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Forwarding a Google Voice Number

Google Voice needs to verify your Voka AI number before it will forward calls to it — and it does that by calling the number and reading a code out loud. This guide walks through getting past that step, plus the two Google settings you must change afterwards.

Why Google Voice Needs Its Own Guide​

Most phone providers let you type in a forwarding destination and save it. Google Voice doesn't. It treats your Voka AI number as a linked number, and every linked number has to be verified first.

Verification works like this:

  1. Google shows a 6-digit code on your screen
  2. Google calls the number you're linking
  3. An automated voice reads the code aloud
  4. You type that code back into the Google Voice page

That's designed for a human sitting by the phone with a pen. Your Voka AI number is answered by your assistant — so the code gets read to your assistant instead of to you.

This works in your favour

Your assistant records and transcribes every call it answers. When Google reads the code, your assistant captures it — and you can read it straight out of your call log. No special setup, no temporary changes to your account.

Before You Start​

You'll need:

  • Your Voka AI phone number (Dashboard → Phone Numbers)
  • Access to your Google Voice account at voice.google.com
  • Your Voka AI dashboard open in a second browser tab at voice.vokaai.com — you'll be reading the code from here, and codes expire quickly
Don't pause your assistant

It's tempting to take the assistant off the number first so a person can answer the verification call. Don't. The assistant answering is exactly what makes this work — it's what captures the code for you.

Step 1: Start the Linked Number Flow​

  1. Go to voice.google.com
  2. Click Settings (gear icon)
  3. Find Phone numbers (called Linked numbers in some versions)
  4. Click New linked number
  5. Enter your Voka AI phone number
  6. If Google offers a choice, pick Verify by phone call rather than by text

Google will display a 6-digit code on screen and place the call.

Screenshot Needed

Screenshot ID: GV-001 Filename: GV-001_new-linked-number.png Description: Google Voice settings with "New linked number" and the on-screen verification code Status: 🔴 Not started

Toll-free numbers won't work

Google Voice won't link a toll-free number. If your Voka AI number is toll-free, you'll need a local number for this — see Purchasing a Number.

Step 2: Let Your Assistant Answer​

Nothing to do here — just don't interfere.

Your assistant picks up, gives its normal greeting, and Google's automated voice reads the code. The whole call takes about 35 seconds, and Google hangs up on its own.

The verification call usually comes from a Washington DC (+1 202) number. That's normal — it's Google's verification line, not a spam call.

Step 3: Read the Code From Your Call Log​

  1. In your Voka AI dashboard, go to Call Logs
  2. Open the call that just came in from the +1 202 number
  3. Read the transcript

You'll see something close to this:

Assistant: Hi, you've reached [Your Business], how can I help you today?

Caller: Thank you for using Google phone verification. Remember, you should
not share this code with anyone else, and no one from Google will ever ask
for this code. Your code is four two nine one seven three. Again, your code
is four two nine one seven three. Goodbye.
The code is spelled out in words, not digits

Google's voice reads the code one digit at a time, so the transcript says "four two nine one seven three" — not 429173. Searching your transcript for a 6-digit number will find nothing. Read the words and write down the digits.

If the transcript only shows your greeting​

Sometimes the transcript captures the greeting but not Google's message. This is common and it does not mean anything is broken — the call still connected, and the code was still spoken.

Two things to try, in order:

  1. Play the call recording. Open the same call and listen. The audio often has the code even when the transcript missed it.
  2. Request a new code. Back in Google Voice, ask it to call again. Each attempt is independent, so a second or third call frequently captures cleanly.
Plan on more than one attempt

Treat this as normal, not as a failure. Have Google send another code and check the new call log entry. Most people get a usable code within two or three tries.

Step 4: Enter the Code​

Type the six digits into the Google Voice page and confirm. Your Voka AI number should now appear as a linked number.

You're not done yet

A verified linked number is not a working setup. The next two steps decide whether calls actually reach your assistant, and whether it behaves correctly when they do. Skipping them causes problems that look like faults in your assistant.

Step 5: Show the Caller's Number, Not Your Google Voice Number​

This is the single most important setting on this page.

In Google Voice: Settings → Calls → turn off "Show my Google Voice number as caller ID when forwarding calls."

Why it matters so much​

When this setting is on, every forwarded call arrives at your assistant looking like it came from your own Google Voice number — because, technically, it did. Your assistant then can't tell one caller from another. In practice:

  • Returning customers aren't recognised. Your assistant looks up the caller's history and finds nothing, so it greets regulars as strangers.
  • Appointment lookups fail. "I'd like to cancel my appointment" returns no appointments found, even for customers who definitely have one — because it's searching under your Google Voice number, not theirs.
  • Texts go to the wrong phone. Booking links, payment links, and confirmations get sent to your Google Voice number instead of the customer's.

With the setting off, the caller's real number comes through, and all of the above works normally.

This is the #1 cause of "my assistant isn't recognising customers"

If your assistant suddenly can't find anyone's appointments after you set up Google Voice forwarding, check this setting first. It's almost always the cause.

Screenshot Needed

Screenshot ID: GV-002 Filename: GV-002_caller-id-toggle.png Description: Google Voice Settings → Calls, highlighting the caller ID forwarding toggle in the OFF position Status: 🔴 Not started

Step 6: Turn Off Call Screening​

In Google Voice: Settings → Calls → turn Screen Calls off.

With screening on, Google asks whoever answers to press 1 to accept the call. Your AI assistant can't press a key, so the call never connects — it just drops or rolls to Google voicemail, and nothing reaches Voka at all.

Screening affects every device

Turning screening on or off applies to all of your Google Voice devices, not just this one.

Step 7: Decide What Else Rings​

In Google Voice → Settings → Calls → Call forwarding, you'll see every linked device.

  • For full AI coverage: leave only your Voka AI number checked and uncheck your own phones.
  • For overflow or after-hours only: keep your own phone checked as well — but see the warning below.
Simultaneous ringing is a coin flip

Google Voice rings every checked device at the same time and connects whoever answers first. If your cell stays checked, it will sometimes beat the assistant and sometimes lose — which shows up later as "the AI didn't pick up" on random calls. If you want your assistant to answer reliably, uncheck everything else.

Google voicemail still exists

Anything your assistant doesn't answer still lands in Google's voicemail, not in Voka. Decide whether you want that, and check it if so.

Test It End to End​

Don't test from your own phone — Google Voice treats your own numbers differently.

  • From a phone that isn't yours, call your Google Voice number
  • Your assistant answers — no "press 1" prompt, no voicemail
  • In Call Logs, open that call and confirm the caller number shown is the phone you called from, not your Google Voice number
  • Ask the assistant to text you the booking link — confirm it arrives on the phone you called from
  • If you use a booking integration, book a test appointment and confirm it saves against the right customer
The third check is the one people skip

The caller-number check is the only way to catch a misconfigured caller ID setting. Everything else looks perfectly fine right up until a real customer can't find their appointment.

Troubleshooting​

"Google says the number can't be used"​

Google declines some business phone numbers outright. If you hit this:

  • Confirm the number isn't toll-free — those are never accepted
  • Try a local Voka AI number in your own area code
  • If it still fails, porting your Google Voice number removes the need for verification entirely

"Google sent a text instead of calling"​

Google chooses between a text and a call based on how it classifies your number. If a text was sent, contact Voka AI support — we can look up messages received by your number. Or ask Google to verify by phone call instead and use the steps above.

"The code never appears in my transcript"​

Work through these in order:

  1. Check you opened the right call. Look for the ~35-second call from the +1 202 number, not an earlier one.
  2. Play the recording. The transcript can miss the message when the audio is still there.
  3. Request another code. Attempts are independent; the next one often works.
  4. Give it a minute. Transcripts can take a short while to appear after the call ends.

"Verification worked, but calls don't reach my assistant"​

  • Check Screen Calls is off (Step 6) — this is the usual cause
  • Check your Voka AI number is still checked under Call forwarding (Step 7)
  • Confirm the number is Active and assigned to an assistant in your Voka AI dashboard

"My assistant doesn't recognise returning customers"​

Check the caller ID setting in Step 5. This is nearly always the cause.

Should You Port Instead?​

Forwarding through Google Voice works, but it puts an extra service between your customers and your assistant. Every issue on this page — verification, screening, caller ID rewriting, the simultaneous-ring race — exists only because Google sits in the middle.

Google Voice numbers can be transferred out for a small one-time fee. Once your number lives with Voka AI directly:

  • No verification step
  • No caller ID or screening settings to get wrong
  • No extra hop, which means slightly better call quality
  • Customers keep calling the exact same number

See Number Porting if you'd rather do that. Forwarding is a perfectly good bridge in the meantime.

Next Steps​

  1. Test your AI assistant — confirm it handles real calls correctly
  2. Review call analytics — check caller numbers are coming through
  3. Set up integrations — connect your booking system
  4. General call forwarding guide — other providers and after-hours setups

Need Help?​