.

5. After selecting a phone number, you will be asked to verify. This is when you will need your phone number. Click "Verify".

6. Enter your phone number, then click "Send code".

7. Enter the code you receive via text messages and click "Verify".

8. You will get a message that says your phone number is linked to your Google Voice account. Click "Finish". You will get another message that confirms the number you have chosen is yours now. Click "Finish" again.

Your Google Voice account is ready to use now. You should be able to make calls and text messages using Google Voice. Follow the steps below of you want to use Google Voice on your mobile device as well.

On mobile device

1. You can download Google Voice as an app on your mobile device. To get the app, search for "Google Voice" on the Apple App Store for iOS, or the Google Playstore for Android. You can also click the links below:
   • Apple App Store for iOS
   • Google Playstore for Android

2. After installation, open the app and sign in with the account you used to set up Google Voice. If the account is not selected already, click the down arrow on the right, then select the correct account on the list or use "Add another account" to sign in to the correct account. Again, please do NOT use your Saga account.

3. After signing in, you will be prompted to choose your current phone number. If you have linked your phone number when you set Google Voice up already, it should be on the list, and you can just click "Skip". If no number is on the list, please select "Add number" and follow the on-screen prompts.

4. Next, you may see a bunch of pop-ups on your screen asking for access to certain things (microphone, notifications, contacts, etc.). Make sure you select "Allow" for Microphone! For other access rights, you can choose by your preferences.

Your mobile device is set up for Google Voice now. You should be able to make calls and text messages on the app.

Using Google Voice

In this section, a few main functionalities of Google Voice will be covered.

• Making a call
• Sending a text message
• Saving a contact

Making a call

On web browser

1. On the Google Voice page, there is a keypad on the right. Enter the phone number you wish to call in the text box, then click the phone icon to dial.

2. This is how it looks like when you are in a call, which should be very similar to what you usually see on your phone. To hang up, click the red icon at the bottom.

On mobile device

1. On the Google Voice app, click on the keypad icon at the bottom right.

2. A keypad should pop up for you to type the phone number you wish to dial. Enter a phone number and click the green icon to dial.

3. The calling screen should look about the same as the one you see on the web page. To hang up, click the red icon at the bottom.

Sending a text message

On web browser

1. On the Google Voice page, there is a navigation panel on the left. Click on the second icon to open up the text messages.

2. To send a new message, click on "Send new message". You will see a space for messaging in the middle of the page.

3. Enter the phone number you wish to send text messages in the text box on the top, then click the pop-up to confirm the number. Type the message at the bottom and click the arrow to send when you are done.

On mobile device

1. On the app, click on the text bubble icon to open up Messages, then click on the pen icon to compose a new message.

2. Enter the phone number you wish to send text messages in the text box on the top, then type the message at the bottom and click the arrow to send when you are done.

Saving a contact

1. After you have called a number, the record should show on the left of the web page. Click on the number you wish to add as a contact, then click on the three dots in the upper right corner.

2. In the pop-up list, select "People". Then click on the add contact icon next to the phone number.

3. On the pop-up window, type in the contact name you wish to use, then click "Add".

4. If you don't see your record with the updated contact name, refresh the page and you should see the contact name being used.

After adding the contact on the web page, the contact name should show up on the mobile app as well if you are using one.

Google Voice comes with a lot of additional features. For things that are not covered here, please utilize the Google Voice Help Center, or feel free to reach out to IT by emailing: helpdesk@saga.org. You can also ask in the #help channels on Slack.