Google Voice is a service we've loved for a long time, but any Voice user that's honest with themselves knows the service has been a second-class citizen for a while now. If you're feeling like it's time to move on, here's how to ease the transition (and even keep most of your favorite features in the process).
A Note on the Types of Google Voice Accounts
"Google Voice" is a bit of an unclear term because there are actually two types of Google Voice accounts. Anyone can sign up for what's known as a "Lite" account. You can use Google Voice Liteas your voicemail service, which includes features like transcription and personalized greetings. If you only have this type of account, you probably don't need to leave. You can still skip ahead to the features section below to add some cool stuff to your phone.
Full Google Voice accounts, on the other hand, require you to either create or port in a phone number. This allows you to forward calls to different phones, send SMS messages from your desktop or as data from your phone without counting towards your limit, and several other features. Unfortunately, this comes with some pretty crippling compatibility problems (chief among them, no MMS support). If you're in this group, you probably need to change your number or port out your Google Voice number to another line.
How to Port Your Number Out of Google Voice
Whether you ported an old number into Google Voice or you created one natively in the service, you'll need to port your number out to your current wireless carrier. Before you can however, you'll need to unlock it. Google has instructions on how to do that here.
Once you've unlocked your Google Voice number, you can freely port it to your carrier. Your carrier will probably ask for an account number to use for the porting process. The account number is the same as your Google Voice number, so provide that that a second time.
Depending on your carrier, you may need to wait a couple of days for the porting process to fully complete. During this time, you should still be able to use your Google Voice number like normal. Once the process is completed, if you so choose, you can set up Google Voice Lite on your account so you can continue using some of the features you're used to.
A Note on Sprint: Sprint is the only US carrier that allows you to integrate your existing phone number into Google Voice without getting a second line. However, a very small number of people are even using this function. Because of this, some Sprint reps may not have a clear understanding of how Google Voice works. Be sure to triple check with anyone you call before committing to any changes.
How to Keep Some of the Better Features
As we stated earlier, voicemail transcription and personalized greetings are still available with Google Voice Lite, so you don't necessarily need to find new services to keep using these. However, texting and calling from the desktop, as well as call forwarding need some extra services.
Get Desktop SMS with MightyText
One of the best features of Google Voice was the ability to send and receive text messages from your computer. In its absence, MightyText can pick up the slack (and even do a whole lot more). The primary difference between MightyText and Google Voice is that the former uses a client installed on your phone to send and receive texts, so you'll still need your phone on and connected to the internet in order to work.
Start by installing the MightyText Android app on your phone. The service will use your Google account to sync, so log in to your primary account. You can then use either the MightyText Web App, Chrome extension, or you can install the Android app on your tablet to text from any device. You can also send and receive MMS messages, access your contacts, or ring your phone if you've misplaced it.
If you're on iOS, MightyText isn't available, but you can use TextFree from Pinger to send text messages from your computer, or use iMessage to communicate with other iOS users.
Keep Calling From Your Desktop with Gmail or Skype
Google gives Google Voice users the ability to place phone calls from your desktop that still appear to come from the same number. Fortunately, even if you leave Voice, you can still place phone calls directly inside Gmail. In the Hangouts sidebar, click the magnifying glass icon, click the phone icon, and search for the person you want to call. Click their name and a new window will open up with a Hangouts voice call ringing that person's phone.
If you don't want to use Hangouts (or can't because you're outside the US), Skype offers the ability to place phone calls from your desktop, though it also charges for the privilege and requires you to use an assigned number, rather than your actual phone number.
Get One-Number Call Forwarding with Skype
One number for all your phones was by far the biggest promise Google Voice made and, so far, it's still hard to top Google's option in this area. However, it's certainly not the only game in town anymore. Skype allows you to create a phone number that you can use to receive Skype calls, as well as forward them to your mobile phone. Unfortunately, the service isn't free like Google Voice, but it is available in more countries and, since calling is Skype's primary service, it's less likely to disappear any time soon.
Keep Your Voicemail with Google Voice, Or Use YouMail
As we mentioned before, Google Voice still works as a voicemail provider. If you'd like to keep using that, you can. However, if you want to separate from Google entirely, YouMail provides similar functionality for voicemail users. The service provides visual voicemail, allows you to set custom greetings based on who's calling, and selectively block callers.
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