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Only the paid version inside Google Workspace. As of November 12, 2026, Google's list of services covered by its BAA says "Google Voice (managed users only)." That means a Voice license added to a paid Workspace account, with the Workspace BAA accepted. The free Google Voice app on a personal Gmail account has no BAA, so it is not a place for patient calls, voicemails or texts.
Checked November 12, 2026 on Google's list of HIPAA covered services and its Workspace help page on HIPAA compliance. Confirm the current terms with Google before you give patients the number.
What does Google say?
Google publishes one list of covered services for its BAA. Under Google Workspace it names Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Meet, Chat and others, and one line reads "Google Voice (managed users only)."
A managed user is an account your practice controls through the Workspace Admin console, such as you@yourpractice.com. A personal @gmail.com account is not managed by anyone but you, has no Admin console and can't accept a BAA. So there are two products with the same name:
- Google Voice for Workspace: a paid Voice license added to a Workspace account. Covered once the BAA is accepted.
- Free Google Voice: the app tied to a personal Gmail account. Not covered.
How do you get the BAA?
There is no separate Voice BAA. Voice comes under the Workspace one. Google's help page says "Administrators must review and accept a BAA before using PHI in Google services," and that the BAA is accepted electronically in the Admin console.
- Sign in to the Admin console with a super administrator account.
- Open Account settings, then Legal and compliance.
- Review and accept the HIPAA BAA.
- Add a Voice license to each person who will call or text patients, and assign the number.
- Move patients to the new number, and stop using any free Google Voice number for them.
Our guide to the Google Workspace BAA walks through the first three steps and what else the BAA covers.
What may go through Google Voice, and what to keep out
With the license and the BAA in place, Voice can carry the calls and texts a practice normally has with patients: scheduling, a reminder about tomorrow's consult, a voicemail asking for a call back.
A BAA doesn't change good texting habits. Keep texts short and general, and send anything clinical through your EHR's portal.
- Fine: "Hi Dana, this is the practice. Your visit is tomorrow at 10. Reply C to confirm."
- Keep out: lab values, medication names, doses, diagnoses and photos of results.
- Watch voicemail transcripts. A transcript that lands in an inbox is a copy of whatever the patient said. If transcripts go to email, that inbox needs to be the Workspace account, not a personal one.
- Watch forwarding. A Voice number that forwards calls or texts to a personal cell moves the conversation onto a phone and a carrier with no BAA.
Google's help page also says third-party apps and add-ons are not covered by its BAA. A texting add-on, a CRM that syncs your Voice messages or an automation that copies them into a sheet each needs its own BAA.
Where do practices slip up?
The usual story: a nurse practitioner opens her practice with a free Google Voice number because it took five minutes and kept her cell private. A year later the practice has Workspace, but patients still text the old free number, and voicemail transcripts still go to her personal Gmail.
Nothing about that setup is covered, even though the practice now pays Google. The fix is to buy the Voice license inside Workspace, accept the BAA, then tell patients the new number and retire the old one.
The other slip is the shared login. If a VA answers texts, give the VA their own managed account and Voice access. One shared password means you can't tell who read what.
Google Voice or a texting tool built for practices?
Voice with Workspace suits a solo practice that already runs on Google and wants one more number. Tools built for healthcare add shared inboxes, patient lists and secure messaging. As of our last checks:
| Option | BAA | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Google Voice with Workspace | Yes, under the Workspace BAA | A Voice license on a paid Workspace account |
| Free Google Voice | No | Not covered |
| Spruce Health | Yes | All trials and paid plans |
| Quo (formerly OpenPhone) | Yes, on request | Business or Scale |
| iMessage or your personal cell | No | Not covered |
For consent wording, what a reminder may say and how to handle a patient who texts you something clinical, read HIPAA-compliant texting for a solo practice. If patients reach you by iMessage or WhatsApp today, see Is iMessage HIPAA compliant? and Is WhatsApp HIPAA compliant?
To check every tool you use, try the HIPAA and BAA checker.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm BAA terms with each vendor.
Common questions
Is the free version of Google Voice HIPAA compliant?
No. Google covers Voice under its BAA for managed users only, which means a Voice license on a paid Workspace account. The free app on a personal Gmail account can't accept a BAA (as of November 2026).
Does Google sign a BAA for Google Voice?
Yes, as part of the Google Workspace BAA. A super administrator accepts it in the Admin console. There is no separate agreement for Voice.
Can I text patients from Google Voice?
From a Voice license on a Workspace account with the BAA accepted, yes. Get the patient's consent to text, keep messages general and send clinical details through your EHR's portal.
What is a HIPAA-compliant alternative to Google Voice?
Spruce Health includes a BAA on all trials and paid plans, and Quo signs one on its Business and Scale plans (as of October 2026). Your EHR's messaging is covered by the EHR's BAA.