Can you assign Google Voice to a group?

Google Voice is a virtual phone number service from Google that provides call forwarding, voicemail transcription, and other features. One commonly asked question is whether you can assign a Google Voice number to a group, allowing multiple people to receive calls and messages to the same number.

The quick answer is yes, you can assign a Google Voice number to multiple users through Groups in Google Voice. This allows a group of people, like a family, small business, or organization, to share a phone number and manage it collaboratively.

What are Google Voice Groups?

Google Voice Groups allow multiple Google accounts to share one Google Voice number. All group members can receive calls and text messages sent to the shared number.

Here are some key things to know about Google Voice Groups:

Groups can have up to 6 members.
The group owner manages the group settings and invites members.

All incoming calls ring through to each member’s linked phone.
Voicemail transcripts are sent to all group members.
Outgoing calls display the group’s Caller ID.

Google Voice Groups provide a convenient way for small teams, households, and organizations to consolidate communication channels under one shared number.

How to assign a Google Voice number to a group

Assigning a Google Voice number to a group is straightforward for the group owner. Here are the steps:

Go to voice.google.com and login to your Google Voice account.

Click on the menu icon and select “Groups”.
Click the “Create new group” button.
Enter a name for your group.

Select a Google Voice number to assign to the group.
Enter the email addresses of the members you want to invite.
Click “Create” to make the group.

Once created, group members will receive an email invite. They can accept the invite to join the group and gain access to the shared Google Voice number.

As the group owner, you can manage members, permissions, and settings through the Google Voice dashboard. Members have options to customize call and message forwarding to their linked devices.

Managing group members

The owner of a Google Voice group has control over managing members. From the Groups tab in Google Voice, owners can:

See all members of a group.
Invite new members via email.
Revoke membership to remove members.

Change permissions between owner, manager, and member.
Change the name assigned to each member.

Group owners can assign roles like this:

Owner – Has full control over the group and its settings.
Manager – Can change group settings and manage members.
Member – Can only use the shared number but not change settings.

It’s a good idea to have at least two group owners in case the primary owner needs to step away. Owners can easily switch another member’s role to manager or owner any time as needed.

Using the shared Google Voice number

All group members can use the shared Google Voice number to place and receive calls and messages.

Here are some things members can do:

Place outgoing calls – These will display the group’s caller ID.
Receive incoming calls – These will ring linked devices based on individual forwarding settings.
Get voicemail transcripts – Sent to each member’s email.

Send and receive texts – Viewed in the group conversation thread.
Customize greetings and settings – Some individual customization is available.

Group members can control call and message forwarding to their personal devices. Options include:

Forward calls to linked landlines, mobiles, and VoIP lines.
Get voicemail through Google Voice or as email transcripts.
Enable Do Not Disturb when needed.

Personalize text message delivery over mobile or Hangouts.

This gives each member flexibility while sharing the main group number.

Use cases for Google Voice groups

Google Voice groups offer great benefits for:

Families

Families can share one number to reach any family member. Parents can give the group number to kids for emergency use. Family voicemails are shared with all members.

Roommates

Housemates can use a group number for their home without needing to forward calls. Each roommate gets transcripts of voicemails to the house number.

Small businesses

Companies with under 6 employees can establish a group line for their business. Co-workers can all view texts and voicemails sent to the number.

Groups and clubs

Organizations like school clubs, sports teams, and volunteer groups can use a group number to coordinate between members.

Travel groups

People traveling together can stay in touch using a Google Voice group for the trip duration. The shared number makes coordinating easy.

Benefits of Google Voice groups

There are many benefits to using Google Voice groups:

Centralized communication – Voicemails, calls, and texts go to everyone.
Flexibility – Members can control individual forwarding to personal devices.
No new hardware – Uses existing phones, just new software configuration.

Transcribed voicemail – Reads voicemails so users don’t have to listen.
Spam protection – Google Voice screens robocalls and spam.
Call recording – members can record incoming calls for reference.

Online management – Easy to control via web dashboard.
Free service – Google Voice is free, only normal phone charges apply.

The collaborative nature makes Google Voice groups very useful for any situation where shared communication is beneficial.

Limitations of Google Voice groups

While useful, Google Voice groups do have some limitations:

Groups capped at 6 members maximum.
No conference calling feature.

No video calling support.
Members need Google accounts and Google Voice set up.
Only available in the U.S. and Canada currently.

Does not offer live call transfer between members.
Promotional offers sometimes restricted to primary owner.

For larger organizations and advanced call routing needs, a business VoIP solution may be better than Google Voice groups. But for most small use cases, a Google Voice group offers plenty of helpful collaboration features.

Conclusion

Google Voice groups allow up to 6 people to share one Google Voice phone number. A group owner can invite members, manage permissions, and control settings. All members of a Google Voice group can place calls, send texts, and receive voicemails using the shared virtual number.

Key benefits include centralized messaging, individual device forwarding control, voicemail transcripts, call recording, and easy online management. While some limitations exist, Google Voice groups provide an excellent free way for families, roommates, small businesses, travel groups, and clubs to better coordinate through a common number.