Tag Archives: Google Voice

Ring groups in Google Voice now generally available

What’s changing

We’re launching automatic call routing rules with ring groups in Google Voice. With ring groups, multiple people in your organization can make and receive calls from the same Google Voice number. This feature was previously available in beta and is now generally available.



Who’s impacted

Admins and end users


Why you’d use it

A ring group is a way for a team to intelligently route incoming calls to the correct person or device. This means that groups within your organization, like sales or customer service teams, can easily triage and take quick actions on ongoing calls (such as transferring to a team member or another device).


Additional details

Admins can customize several aspects of ring groups, including:
  • Simultaneous or random order call routing
  • Who in the ring group can make outbound calls and use the ring group number(s) as caller ID
  • What happens to unanswered calls
  • Ring group business hours 

Check out the Help Center for more information on configuring ring groups.


Getting started



Rollout pace

  • This feature is available now for all users.

Availability 



Resources



Roadmap

Use Google Voice and Google Fi, now with the same account

Quick launch summary

Google Voice now works with Google Fi, so you can have separate Fi and Voice numbers on the same Google account. This means you can use different numbers for different purposes, like one for family and friends and one for work. When you set up forwarding in Google Voice or Google Fi, you’ll receive calls from both numbers in one central place.

We hope this change makes it easier for you to manage your calls.

Getting started


Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.

End users: To manage both Voice and Fi with the same Google account, set up call forwarding on the Google Voice settings page. To sign up for Fi, go to fi.google.com or download the Fi app.

Rollout pace



Availability


  • Available to all G Suite customers with Google Voice licenses

Resources




Google Voice Improvements: Use in Gmail and transfer calls

Quick launch summary

Google Voice is now available in Gmail when using Chrome or Firefox browsers on your computer. This allows you to make and receive calls without switching tabs. Google Voice in Gmail looks similar to the call panel in the Voice web application, allowing you to answer calls, make new outbound calls, and easily transfer calls.


In addition, you can now transfer calls using the Google Voice mobile and web apps. In a few simple steps, you can send a call to the appropriate person, whether that’s an intelligently-suggested contact, searching in your directory or a manually entered phone number.


Call transferring is available in Voice on Android, iOS, and the web.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.

End users: These features will be available to Voice customers by default. Visit the Help Center to learn more about transferring calls or using Google Voice in Gmail.

Rollout pace

Google Voice call transfer


Google Voice in Gmail


Availability


  • Available to all G Suite customers with Google Voice licenses

Resources



Roadmap




Google Voice Improvements: Use in Gmail and transfer calls

Quick launch summary

Google Voice is now available in Gmail when using Chrome or Firefox browsers on your computer. This allows you to make and receive calls without switching tabs. Google Voice in Gmail looks similar to the call panel in the Voice web application, allowing you to answer calls, make new outbound calls, and easily transfer calls.


In addition, you can now transfer calls using the Google Voice mobile and web apps. In a few simple steps, you can send a call to the appropriate person, whether that’s an intelligently-suggested contact, searching in your directory or a manually entered phone number.


Call transferring is available in Voice on Android, iOS, and the web.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.

End users: These features will be available to Voice customers by default. Visit the Help Center to learn more about transferring calls or using Google Voice in Gmail.

Rollout pace

Google Voice call transfer


Google Voice in Gmail


Availability


  • Available to all G Suite customers with Google Voice licenses

Resources



Roadmap




Google Voice now generally available in Canada

Quick launch summary

Google Voice is now available in Canada. This means that:
  • G Suite customers based in Canada can now sign up for Google Voice.
  • Google Voice customers in Canada, as well as international customers with Google Voice Premier edition, can assign numbers with Canada country codes (+1) to users.
  • Soon, customers will be able to port existing +1 numbers in Canada to Google Voice. Follow the G Suite Updates blog to see when this becomes available.
With this launch, Voice is now available in these 11 countries.

Google Voice is a cloud-based phone system that’s optimized for businesses of all sizes. Customers can use it to deploy and manage phone numbers at scale with the intelligence and security of Google Cloud. Google Voice offers:
  • Smart cloud telephony for end users
  • Simple provisioning and management for admins
  • Easy adoption and migration at scale

Getting started

Admins: G Suite customers based in Canada can now sign up for Google Voice. Find more information about Google Voice availability and pricing.

End users: There is no end user setting for this feature.

Availability

Google Voice is available to all G Suite customers in supported countries through an additional license.

Resources

Roadmap


Google Voice now generally available in Ireland

This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘19 UK. Check out Next OnAir to tune into the livestream or watch session recordings following the event.

Quick launch summary 

Google Voice is now available in Ireland. This means that:

  • G Suite customers based in Ireland can now sign up for Google Voice. 
  • Google Voice customers in Ireland, or international customers with Google Voice Premier edition, can assign numbers with Ireland country codes (+353) to users. 
  • Soon, customers will be able to port existing +353 numbers to Google Voice. Follow the G Suite Updates blog to see when this becomes available. 
With this launch, Voice is now available in these 10 countries.

Google Voice is a cloud-based phone system that’s optimized for businesses of all sizes. Customers can use it to deploy and manage phone numbers at scale with the intelligence and security of Google Cloud. Google Voice offers:

  • Smart cloud telephony for end users 
  • Simple provisioning and management for admins 
  • Easy adoption and migration at scale 

Availability 

Google Voice is available to all G Suite customers in supported countries through an additional license. Find more information about Google Voice availability and pricing here.


Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Dark theme now available for Google Voice on Android

Quick launch summary 

Google Voice will now support Dark theme on Android. Dark theme is a popular feature, as it creates a better viewing experience in low-light conditions and preserves battery life.

Dark theme for Google Voice

If you already have dark theme enabled on your Android phone (under Settings > Display > Screen settings), Voice will automatically respect this setting. On Pixel, when Battery Saver is enabled, Voice will default to dark theme automatically.

To change the theme specifically for the Google Voice app, go to Menu > Settings > Display Options > Theme and select “Dark.”

Availability 

Rollout details 
  • Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 1, 2019 for all users 

G Suite editions 
  • Available to all G Suite editions 

On/off by default? 
  • Dark theme in the Google Voice app is off by default, unless you have it enabled in your Android device's display settings, in which case the app will also respect that setting.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Set up voicemail for the Google Voice auto attendant

What’s changing 

You can now set up voicemail for your Google Voice auto attendants.

Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users

Why you’d use it 

Admins can use the auto attendant to set up voicemail three different ways:

  • Send incoming calls directly to voicemail 
  • Send calls to voicemail if the caller presses a specific key 
  • Send calls to voicemail if they’re received during non-business hours

How to get started 

  • Admins: To learn how to use the auto attendant to set up voicemail, use this article in our Help Center. 
  • End users: No action required. You’ll receive an audio file and transcript of your voicemails via email.

Additional details 


Admins will also have the option to enter a message to play for callers before they’re sent to voicemail, for example, “Our offices are currently closed. Please leave a message, and we'll return your call within one business day.” 

Helpful links 


Availability 

Rollout details 

G Suite editions 
  • Available to all G Suite editions with Google Voice Standard and Google Voice Premium subscriptions 
  • Not available to Google Voice Starter subscriptions 


On/off by default? 
  • This feature will be ON by default and can be enabled at the group level.



Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Easier auto attendant configuration for transferred calls

What’s changing

The Google Voice auto attendant can now be configured to transfer calls to a person with Google Voice in addition to a phone number.

Who’s impacted

Admins only

Why you’d use it

To direct callers to the correct people in your organization, you can set up a menu system in Google Voice. This automated attendant (called “auto attendant”) lets callers select options by pressing keys on their phone. For example, you can set up a menu that says, “For Support, press 1. For Sales, press 2. To speak to an operator, press 0.”

With this change, you can now direct callers to a specific user without having to look up that user’s number when setting up the transfer in the Admin console.

How to get started


  • Admins: In the Admin console, go to Apps > G Suite > Google Voice and follow the steps in this Help Center article.
    • Make sure to select “User” under “Transfer type.” Here, you can enter the user’s email address.



  • End users: No action required.

Additional details

The option to transfer to phone numbers is still available if you’d prefer that setup.

Helpful links



Availability

Rollout details


G Suite editions

  • Available to Google Voice Enterprise users

On/off by default?

  • This feature will be OFF by default.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Making Google Voice easier to use on your computer

What’s changing

We’re making some improvements to the Google Voice web app. These will make it easier to find the right contact, quicker to place calls, and simpler to control audio settings. Specific improvements include:

  • Always-visible call panel
  • One-click calling
  • Quick access to mic and audio settings

See more information below.

Who’s impacted

End users

Why you’d use it

It’s important for a telephony system to be quick and intuitive to use. These improvements will make it simpler to use Google Voice, so users spend less time navigating the product interface and more time communicating through it.

How to get started



Additional details


Always visible call panel
The new call panel will be in the same place regardless of what you’re doing in the Google Voice app—checking messages, listening to voicemails, or something else. This will make it quicker and easier to place calls when you need to.

One-click calling
A new quick call option will appear when users hover over a contact in their call list. This will allow users to make calls faster.

Quick access to mic and audio settings
A new icon in the main action bar will give instant access to common audio settings. These include what microphone and audio output to use before or during a call, as well as what device should ring for incoming calls.


Helpful links

Help Center: Call someone with Google Voice
Help Center: Change the microphone or speakers on your computer

Availability


Rollout details



G Suite editions
Available to all G Suite editions with Google Voice licenses


On/off by default?
These features will be ON by default.


Stay up to date with G Suite launches