Is there a way to transfer to Google Fi and preserve old phone numbers?

October 30, 2019 12:33 PM

I would like to transfer from my current cell phone plan to Google Fi, for cellular service. I currently have a phone number from my carrier that I use with a lot of people, and an additional Google Voice number that I use with a lot of people. Is there a way to move to Google Fi, while keeping both my old phone number, and my Google Voice number active?

My current phone plan is Metro PCS and I have a phone number with them that I use with a lot of people. I also have a Google Voice phone number that I use with a lot of people. Based on their website, they seem to be saying that I need to keep either my current number, or my Google Voice number, but I can't have both. Are there any creative ways to get around this?

One idea I have is to buy a cheap phone at Target that has pre-paid text messaging/minutes, but no plan attached to it. Then I can transfer my Google Voice number to that phone. Then I can use my main phone with Google Fi, and keep my Google Voice account active on a burner phone. Would that work?

If it matters, I have multiple phones, and multiple google accounts, but only one cellular plan, and I am hoping that there is a way to preserve the old google voice account and number, while also transitioning my current Metro PCS phone number to a Google Voice account. I would prefer to minimize expenses, but I can pay money in order to keep both phone numbers active.

Is there some way to do that? Thanks!

posted by andoatnp to Technology (4 answers total)

One idea might be to have two lines on Google Fi. It would be an extra $15 a month for a second line, but I would imagine you can port the PCS number to Fi for the second line and maintain them that way.
posted by jzb at 12:40 PM on October 30, 2019

$15 a month is a little more than I would like to spend, but it is one idea for me to consider.
posted by andoatnp at 1:11 PM on October 30, 2019

From the link it sounds like the issue is there can only be one phone number per google account, but you can definitely have more than one google account on a single phone, I have my work account set up as a secondary.

That link says you can transfer your google voice number to another account for free, so maybe set up a new gmail address and then transfer your voice number to that. I already have a burner second email for spam so I would probably move my voice number to that account if I had this issue. If you do this you can definitely use your Google Voice number from desktop, I don't know if you'd be able to use it from your phone or if it would get confused
posted by JZig at 2:02 PM on October 30, 2019

I asked Google. This is the response, lightly edited for space and privacy:

[e-mail]
Wed, Apr 17

I understand that you would like to port in your #Carrier number to Fi and keep the Google voice number for voicemail purpose. I'll definitely help you with that. I'm glad to inform that you could definitely transfer your active #Carrier number over to Google Fi.

Google Voice and Google Fi cannot be linked with the same email address(emphasis added), you have a couple options in order to fulfill your requirements:

Sign up for Google Fi with a Google Account that’s not linked to your Google Voice number.
(OR)
Link your existing Google Voice number to a different Google Account before you sign up for Google Fi.

While signing up for Fi, you will see an option to "Bring your own number". Please chose it and follow the on-screen instructions.

The info you need to give depends on the carrier, but you can see our overview on what's needed for each carrier.

Full phone number
Name of the account owner
Account number from your current carrier—You can find this on your last bill.
Account PIN or passcode—Some carriers require this information to verify that you own the number. We’ll use this info for the transfer only. We won’t store or use it for any other purpose.
Last four digits of the social security number (for some carriers)

Note: Mobile carriers usually take 15 min - 24 hours to finish the port.

Once the transfer has completed, you'll receive a notification on your phone. From there, you'll need to open the Google Fi app on your phone to complete the port and activate the new number.
posted by theora55 at 6:40 PM on October 30, 2019