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How to Forward Calls from Google Voice to Ringing.io

Google Voice is already a forwarder — the cleanest setup is to add your Ringing.io number as a linked phone or build a custom forwarding rule from voice.google.com.

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Google Voice is itself a call-forwarding product, so the practical question is: do you want Ringing.io to ring alongside your existing linked phones (parallel) or to handle everything (replace your linked phones)? Both are configured at voice.google.com — there are no dialer star codes.

1

Forward every Google Voice call to Ringing.io

Add your Ringing.io number as the only linked number, so every incoming Google Voice call rings Ringing.io and your AI receptionist picks up.

When to use this: You want Google Voice to act purely as a public-facing number and have Ringing.io answer 100% of inbound calls.
  1. 1

    Open Google Voice on a computer

    Go to voice.google.com and sign in with the Google account that owns your Google Voice number.

  2. 2

    Open Settings

    Click the gear icon in the top-right corner to open Settings.

  3. 3

    Add your Ringing.io number as a linked number

    In the left menu, click Account. Under "Linked numbers", click "New linked number" and enter your full 10-digit Ringing.io number.

  4. 4

    Verify the number

    Google will ask to verify. Choose "Verify by phone", then click "Call". Google calls your Ringing.io number and reads out a 6-digit code. Pick the call up in your Ringing.io dashboard (or in the AI receptionist transcript) and enter the code in the Google Voice popup. If your AI receptionist will not pass through DTMF reliably, temporarily forward your Ringing.io number to a personal phone for the 60 seconds it takes to verify.

  5. 5

    Remove every other linked number

    Still on the Linked numbers screen, click the X next to any other forwarding phones (your cell, desk phone, etc). Only Ringing.io should remain.

  6. 6

    Enable call forwarding to linked numbers

    In Settings, open the Calls tab and confirm "Incoming calls" is set to ring your linked numbers (the default). Save.

  7. 7

    Test it

    Call your Google Voice number from another phone. It should ring through to Ringing.io within a few seconds and the AI receptionist should answer.

How to undo: In Settings > Account > Linked numbers, click X next to the Ringing.io number and re-add your personal phones. Calls will resume ringing your other devices.

Note: Google Voice allows up to 6 linked numbers and will not accept a number that has already been linked to a different Google Voice account. If verification fails, double-check that your Ringing.io number is not linked elsewhere.

2

Ring your phone and Ringing.io at the same time

Keep your existing linked phones and add Ringing.io alongside them so the AI receptionist answers if you do not pick up first.

When to use this: You want to take calls live whenever you can, but never miss one. Whichever device answers first wins — typically you on your cell, otherwise the AI.
  1. 1

    Open Google Voice settings

    Go to voice.google.com, click the gear icon, then click Account in the left menu.

  2. 2

    Add Ringing.io as an additional linked number

    Under "Linked numbers", click "New linked number", enter your Ringing.io number, and complete the phone-call verification (see scenario 1 for the verification trick).

  3. 3

    Leave your other linked numbers in place

    Do not remove your existing forwarding phones. Google Voice will now ring all linked numbers simultaneously when a call arrives.

  4. 4

    Tune the answer behavior in Ringing.io

    In Ringing.io, set your AI receptionist to wait a few extra seconds before picking up (if available) so you get a real chance to grab the call on your cell first. Whoever answers first connects — the other phones stop ringing.

How to undo: Go to Settings > Account > Linked numbers and click X next to the Ringing.io entry. Your other linked phones will continue to ring normally.

3

Forward only specific contacts (custom call forwarding rule)

Use Google Voice's native rule engine to route calls from a particular contact or group to Ringing.io.

When to use this: You want personal contacts to ring your cell as usual, but business contacts (or numbers not in your address book) to go to the AI receptionist.
  1. 1

    Open Google Voice on a computer

    Go to voice.google.com and click the gear icon to open Settings.

  2. 2

    Open Calls > Custom call forwarding

    In the left menu click Calls, scroll to "Custom call forwarding", and click "Create a rule".

  3. 3

    Choose the contact or group

    In the search field, add the specific contacts (or contact group) you want to apply this rule to. To route everyone who is not in your contacts, create a group for unknown callers and select it here.

  4. 4

    Set the action to "Forward calls"

    Under "Take the following action", choose "Forward calls" and select your Ringing.io number (which you added as a linked number first).

  5. 5

    Save the rule

    Click Save. The rule takes effect immediately for matching incoming calls.

How to undo: Go back to Settings > Calls > Custom call forwarding > Manage rules. Click the More actions menu on the rule and choose Delete.

Note: Google Voice does not support time-of-day schedules natively for forwarding rules — rules are matched on contact, not on time. To get business-hours behavior, configure business hours inside Ringing.io and route all calls through Ringing.io.

Official Google Voice documentation

Provider settings change over time. If something on this page does not match what you see on Google Voice, the official sources below are the source of truth.

Frequently asked questions

Does Google Voice support time-of-day call forwarding schedules?

Not natively. Google Voice forwarding rules are matched on contact or contact group, not on time of day. To run a business-hours schedule, configure business hours inside Ringing.io and have Google Voice forward to Ringing.io — Ringing.io then handles the in-hours vs after-hours routing.

How do I verify a Ringing.io number as a linked Google Voice phone?

When prompted, choose "Verify by phone" (the call-based option) rather than the SMS option. Google places a call to your Ringing.io number and reads a 6-digit code. You can grab that code from the AI receptionist transcript in your Ringing.io dashboard, or temporarily route your Ringing.io number to a personal phone for the 60-second verification window.

Can I forward only the calls I miss to Ringing.io?

Indirectly — Google Voice does not expose a "forward on no-answer" toggle the way mobile carriers do. The closest behavior is to add Ringing.io as a linked number and tune its ring delay so your cell rings first. Whoever answers first connects; if no one picks up before the timeout, Google Voice goes to its own voicemail.

Will my Google Voice voicemail still trigger if Ringing.io is linked?

It can, depending on which side answers first. If Ringing.io picks up before your other linked phones, the call connects to the AI receptionist and Google Voice voicemail is bypassed. If Google Voice times out before Ringing.io answers, the call drops to Google Voice voicemail. To force Ringing.io to always win, remove all other linked phones.

Will SMS to my Google Voice number be forwarded to Ringing.io?

No. Google Voice call forwarding only handles voice calls. SMS and MMS continue to land in your Google Voice inbox at voice.google.com and any Google Voice app you have configured.

Does Google Voice charge for linking or forwarding to Ringing.io?

Personal Google Voice accounts do not charge for forwarding to a US number. Google Workspace Voice plans include forwarding within the US as well — check your Workspace plan for any per-minute fees on international forwarding (Ringing.io provides a US number, so this typically does not apply).

Why does Google Voice keep ringing my old phone after I added Ringing.io?

Google Voice rings every linked number simultaneously by default. If you want only Ringing.io to ring, go to Settings > Account > Linked numbers and remove the other phones. If you want both to ring, leave them — whichever answers first takes the call.

Don't have a Ringing.io number yet?

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Last verified against Google Voice's official documentation: 2026-05-20. Provider procedures change over time — if this guide is out of date, email support@ringing.io and we will refresh it.