Honestly, the phrase "getting a second phone number" used to sound like something only sketchy private investigators or high-stakes corporate whistleblowers did. Not anymore. Now, if you’re selling an old bike on Craigslist or running a side hustle from your kitchen table, giving out your personal cell digits feels… risky. Or just annoying.
You’ve probably heard of Google Voice. It’s the go-to answer for anyone wondering how do I make a google phone number without paying a massive monthly bill to a telecom giant. But here is the thing: while the signup looks easy on paper, people trip over the requirements constantly. You can’t just click a button and have a working number in five seconds if you don't have the right "anchor" line.
The Reality of Getting Your Number
Google Voice isn’t a standalone phone service in the way Verizon or AT&T is. It’s a "voice over internet protocol" (VoIP) service that acts like a smart wrapper for your existing devices.
To start, you need a personal Google account. Workspace accounts—the ones you use for work with a custom domain—often have this feature disabled by the admin, so stick to your @gmail.com address for a free personal number. You’ll head over to the Google Voice website or download the app on iOS or Android.
Once you’re in, the system asks you to pick a city or area code. This is where people get picky. Maybe you live in NYC but want a Los Angeles area code to look "Hollywood." You can search by city or zip code. If your preferred city is full, you’re out of luck; Google doesn’t just "make" new numbers on a whim. They have a finite pool.
Here is the part that catches everyone off guard: you must verify your account with a real, existing U.S. phone number.
Google does this to stop bots from harvesting thousands of numbers for spam. You can’t use another VoIP number (like Talkatone or Skype) to verify a Google Voice number. It has to be a "real" mobile or landline number. Once you enter that number, Google sends you a six-digit code. You type that in, and suddenly, the digital heavens open up. Your new number is linked.
Why Your Location and Device Actually Matter
If you’re sitting in a cafe in London or Toronto wondering how do I make a google phone number, I have bad news.
Google Voice (the free version) is strictly for people physically located in the United States. Even if you have a VPN, the system is notoriously good at sniffing out non-U.S. residents during the verification phase because of that "linked number" requirement. If your linked number isn't from a U.S. carrier, the process stops dead.
There is a workaround for businesses through Google Workspace, which has expanded into places like Canada, the UK, and parts of Europe, but that costs money. Monthly fees. Tiers. Support tickets. For the free version, it’s a U.S. game.
What happens after you get the number?
You get to decide how the calls behave. This is the "magic" part. You can set it so that when someone calls your Google number, your actual cell phone rings, your computer rings, and your tablet rings—all at once. Or, you can set "Do Not Disturb" hours so your business line goes straight to voicemail after 6:00 PM while your friends can still reach your personal line.
Porting: The "Permanent" Move
Sometimes you don't want a new number. You want your old number to become a Google number.
Maybe you’re moving abroad for a year and want to keep your childhood cell number without paying $70 a month to keep the line active. You can port your mobile number to Google Voice. It costs a one-time fee of $20.
It’s a bit of a process. You have to get your account number and PIN from your current carrier. Once the port goes through, your mobile contract with that carrier is usually canceled automatically. You’ll then have that number "parked" in Google’s cloud forever (or as long as the service exists). You can still send texts and take calls via data or Wi-Fi.
The "Spam" Problem Nobody Mentions
Let’s be real for a second. Because Google Voice numbers are free, they are sometimes recycled.
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You might get your brand new number, feel all professional, and then receive a text at 3:00 AM asking "Is Big Tony there?" or a call from a collection agency looking for a guy named Steve who had your number in 2023. It happens.
The good news is that Google’s spam filtering is world-class. It’s the same tech that keeps your Gmail inbox clean. You can block individual numbers with one tap, and they’ll never even know they’re blocked—they just hear a "this number is no longer in service" recording.
Technical Requirements for 2026
To keep things running smoothly, you need to check your app version. Google has been aggressive about sunsetting older versions of the Voice app. If you’re on an iPhone from 2018, you might struggle.
- Mobile: iOS 14+ or Android 8.0+.
- Web: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. (Sorry, Opera users sometimes see glitches with the dialer).
- Data: You need a stable connection. VoIP eats very little data—about 0.2 MB per minute—but jittery Wi-Fi will make you sound like a robot underwater.
Avoiding the "Reclamation" Trap
This is the most important "pro tip" I can give you.
Google is a bit of a digital landlord. If you don't use your number, they take it back. If you go six months without sending a text or making an outgoing call, Google will send you an email warning you that your number is "expiring." If you ignore that email, the number goes back into the pool for someone else to claim.
To keep it, you just have to use it. Send one text a month. Call your voicemail. Anything to show the system you’re still alive.
Actionable Steps to Get Started Now
If you are ready to stop giving your personal digits to every random web form, here is your path forward:
- Check your Gmail: Ensure you are logged into the account you want associated with this number forever. Moving a number between Google accounts later is a headache.
- Verify your "Anchor": Have your actual cell phone nearby and turned on. You cannot do this with a "dead" phone or a deactivated SIM card.
- Search Broadly: If your specific city isn't available, search for the area code next to it. Most people don't care if your number is from a suburb instead of the city center.
- Download the App: Don't just rely on the browser. The mobile app handles "shadow numbers"—the backend tech that allows your phone to make calls using your Google ID—much better than the mobile web interface.
- Record a Custom Greeting: Don't use the robotic default. It screams "this is a fake burner phone." Record a 5-second professional greeting to give your new line some legitimacy.
By following these steps, you’ll have a fully functional, separate line for zero dollars. It’s one of the few things left on the internet that is genuinely useful without a hidden subscription model buried in the fine print.