Tag Archives: Google Voice

Get enhanced spam protection through automatic labeling of suspected spam calls in Google Voice

What’s changing 

To help protect you from unwanted calls and potentially harmful scams, Google Voice shows a “suspected spam caller” label on all calls that Google believes to be spam. Google makes this determination using the same advanced artificial intelligence that identifies billions of spam calls each month across Google’s calling ecosystem. 


The new labels appear on the incoming call screen and in the user’s call history. Users can either: 
  • Confirm a suspected spam call, which causes future calls from that number to go directly to voicemail and call history entries to be put in the spam folder 
  • Mark a labeled call as not spam, after which the suspected spam label is never displayed for that number again 
Get an alert that an incoming call is suspected spam



Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: Suspected spam labeling appears automatically when the Voice spam filter setting (Settings > Security > Filter spam) is OFF. When spam filtering is ON, all calls that Google identifies as spam are automatically sent to voicemail, and the call entry is put into the spam folder. Visit the Help Center to learn more about blocking calls and messages or marking them as spam. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Voice customers

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – December 23, 2022

New updates 


There are no new updates to share this week. Please see below for a recap of published announcements. 


Previous announcements


The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.


Updated experience for exporting your organization’s data
We’re introducing new capabilities for exporting your organization’s data, giving our customers greater flexibility over managing their organization’s data export needs. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more. 


Google Voice Standard customers can assign phone numbers in other Voice countries in their region 
Google Voice customers on the Standard subscription in Canada, Europe and the US can assign phone numbers to any supported country in their region:
  • Customers in Europe can assign phone numbers in supported European countries
  • Customers in Canada and the US can assign phone numbers in both countries
This change gives our customers on the Standard SKU the flexibility to deploy Voice across the different countries they operate in within the same region. | Available for Google Voice Standard customers only. | Learn more.


More filter effects available for Google Meet
Google Workspace users can now access a variety of new filter effects on Google Meet on the web and mobile. These filters, such as loghead, strawberry, and working bunny, can help bring an element of fun to meetings. | Learn more. 


Quickly refine search results in Google Chat with search chips
We’re expanding an existing mobile feature to the web that helps you find exactly what you’re looking for much faster using search chips that filter your search results. | Learn more. 



Completed rollouts


The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog post for additional details.


Rapid Release Domains:


Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains:


For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).


Google Voice Standard customers can assign phone numbers in other Voice countries in their region

What’s changing

Previously Google Voice customers on the Standard subscription could only assign phone numbers in the country of their subscription. Beginning today, Google Voice customers on the Standard subscription in Canada, Europe and the US can assign phone numbers to any supported country in their region:

  • Customers in Europe can assign phone numbers in supported European countries
  • Customers in Canada and the US can assign phone numbers in both countries

This change gives our customers on the Standard SKU the flexibility to deploy Voice across the different countries they operate in within the same region.  Please note, to assign numbers across regions, for example a customer in Europe requiring US phone numbers, you will need to upgrade to Google Voice Premier.

Getting started

  • Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about how Voice billing works.
  • End users: There is no end user action required.


Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available for Google Voice Standard customers

Resources

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – December 16, 2022

New updates

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are fully launched or in the process of rolling out (rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete), launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time (if not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete), and available to all Google Workspace and G Suite customers.


Drive approvals available on Android and iOS apps

Google Drive users have had the ability to send an item for approval on the web since 2021. These approvers can comment, approve, or reject a request on a file. Starting this week, Drive approvals are now available on the Drive Android and iOS apps. | Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and legacy G Suite Business customers only. | Learn more.


New keyboard shortcuts for Google Sheets on Android

In continuing our mission to provide a top-class user experience on large screen devices, we’re releasing new and updated keyboard shortcut options on Android that better align with the Google Sheets web experience. | View the full list of shortcuts and learn more here. 


Additional functionality for storage management

Adding shared drive storage limits and shared drives IDs are now available as part of the new set of tools for managing storage. Please refer to our original announcement for more information. | Learn more.


Previous announcements

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.


Facet Enhancements for Cloud Search

It’s now easier to configure and use Cloud Search search filters and facets with multiple enhancements to our existing functionalities. With this launch, you can use the Cloud Search Query API to configure new additional capabilities. | Available to Google Cloud Search Customers. | Learn more. 


Easily format and display code in Google Docs

We’ve added a new smart canvas feature that makes this process much easier by enabling you to format and display code in Docs with code blocks. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus customers and Nonprofits only. | Learn more. 


Email notifications from Google now available in the Alert Center

Admins routinely receive notifications from Google to inform them about important Google Workspace updates. Now when admins receive these notifications, they’ll also be captured in the Alert Center in the admin console. This will help make it easier for admins to stay on top of important communications from Google. | Learn more. 


Enjoy improved call performance with intelligent network switching in Google Voice

To ensure the best call experience, Google Voice now automatically switches ongoing calls between cellular data service and Wi-Fi when it determines that one network type will lead to better call quality. | Learn more.


Expanded language support for captions and translated captions in Google Meet

We’ve expanded language support for standard captions and translated captions in Google Meet. | Standard captions are available for all users. Translated captions are available for meetings organized by Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade customers.| Learn More.


Client-side encryption for Gmail available in beta

We’re expanding customer access to client-side encryption in Gmail on the web. Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Education Standard customers are eligible to apply for the beta until January 20th, 2022. | Learn more.


Completed feature rollouts

The features below have finished rolling out to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog posts for additional details.


Rapid Release Domains:


Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains:



For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).



Enjoy improved call performance with intelligent network switching in Google Voice

What’s changing 

To ensure the best call experience, Google Voice now automatically switches ongoing calls between cellular data service and Wi-Fi when it determines that one network type will lead to better call quality. Previously, Voice identified the ideal network only at the time the call was placed and did not make any corrections for changes in network performance that might occur during the call. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. 

Rollout pace 

  • This feature is available now for all users. 

Availability 

  • Available to all Google Voice customers

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – October 14, 2022

New updates 


There are no new updates to share this week. Please see below for a recap of published announcements. 


Previous announcements


The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.



In-room meeting participants can now join break out rooms 
When using Google Meet Hardware devices, meeting hosts can now assign conference rooms to breakout rooms. | Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Frontline, and Nonprofits customers only. | Learn more. 


Transcribe speech during Google Meet calls into a Google Doc 
You can now transcribe a Google Meet video meeting into a Google Doc. The transcribed file is saved in the hosts “Meet Recordings” folder in Google Drive, similar to meeting recordings. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade customers only. | Learn more. 


Use SIP Link to link phone numbers from local carriers to Google Voice 
For Google Voice Standard and Premier customers, admins can now connect a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunk with Voice. This allows phone numbers (PSTN services) from local carriers to be used for Google Voice through a secure set of certified Session Border Controllers (SBCs), such as Audiocodes, Cisco, Oracle, and Ribbon. | Available with Voice Standard and Voice Premier licenses only. | Learn more. 


Preview and interact with files using smart chips in Google Sheets 
As an extension of smart canvas, you can now add Google Drive files directly into a Google Sheet as a smart chip. | Learn more. 


Expanding smart chips to include events in Google Sheets 
In addition to the recent announcement of adding files to Google Sheets using smart chips, we're also making it easier for you to quickly insert Calendar events into Sheets. | Learn more. 


Join or start a meeting directly from Jamboard on the web to kickstart collaboration 
We’re expanding interoperability with Google Meet and Jamboard with the option to join or start a meeting directly from Jamboard on the web. This makes it easier for you to seamlessly present your jam and start collaborating. | Learn more. 


Data loss prevention for Google Chat now generally available 
Over the next several weeks, data loss prevention (DLP) rules for Google Chat will become generally available for select Google Workspace editions. Data protection rules for Chat help admins and security experts build a stronger framework around sensitive data to prevent personal or proprietary information from ending up in the wrong hands. | Learn more. 

Improve your visibility in Google Meet video calls
Google Meet can now automatically frame your video before joining a meeting to help ensure equal visibility for all participants. The automatic framing happens only once, so there are no motion distractions that can divert attention from the content of the meeting. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, Education Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Workspace Individual customers with eligible devices. Also available to Google One subscribers with 2TB or more storage space with eligible devices. | Learn more. 

For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).

Use SIP Link to link phone numbers from local carriers to Google Voice

This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘22. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event. Visit the Cloud Blog to learn more about the latest Google Workspace innovations for the ever-changing world of work. 


What’s changing 

For Google Voice Standard and Premier customers, admins can now connect a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunk with Voice. This allows phone numbers (PSTN services) from local carriers to be used for Google Voice through a secure set of certified Session Border Controllers (SBCs), such as Audiocodes, Cisco, Oracle, and Ribbon. SIP Link makes it easier for our customers to leverage the power of Voice. 




In the coming weeks, this feature will be available for new and existing Voice customers in supported countries. Support for more countries will be added over the coming months — we will share more information here on the Workspace Updates Blog at that time. 

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

SIP Link provides flexible options depending on the needs of your organization — in addition to using any SIP trunk with Voice, you can: 
  • Configure multiple deployment options, including managing on-premise management of SBC infrastructure or outsourcing to the carrier or a third-party provider 
  • Configure SBC for interoperability between Voice and any customer-owned call control infrastructure 


Getting started 



Rollout pace 



Availability 

  • Available with Voice Standard and Voice Premier licenses. 


Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – July 29, 2022

New updates

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are fully launched or in the process of rolling out (rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete), launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time (if not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete), and available to all Google Workspace and G Suite customers. 


Support for two simultaneous calls now available on Google Voice 
As part of our efforts to further improve our core calling features, Google Voice now offers the ability to place or receive a second call when you are on an ongoing call. You can quickly decide if you would like to take the second incoming call by placing the current call on hold or by hanging up the current call. You can also reject the second incoming call if you would rather not be interrupted right now.The feature is currently rolling out on Web and will roll out on Android and iOS in the coming weeks. | Available to Voice Starter, Standard, and Premier customers only. | Learn more. 

call waiting


The new integrated view is now the standard experience for Gmail 
At the beginning of 2022, we announced a new integrated view for Gmail, bringing critical applications like Gmail, Chat, and Meet in one unified location. By August 5th, users who have not opted-in will begin seeing the new experience by default, but can revert to classic Gmail via settings. Within the next two months, this will become the default experience with no option to revert back. We will share an update on the Workspace Updates Blog at that time. | Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers only. | Visit the Help Center and The Keyword to learn more. 


Previous announcements 

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.



Improving the Google Workspace experience on large screen Android devices 
We’ve added several new features and functionality to products like Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Keep on Android devices as part of our mission to provide a top-class user experience on large screen devices. | Learn more. 

Migrate unmanaged accounts to your domain using new “UserInvitation” API functionality 
We’ve introduced new API functionality that allows you to automate the process of finding conflicting accounts and inviting them to join your organization. | Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise, Cloud Identity Premium and Cloud Identity Free customers only. | Learn more. 

Working Location enabled by default 
You are now able to set your working location without having to first enable this feature in your Calendar settings. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Business customers only. | Learn more. 

Use the Cloud Search Query API to set Suggest Filters to enhance Cloud Search results 
We’ve introduced Suggest Filters for Cloud Search. Using the Cloud Search Query API, admins can specify a filter condition that will be pre-applied to keyword suggestions as user types a query. This will surface more relevant suggestions, helping reduce the time users spend searching. | Available to Google Cloud Search customers only. | Learn more. 

Assignments audit data now available in the Admin console 
Google Workspace for Education admins can now view Assignments data in their audit logs. Using this data, admins can find and act on Assignments related events such as who removed a student from a video call, when assignment files were created or submitted, and more. | Available to Google Workspace Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Education Standard, and the Teaching and Learning upgrade customers only. | Learn more. 

Better search and suggestion options in Gmail 
Gmail has more accurate and circumstantial search suggestions with better customization as a result of our new machine learning models. | Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Frontline, and Nonprofits customers only. | Learn more. 

New integrated email marketing tools for Gmail 
We’ve added two new features in Gmail that you can use to easily send professional-looking emails to large audiences: layouts and multi-send. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus, Nonprofits, Workspace Individual, and legacy G Suite Basic customers only. | Learn more. 

For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – June 17, 2022

New updates

There are no new updates to share this week. Please see below for a recap of published announcements. 

Previous announcements 

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Improved email notifications for Google Calendar invites 
We’ve refreshed the layout of emails sent by Google Calendar to make key event details more accessible and useful. | Learn more. 

De-reverberation available for Google Meet 
Google Meet will now remove reverberations from sound recorded by your microphone. This automatically filters out echos created by spaces with hard surfaces, such as a basement or a kitchen, helping to ensure optimal audio quality. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning upgrade, and Frontline customers only. | Learn more. 

VirusTotal integration with the security investigation tool provides deeper insight into Chrome events 
You can now use VirusTotal to view deeper insights on Chrome log events in the Security Investigation Tool. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more. 

Manage Google Voice call recording options for your organization 
Admins can set Google Voice call recording options (automatic or manual) for any organizational unit or group in their organization. | Automatic voice recording is available to all Google Voice Premier customers. On-demand voice recording is available to all Google Voice Premier and Standard customers. | Learn more. 

Improved experience for removing participants from Google Meet calls 
We’ve updated the user experience for removing participants from a meeting in Google Meet. When a host or co-host removes a participant from a call, they are prompted with additional actions: remove the user from the call, fill out an additional abuse report, and/or block the user from rejoining. | Learn more. 

Export search results to .CSV files from the security investigation tool 
Admins can now download log event data from the security investigation tool as a .CSV file. This will allow admins to further analyze data outside of the tool. | Learn more. 

Picture-in-Picture and multi-pinning available for Google Meet in Chrome 
We’re bringing picture-in-picture to Google Meet to Chrome browsers on the web. You’ll be able to see up to four video tiles of meeting attendees in a floating window on top of other applications. | Learn more.  


For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).

Manage Google Voice call recording options for your organization

What’s changing 

Admins can set Google Voice call recording options for any organizational unit or group in their organization. You can choose to automatically record calls–incoming, outgoing, or both–or allow users to manually record their calls. If you turn on automatic call recording, users receive a notification that the feature is on. 


For both options, you can set up an audio notification to be played when recording has started. For on-demand manual recording, you can also set up a notification for when recording has stopped. 


Admins can access any call recordings from Google Vault. Users can access their own recordings from their Voice call logs. 




Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

For admins, recording calls is a key component of policy management and compliance. Recording calls with customers ensures that a proper track record exists for each customer interaction. For business processes that require a customer record before processing customer requests, creating and confirming a call recording allows the request to take place. 


For users, recording calls for later reference provides an alternative to note-taking and allows for sharing within the organization. 

Getting started 


  • Admins: The option to automatically record calls will be OFF by default. The option to allow users to record their calls will be ON by default, with a notification at the start and end of call recording. Both options can be changed at the organizational unit or group level. Visit the Help Center to learn more about controlling recorded calls in Voice. 



Customize call recording options in the Google Voice settings

  • End users: There is no end user setting to turn call recording on or off. If automatic recording is enabled by your administrator, an Auto Rec notification appears on your Voice call screen.


Users see “Auto Rec” if automatic recording is turned on



If on-demand recording is enabled by your administrator, a Record button appears and is active on your Voice call screen. 

If on-demand recording is turned on, users can record their calls using the Record button



Rollout pace 

  • Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: 
    • For the Admin console setting: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 14, 2022. 
    • If enabled, recording of calls, both automatic and on-demand, will begin on or around July 11, 2022. 

Availability 

  • Automatic voice recording is available to all Google Voice Premier customers 
  • On-demand voice recording is available to all Google Voice Premier and Standard customers 

Resources