Google Voice is a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone service that was founded in 2009. You can use the service to make and receive phone calls, as well as send text messages. You can also use it to forward calls from one number to another, so you can easily manage all of your communication from your phone. Since Google Voice is a VoIP service, it works solely over the Internet. But that also means that wherever you have an Internet connection, you can access the service and make calls, send text messages, and more. Best of all, you only need a microphone and speaker to use Google Voice, so whether you decide to make and place calls on your laptop or your smartphone, it’ll work just fine. Think of Google Voice as a phone you can bring with you wherever you go and use on any device you want.

When users sign up for Google Voice, they are given one phone number that is connected to them across devices and locations, working with mobile phones, desk phones, work phones, and VoIP lines. This enables users to manage all of their phones with one number, letting users customize what phone will ring based on specific callers. While many of these features are free, some features, like call recording, are only available with paid accounts.