Tag Archives: Google Voice

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.

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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.



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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.

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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.


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Use desk phones with Google Voice

What’s changing 

It’s now easier to set up and manage desk phones with Google Voice. Specifically, you can now use the Admin console to:

  • See all desk phones in your organization, including the model, phone status, assigned user, and more. 
  • Provision a Polycom VVX x50 OBi Edition device to a specific user in just a few clicks. When you provision a phone, the user’s number will be assigned to the phone after an automatic update. 
Use our Help Center to find out more and watch a brief video about how to set up desk phones with Google Voice.

Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users

Why you’d use it 

While Google Voice gives you the flexibility to use your work phone number on any device, there may be times when a desk phone is preferred or helps ease the transition from a legacy telephony system to Google Voice.

How to get started 


  • Admins: Use our Help Center to see how to provision a desk phone for Voice. 
  • End users: Once a desk phone has been set up for you by an admin, see how to use a desk phone with Voice.  

Helpful links 




Availability 

Rollout details 


Google Voice subscriptions 

  • Available to Google Voice Standard and Google Voice Premier subscriptions. 
  • Not available to Google Voice Starter subscriptions. 

On/off by default? 

  • This feature will be OFF by default.

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Google Voice for G Suite: Cloud telephony with the intelligence and security of Google Cloud

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

What’s changing 

Google Voice is now generally available as an add-on to G Suite. Voice for G Suite is a cloud-based phone system that’s optimized for businesses of all sizes. G Suite 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 


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

Who’s impacted 

Admins only

Why you’d use it 

Google Voice integrates with Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet to provide a complete solution for communication with colleagues, customers, and partners from anywhere at any time. Specifically, Google Voice adds:

Smart cloud telephony for end users 

  • Get a phone number that works from anywhere, on any device, so you can place and receive calls wherever you’re doing work. 
  • Use intelligent capabilities to transcribe voicemails and block spam calls to help minimize unwanted distractions. 
  • Increase efficiency through integrations with other G Suite products, like Calendar, Contacts, Hangouts Chat, and Hangouts Meet. 

Simple management for admins 

  • Use one place - the Admin console - to manage Voice global users, numbers, porting, and billing. 
  • Set up new phone numbers as easily as adding a user to G Suite. 
  • Easily provision and deploy via simple administration tools 

Scalable adoption and migration 

  • Migrate smoothly with integrated number porting to help prevent interruption of key business processes. 
  • Leverage Google’s text-to-speech technology to automatically create call menus in nine languages to manage and route callers without worrying about recordings or translations. 
  • Give users permission to choose a number and set up their service independently without admin involvement. 

How to get started 



Availability 

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



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Ringing in 2017 with updates to our Google Voice apps

When we first introduced Google Voice our goal was to create “one number for life”—a phone number that’s tied to you, rather than a single device or a location. Since then, millions of people have signed up to use Google Voice to call, text and get voicemail on all their devices. It’s been several years since we’ve made significant updates to the Google Voice apps (and by several, we mean around five ?), but today we’re bringing a fresh set of features to Google Voice with updates to our apps on Android, iOS and the web.

blog_clients (1).png

The first thing you’ll notice about the updated Google Voice apps is a cleaner, more intuitive design that keeps everything organized. Your inbox now has separate tabs for text messages, calls and voicemails. Conversations stay in one continuous thread, so you can easily see all your messages from each of your contacts in one place. We’ve upgraded the messaging experience with support for group and photo MMS as well as in-notification replies. And we’re starting to introduce voicemail transcription for Spanish and will improve accuracy over time.

blog_features (1).png

Going forward, we’ll provide new updates and features to the Google Voice apps. If you currently use Hangouts for your Google Voice communication, there’s no need to change to the new apps, but you might want to try them out as we continue to bring new improvements.

We’re starting to roll out these updates today, and they’ll be available to everyone in the coming weeks. For more information about the updated Google Voice apps, visit our Help Center.

Ringing in 2017 with updates to our Google Voice apps

When we first introduced Google Voice our goal was to create “one number for life”—a phone number that’s tied to you, rather than a single device or a location. Since then, millions of people have signed up to use Google Voice to call, text and get voicemail on all their devices. It’s been several years since we’ve made significant updates to the Google Voice apps (and by several, we mean around five ?), but today we’re bringing a fresh set of features to Google Voice with updates to our apps on Android, iOS and the web.

blog_clients (1).png

The first thing you’ll notice about the updated Google Voice apps is a cleaner, more intuitive design that keeps everything organized. Your inbox now has separate tabs for text messages, calls and voicemails. Conversations stay in one continuous thread, so you can easily see all your messages from each of your contacts in one place. We’ve upgraded the messaging experience with support for group and photo MMS as well as in-notification replies. And we’re starting to introduce voicemail transcription for Spanish and will improve accuracy over time.

blog_features (1).png

Going forward, we’ll provide new updates and features to the Google Voice apps. If you currently use Hangouts for your Google Voice communication, there’s no need to change to the new apps, but you might want to try them out as we continue to bring new improvements.

We’re starting to roll out these updates today, and they’ll be available to everyone in the coming weeks. For more information about the updated Google Voice apps, visit our Help Center.