As one of the biggest companies in the world, Google is always looking at ways to evolve and offer its customers new technology and new apps.
In recent years, one addition Google has made to its services is in recent years is ‘Google Voice‘, which gives users a free mobile number in additional to their existing phone number. But what exactly is a Google voice subscriber, and why do we get so many mobile phone calls from them?
What is a Google subscriber phone number? In a nutshell
Google Voice is typically used by businesses as a way to get a free phone number instead of paying for an additional one.
Or, some people may just want a separate phone number to use to sign up to things to avoid their main phone being spammed with unwanted text messages from various companies and apps. Either way, ‘google subscriber phone numbers’ have become more and more common.
A Google Subscriber phone number is the name of the number given to anyone who uses Google Voice. As a holder of a Google subscriber phone number you are able to use this number to make and receive calls, send and receive text messages and send or receive voicemails.
As mentioned earlier, a lot of Google Voice account holders are businesses so if you have received a missed call from a ‘Google subscriber phone number’ the odds are that it’s a business ringing you to try and sell you something.
Google will never directly contract you on a Google subscriber number so if you do receive a call from one and answer it and it’s someone claiming to be Google, then whatever you do don’t give out any personal or banking information and end the call immediately.
How to get a Google subscriber phone number
If after reading what it’s all about you think that a Google subscriber number could be of use to you then you will need to take the following steps in order to obtain one:
You can sign up for Google Voice and get your subscriber number using the following steps:
- Go to voice.google.com from your computer and sign in to your Google account. If you haven’t currently got a Google account then follow the on screen instructions to sign up to one. You can either create a brand new email address or use an existing one.
- Once logged in, review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and then select ‘continue’.
- Search by area code or city for a number. It’s important to select the correct area here, especially if you are planning on using the number for a local business.
- From here, you are free to select any of the available numbers that appear.
If you ever forget what your Google voice number is then it is really easy to find it.
Simply log back in to your account on voice.google.com using your Google account credentials and your Google voice number will be staring at your in the face on the top of the home screen after login. It is a ten digit number and is presented in bold font.
How to trace a Google subscriber phone number
If you are searching for more information on Google subscriber phone numbers because you are getting harassed by one and want to find out who it is and why they’re calling then we have a couple of suggestions for you:
- Go to Google.com and type in the phone number that’s been calling you. If other people have experience of the same number then you may find the answers you’re looking for.
- Use a directory such as AnyWho or WhitePages to search for the number.
- Block the number directly through your phone to stop the calls altogether.
Who can use Google voice?
At this moment in time only people from the United States of America and Canada are able to sign up to and use Google voice.
Therefore, if you are receiving spam calls from a Google Subscriber number then you can be certain that the person contacting you is from one of those two countries.
Google have stated that they are hoping to bring Google voice to the international market in the coming years, though it isn’t quite available yet.
Is there a Google subscriber number scam?
As with anything, scammers have found a way to use the Google Voice app for fraudulent activity.
Yes, Google Voice numbers can be used as spam, and that may be the reason you end up getting a random text out of the blue (in a similar fashion to receiving a verification code without requesting it).
The scammer hijacks a Voice number and adds your mobile number to the service, then asks you to send them your number as a verification (this is often used on eBay and other marketplaces).
When you verify the number, they then use the Voice number for various different unlawful activities.
It’s not that common, and there are a lot of reasons why Google Voice numbers are a great idea – just something to be wary of.
Conclusion
To conclude, a Google subscriber number is the name given to the phone number given to Google voice users. This is an additional phone number which users can use to text, call and leave voicemails to any other phone number in the world.
We hope that through this article you have gained a greater understanding of a Google subscriber number is and how to obtain one should you want one. They can be extremely useful for international calls, so it’s worth looking into to see whether you should, or even can, get one.
We also hope that if you are receiving spam calls from a Google subscriber number then you now know a few steps available to you which could stop you from receiving them.
