Is there a Google Voice API available?

Are your reps wasting time switching between platforms? Are you sick and tired of keeping 10+ tabs open? Then it might be time to integrate your business phone system with the tools and workflows you already use.

The good news is all you need is an API. It’s the easiest way to connect your tech stack to sync information between them.

The bad news is not all VoIP providers offer APIs — even world-famous platforms like Google Voice.

This guide covers everything you should know about Google Voice’s API limitations (plus 12 other limitations) so you know what to expect. And if you’re looking for a phone system that offers an API on the base plan, we’ll provide a Google Voice alternative at the bottom of the guide.

Is there a Google Voice API?

As mentioned above, Google Voice doesn’t have an API, which means you can’t connect with outside tools other than a handful of apps ( read on, as we’ll cover this below).

Using any workaround, even for sending automated messages, violates the Google Voice Acceptable Use Policy and Google Workspace Service-Specific Terms.

This applies to any version of Google Voice you’re using. Whether you’ve got the free version for personal use or are paying for a business plan (aka Google Voice for Google Workspace), you won’t be able to automate any text messages or have access to an API.

Unfortunately, that’s not the end of Google Voice’s limitations. . .

12 more limitations to Google Voice to keep in mind

Apart from its lack of an API, Google Voice has 12 other limitations you should know about:

1. Only integrates with other Google apps

Google Voice doesn’t integrate with anything other than the G-Suite. Sure, it could be useful to connect with Google apps like Calendar, but without native integrations to third-party apps, be prepared to keep switching between multiple tabs and platforms.

2. You won’t have access to auto-replies

Sad but true: there’s no such thing as Google Voice auto-replies. There aren’t any solutions for automating routine tasks, and trying to do so may violate Google’s terms of service.

Without auto-replies, you won’t have a way to instantly respond to missed calls or texts. You also can’t automatically let customers know when you’ll be back in touch. This makes it harder to keep up with conversations while you’re out of the office and keep boundaries between your work and your personal life.

3. There are no scheduled texts

Texting with Google Voice, you can only send text messages immediately after pressing send. There’s no way to queue up texts in other time zones or schedule messages within business hours.

It also makes it harder for you to stay compliant with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) since it expects businesses to message customers only during business hours in their time zone.

You can’t even save text messages in draft form — which means you’ll need a dedicated document to store message templates.

Speaking of text message templates. . .

4. No text message templates 

Google Voice doesn’t support snippets(aka text message templates), which are pre-saved messages you can use to answer common texts. Without them, you’ll have to manually draft messages to answer frequently asked questions. There’s also no way to standardize important messages for everyone on your team.

Another limitation? The extra manual labor. Reps will have to waste time by typing out the same answers over and over. And if newer team members don’t know how to answer FAQs, they might accidentally say the wrong things or unintentionally bottleneck conversations.

5. Group texting limitations

You can send group texts through Google Voice, but you’re limited to a max of eight people. If you text more than that, you might risk a suspension or ban.

And getting banned from Google Voice could mean losing your number, call history, and international credits.

6. Texting is only available to US customers

Want to send texts through Google Voice? This isn’t possible unless you live in the US.

Even if you live in the US, you can’t send text messages to anyone not in the US or Canada. This could be a major limitation if you’re trying to reach customers overseas.

7. No toll-free numbers

You can’t purchase toll-free numbers on Google Voice. You’re not only prevented from buying new toll-free numbers, but you can’t port them over from another carrier.

Don’t want to juggle more than one phone system? You’ll either have to abandon your toll-free number or switch to a Google Voice alternative.

8. You need a Google Workspace subscription

The free version of Google Voice doesn’t cost extra, but if you want Google Voice for business, you’ll need to purchase a plan and pay for a Google Workspace subscription. The cheapest tier is $6 per user per month, so Google Voice’s pricing actually starts at $16 per user per month.

This is considerably more expensive than what’s advertised at first glance. It’s also more expensive than other VoIP platforms — including the ones that offer an API (more on this later).

9. Ring groups and automatic call recording require upgrades

While Google Voice does offer a few advanced features, you have to upgrade your plan first.

Ring groups, for example, require upgrading to the Standard plan — which is double the cost of the Starter plan ($20 per user per month). However, you’ll only get ad-hoc call recording in Google Voice unless you upgrade again. This means you’ll need to pay for the Premier plan ($30 per user per month) if you want to auto-record calls.

10. Get ready for siloed customer communications

All customer conversation history in Google Voice — including calls, texts, and voicemails — is organized into separate folders. You can’t get the full context of any conversation unless you’re willing to follow the ‘breadcrumb trail’ between inboxes.

And speaking of inboxes, there’s no Google Voice shared numbers, which means people on your team can’t see certain customer communications unless you forward the message to them. This makes it much harder to avoid redundant work or get the full scope of a conversation without doing some serious digging.

11. No shared numbers prevent teams from collaborating

Google Voice may have been built for communication, but it wasn’t designed for communication between team members.

For example, team members can’t message one another unless they connect with Google Hangouts or a separate app like Slack (which doesn’t integrate with Google Voice anyway). They also can’t tag one another in relevant conversations, making it harder to get clarification or context when solving customer issues.

12. You won’t have access to a desktop app

Google Voice offers mobile apps (for iOS and Android) and web-based apps (for Chrome, Microsoft, Safari, and Firefox). However, it doesn’t offer any desktop apps. This could slow your team down if they’re used to working from their computers or make it harder for them to customize their setups.

Use The OpenPhone API so you don’t have to juggle multiple platforms  

Introducing OpenPhone’s API

If all you want is to make calls and texts, Google Voice could be a serviceable VoIP. But if you’re ready to automate routine tasks or looking for ways to save time with workflows, its missing API could be a major dealbreaker.

The good news is that there are Google Voice alternatives offering robust APIs at two-thirds the cost. This includes VoIP platforms like OpenPhone, which offers a REST API you can integrate into dozens of workflows.

The OpenPhone API lets you integrate powerful communication features directly into your apps. Just enter the API keys for authentication, and you’re off to the races with dozens of customizable workflows.

For example, you can:

• Automate text messaging based on your specific criteria. For example, you could automatically send reminder texts to customers after they fill out a form to make an appointment or schedule a demo with your team with our SMS API.
• Seamlessly sync external CRM contact information with OpenPhone. Automatically create, update, and edit contacts in OpenPhone so they always match any changes made in your CRM.
• Build custom integrations that let you sync calls, contacts, and texts with your existing tech stack. Maybe you’re developing your own  business app or looking for more ways to use conversation data. As you can see by our dev docs, there are lots of different use cases.

Of course, OpenPhone is more than just a voice API. There’s a lot more you can do with an OpenPhone account:

• Tap into shared phone numbers and split responsibility for incoming conversations. Everyone on your team can collaborate to solve problems, get context, trade tasks, and answer incoming messages as a group.
• Check your number’s unified inbox to see all call recordings, voice messages, and texts in one place. You can see every contact’s conversation history in the same thread, which means you never have to worry about conversations slipping through the cracks.
• Keep an eye on conversations with call views. You can immediately see all calls you’ve made and received over a specific period of time. You can also filter calls by their status (such as missed, responded, and open), check the length of the call, and see who picked up the phone.
• Connect with third-party integrations. Unlike Google Voice, you can connect your phone system to your favorite third-party tools. You can unlock 7,000+ integrations via Zapier or tap into direct integrations with Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, and more.
• Easily automate your text message workflows. For example, you can set up scheduled texts to respond to customers during business hours. You can also save time by queueing up snippets or sending auto-replies to surprise and delight your customers.
• Manually or automatically record calls. With OpenPhone, business call recording is available on our base plan ($15 per user per month). You can also upgrade to automatic recording on our Business plan ($23 per user per month). And by the way — you’ll have unlimited cloud storage on all our plans for automatic call recordings, so there’s no need to worry about maxing your limit. Plus, get AI-generated call transcriptions and summaries to save time on note-taking and after-call tasks. 

The best Google Voice alternative: OpenPhone and its powerful API

Compared to other VoIP phone systems, Google Voice fails to measure up. It’s not just missing an API — it’s missing key business features that could build better relationships with your customers.

But a business phone system like OpenPhone offers everything Google Voice is missing (plus extra). We offer a powerful API so you can truly customize your phone system, plus collaboration features so you can work together with your team.

Ready to explore OpenPhone on your own?

Check out our API here and test it out with a seven-day free trial.

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