I use two cell numbers. One number (and the one tied to my Apple ID) is for family and personal contacts. The other number is for business purposes and is primarily used to send and receive text messages to associates. My VA helps me manage this second number.
I’ve been using Google Voice for the second number. However, recently about 50% of the time that I send a text message to someone I’ve not texted before, Google will kick the text back as spam. (It is not spam.) Now, Google has suspended my entire account.
This is very frustrating. I am a not a salesperson, and I’m a pretty low-volume texter (maybe 25 texts per week). I’m not sure why I’m getting flagged for spam. I’m pretty sure no one is complaining about my texts.
I’ve considered getting a second number for my iPhone, but that number would be tied to my personal Apple ID. I don’t want to give that access to my VA.
Is anyone else delegating access to texts and messages to an assistant?
Are these free Google accounts? iPhones are single AppleID devices so, AFAIK, all numbers on your phone will use the same AppleID.
If what you have been doing works for you, have you considered getting a paid Google Workspace account ($6/month) and a paid Google Voice account ($10/month)?
The only people I know doing something like this have separate work and personal phones. Not ideal, but the cost of doing business. Those who don’t want to pay the cost (in dollars and hours) combine work and personal — and likely don’t have an assistant.
The fact that your text messages get kicked back as spam is likely why Google suspended the entire account. I second what @WayneG said — paid Google Workspace and Voice accounts may be your answer.
Thank you all for the input. Very helpful! I am working on the T-Mobile solution now.
To answer the question about how I knew my messages were being flagged as spam… Messages to some contacts just wouldn’t send for a day or two. My app would simply say the message was undeliverable. Other messages would send successfully. Often by the next day, my ability to send to the blocked contacts was restored. It was as if I was hitting some secret message cap for some people. When that was happening, I couldn’t send to anyone that I had not previously texted. Very odd. I am not a heavy text user and none of my texts are to strangers or are unsolicited in some way. Frustrating. But I think the TMobile solution may help me move forward.