Can you get Google Voice in Australia?
By Monty · Updated 2 November 2026
Google Voice in Australia is a different thing from the free app Americans use. People usually look for it because they want a second number, cheap calls to the US or a way to keep their mobile number when they move overseas, and the Australian version can't help with any of those.
Not as a personal number. Free Google Voice is only available in the US, and Google doesn't offer its own Google Voice numbers in Australia. Businesses can connect numbers from an Australian provider to it through Google's SIP Link, but those numbers can't send or receive texts. For most people it's the wrong tool.
Is Google Voice available in Australia?
Only for businesses, and only in one form. The free personal version is only available in the US. Google's own calling plans, where Google gives you the number, aren't available in Australia either.
What arrived in February 2025 is SIP Link. It lets a business plug phone numbers from its own Australian provider into Google Voice, using a phone line set up for internet calling and a piece of approved network kit called a session border controller. The business needs a Google Workspace plan and a SIP Link Standard or Premier licence on top. Google also says SIP Link numbers can't send or receive texts.
So it's a tool for a company's IT team to run its office phones. It isn't something you can sign up for on your phone, and it won't receive a text from your bank.
Can I use a US Google Voice number in Australia?
If you set one up while living in the US, mostly yes. Google says you can get texts on it from anywhere and send them over Wi-Fi. Calls are less tidy, because outside the US they can use your phone plan's minutes and your telco may add roaming fees. You can't sign up for a new one from Australia, because the free version is for people in the US.
It's still a US number, though. Your bank and myGov have your Australian mobile number and will keep using it. Google also takes the number back if you stop using it. After the reclaim date you have 45 days to get it back, and a call, a text or listening to a voicemail before then keeps it.
What to use instead of Google Voice in Australia
Start with what you actually need. A spare number for online listings can be any new number. If you're moving overseas and want your texts to keep finding you, the answer is to keep the number you have, because a new one means telling every bank and app about it.
| Option | What you get | Texts | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Voice through SIP Link | Your business's own numbers in Google Voice | No | Business only, with a Workspace plan, a licence and a phone line set up for it |
| A second prepaid service | A new Australian mobile number on a SIM or eSIM | Yes | You have to keep recharging or the number goes |
| A virtual number app | A new number that works over the internet | Usually | A new number, so every account needs updating |
| NumberNest | Your own Australian number, in an app | Yes | Not open yet, join the waitlist |
A second prepaid service is cheap, but the recharge rules are strict. Vodafone disconnects you if you don't recharge within 120 days of your last recharge running out, and Telstra gives you 6 months before you lose the number.
When I moved to Australia I looked at Google Voice for my UK number, but the personal version only works with US numbers. The other services I found that take your number online looked like they hadn't been updated in years, and I wasn't sure they'd still be running a few years from now. I wanted something simple that didn't cost much and couldn't find it, so I built NumberNest.
Keeping your own Australian number in NumberNest
If what you're really after is keeping your Australian number while you live overseas, NumberNest does exactly that. You move your existing number into the NumberNest app, so there are no accounts to update with a new number. Texts arrive in the app on your phone and on the web, and calls ring in the app over the internet.
To move it you give NumberNest your account number, whether you're prepaid or postpaid, the account holder's name and address, your latest bill and two forms of Australian ID. Prepaid also needs your date of birth. Your new telco has to check the number is yours before it moves, often with a code texted to it, so keep your Australian SIM working until the move is done. It costs $12.99 a month. If you're heading overseas for more than a few months, I'd bring the number over rather than keep recharging a SIM you hardly use. NumberNest is on a waitlist while it gets ready to open, and the guide to keeping your Australian number overseas compares every option.
Common questions
Is there a Google Voice for Australia?
Not for personal use. Businesses can use Google Voice with numbers from their own Australian provider through SIP Link, but those numbers can't text.
Can I get an Australian number on Google Voice?
Not from Google. Google doesn't hand out Australian numbers, so a business has to bring its own through SIP Link.
Can I still use my US Google Voice number in Australia?
Yes for texts, which work from anywhere. Calls from outside the US can use your phone plan's minutes. Use the number now and then, because Google takes back numbers that aren't used.
Can I move my Australian number to Google Voice?
Not as a person. Only a business with SIP Link can use its Australian numbers in Google Voice, and they still can't receive texts there.
What's the Australian equivalent of Google Voice?
There isn't one exact match. For a spare number, a cheap prepaid service. For keeping your own number while you live overseas, an app like NumberNest.