Leaving a tool · 2026
Port your number to Twilio from Quo (OpenPhone) or Google Voice: steps, documents, timeline
Last updated September 4, 2026 · per Quo's, Google's and Twilio's porting documentation
The number is the part of leaving a phone app that people get wrong, usually by cancelling first. Both Quo and Google Voice will let the number go; each has one step you must do on their side before Twilio can take it, and Twilio has one document rule that causes almost every delay. Here is both sides, side by side, with the order.
The short answer
Quo: keep the account paid, submit the port-out request, wait 24–48 business hours for the details. Google Voice: unlock the number ($3 personal, free on Workspace) and screenshot the unlock page as a PDF. Then file the port in the Twilio Console with a letter of authorisation whose name and address match your Twilio profile exactly. Twilio approves in about a day and sets the date; configure the number before it lands; cancel the old service after.
Quo and Google Voice, side by side
| Quo (ex-OpenPhone) | Google Voice | |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite at the losing carrier | Active paid account (no trial); port-out available only when paid | Number unlocked in Settings → Account |
| What the losing carrier gives you | Port-out details by email within 24–48 business hours | The unlock confirmation page (screenshot it as a PDF) |
| Fee at the losing carrier | None stated by Quo | $3 personal; free if ported in; free on Workspace |
| Documents Twilio wants | Letter of authorisation + account details | Letter of authorisation + unlock screenshot PDF (in place of a bill) |
| Name and address rule | Must match your Twilio profile | Must match your Twilio profile exactly |
| Typical timeline | 1–2 weeks end to end (Quo's estimate) | Twilio approval ~24 h, then the port date |
| Do not | Cancel Quo before the port date | Delete the number in Google Voice during the port |
The Twilio side, in order
- Upgrade the Twilio account with a card; a trial cannot receive a port. Submit the Business Profile now so it is approved by the time the number lands.
- Console → Phone Numbers → Porting. Enter the numbers. Twilio will ask for a letter of authorisation and a supporting document.
- Sign the letter of authorisation with the first name, last name and address exactly as they appear on your Twilio profile. Twilio's Google Voice article makes the point explicitly, and it applies to every port.
- Attach the supporting document: for Quo, the port-out details they emailed; for Google Voice, the PDF screenshot of the unlocked-number page showing the number and your email (image files are not accepted).
- Wait for approval and the port date. Typically about 24 hours to approval; the date follows by email.
- Configure before the date. Connect the dialer so its calling app is on the account, set where inbound rings (the dialer, or a forward to a cell), pin the number to its rep. Twilio's porting guidance says to have the voice URL configured in advance so the number works the moment it moves.
- After it lands: assign the number to the Business Profile and SHAKEN/STIR trust product, dial a test call, then cancel the old service.
Port it, or buy a fresh one?
Port the number that is on your website, your cards, your Google Business Profile and in prospects' phones. Buy a fresh local for ~$1.15/month for outbound if the old number was only ever a caller ID, or if it has picked up a spam label; a ported number brings its reputation with it, good or bad. Most teams end up with both: the company number ported for callbacks and forwarded to a cell, and one fresh local per rep for dialing, capped at a sane daily volume. How many you need is in how many phone numbers does a calling team need.
Never cancel the losing service before the port completes. A cancelled number is a released number, and a released number cannot be ported. Quo keeps it working until the port date; Google asks you not to delete it during the port. Cancel afterwards.
Land the number on an account that can dial with it.
Connect your Twilio to DialSheet before the port date and the number is in the caller-ID picker the moment it moves. Free for one person, $29 per 3 seats, calls at ~$0.014/min. Rather not port at all? A managed line with a fresh number is $49/month.
Start dialingQuestions people actually ask
How do I port my OpenPhone (Quo) number to Twilio?
Two sides. At Quo: porting out is only available on an active paid account, not during a trial; you submit a port-out request with the numbers, your account email, your name as it appears on the account, the new carrier (choose Twilio or "Other") and a reason, and Quo replies within 24 to 48 business hours with the port-out details, sent to the number owner's email. At Twilio: open the Porting page in the Console, enter the numbers, sign the letter of authorisation with the same name and address as your Twilio profile, and attach the account details Quo gave you. Quo says the whole process typically takes one to two weeks; the number keeps working at Quo until the port date, then goes live on Twilio.
How do I port my Google Voice number to Twilio?
Unlock it first: Google Voice, Settings, Account, Unlock under the number. It costs $3 on a personal account, nothing if the number was originally ported into Google Voice, and nothing on a Google Workspace plan, where an admin does it in the console. Then file the port in the Twilio Console. Twilio's help centre says that instead of a carrier bill you submit a screenshot of the page confirming the number is unlocked, showing the number and your email, as a PDF, plus a letter of authorisation whose name and address match your Twilio profile exactly. Do not delete the number in Google Voice while the port is pending.
How long does a port to Twilio take?
Twilio typically approves a request within about 24 hours of receiving complete documents and then emails a port date; the losing carrier's response time is the variable. Quo quotes one to two weeks end to end. Google Voice ports move at the pace of the gaining carrier once unlocked. Mismatched names or addresses on the letter of authorisation are the usual cause of delay, so copy them from the losing account rather than typing them from memory.
Will Twilio accept a number that started at Google Voice?
Yes, per Twilio's own help article on porting Google Voice numbers, with the unlock screenshot standing in for the bill. Google warns that some third-party services will not accept numbers that originated at Google Voice; Twilio is not one of them.
What do I set up on Twilio before the port lands?
Twilio's porting guidance says to configure each number, particularly the voice URL, messaging URL or SIP trunk, ahead of the port date so it works immediately. In practice: connect the dialer so its calling app is on the account, decide where inbound calls to the number should go (the dialer, or a forward to a cell), pin the number to the rep who will use it, and assign it to your Business Profile and SHAKEN/STIR trust product once approved so calls from it are signed at A.
Should I port the number or just buy a new one?
Port it if it is on your website, your business cards, your Google Business Profile or in prospects' phones, or if it carries months of clean calling reputation; a released number goes to the pool and callbacks reach a stranger. Buy a new one (~$1.15/month on Twilio) if the number was a burner, is labelled spam, or was only ever a caller ID for cold calls. Many teams do both: port the company number for callbacks and buy fresh locals for outbound.