Google Voice is offering number porting, but in a limited test. But couldn't Google Voice already work with any number? Isn't it easy to transfer numbers? Here's the long and (very) short of how and why you'd port your digits to Google.


The (Very) Short Version




Google Voice, especially with number porting offered, aims to make actual phone numbers irrelevant, and provide you with One Number for everything. If you've got a cell number that everybody knows, and you really, really don't want to change, now that number can be your new One Number. It requires a somewhat awkward step in-between cellular contracts, which is something most of us aren't used to, and a $20 fee. After that, your old number still works, and now every aspect of Voice is available.

The Longer Explainer

The magical "One Number" has been the goal ever since the launch in late 2007 of Google Voice's predecessor, GrandCentral, which was later acquired and incorporated into Google Voice. If you have a phone at home, in the office, and maybe a work-provided BlackBerry and personal cellphone, your Google Voice number is the one you memorize, tell people about, and list on your card. Google Voice does many other cool things, like transcribe your voicemails and send text messages for free, but this One-Number-many-phones service has always been the core utility.


When someone calls that Google Voice number, it rings first at Google's servers, then quickly checked against any rules you've set up in your Voice account—just like how a new message is run through Gmail's uber-essential filters before arriving for you. You might have set your system up so that when Rick from work calls, after 5 p.m. on a Friday, it goes straight to your voicemail, and doesn't ring on any phone. Or, when your son or daughter calls, it rings every phone you have, and emails and texts you with the transcribed message. In that way, individual phone numbers become plug-and-play. If you have to drop your cable company's digital phone, or trade cellular carriers in a hurry without worrying about number porting ("Ooh! Verizon iPhone!"), it shouldn't really matter; just plug the new number into your Voice settings on the web.


Is it difficult "training" people to use just one number for you, and stop calling the old numbers? Yes. But it can be done. Lifehacker's founding editor Gina Trapani and myself have both taken the hard line and only hand out our Google Voice numbers now; other Lifehacker editors have, to some degree, walked most of the way down that path. But we are writers and freelancers, and we are not reliant on other people having our number to call us on.



Some people legitimately need to keep their number working, because lots of people have that number, and they don't want to miss a call from them. Google has previously offered a voicemail-only, halfway solution for them. But at best, it's a wonky, deep-settings change with a nice result, and one misses out on at least half the service's convenience. So for those with phone numbers tied deeply into their daily lives, Google Voice will soon offer the ability to take that number and make it your One Number—and do so right from the Google Voice web site. No need for a condescending conversation with a service rep at your phone carrier.


What about your existing service? From the looks of Google's number porting setup, as it stands today, Google is actively canceling your contract with your carrier from your site, in the same way a cellular service worker can cancel your contract with another service, right from their desk at the store or kiosk. If you're still under contract to that provider, you'll get a bill with an early termination fee (ETF), no doubt. If not, you'll likely lose your cellular service. You can then buy service from another provider, and when they ask if you have a preference for number, tell them you don't. You'd just take whatever number they offer, set it up through Voice, and carry on. Everyone who knew your old number can still call you, except that now you can filter their calls, send them a text message for free through Voice's web/app tools, and otherwise use Voice to its full extent.

Is this all that convenient? Not really. Even if you're on off-contract and going month-to-month with your carrier, most customers like to make a switch from one carrier to another, without any downtime. But if the only thing holding you back from using Voice was the inability to use it fully with a number you can't let go of, you can probably get by in the time between checking the many verification boxes and buttons in the Voice number porting process and driving to a cellular store (or calling to re-activate service on your existing phone/SIM card, if possible).


So that's the scoop on Google Voice number porting, at least as it exists for a small number of Voice users so far. Google may change the process, or hold off a long time before offering it to everyone. In the meantime, does number porting make you more likely to switch over to Voice, or do you shy away from giving Google your most well-known digits?