How to Set Up Poly OBi Edition Phones with Google Voice by G Suite

Polycom OBi Edition Phones are the first — and so far only — phones that are certified for Google Voice by G Suite.

In this blog, we’re going to clearly explain with step-by-step instructions how to set up a Polycom VVX OBi Edition phone with Google Voice by G Suite.

Google Voice is a new service that’s part of the Google G Suite of business applications. Voice is a full business telephony solution that integrates with the other apps in G Suite: Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Hangouts Chat, Hangouts Meet, and so on.

The following Polycom phones are the only Google Voice compatible phones available today:

• Polycom VVX 250 IP Phone, OBi Edition
• Polycom VVX 350 IP Phone, OBi Edition
• Polycom VVX 450 IP Phone, OBi Edition

Note: Desk phone support requires a Standard or Premium subscription. It’s not available with the Basic plan. These phones are not compatible with the consumer version of Google Voice, just the business version of Google Voice that’s part of G Suite.

The OBi Edition phone must be running firmware version 6.3.1 or later. Find the latest firmware at Polycom Support >

Provision Phones with Google Voice

It’s very simple to provision a phone with Google Voice. There are a few preliminary steps.

• Make sure the user has a Google Voice license and number
  • Find instructions for assigning a Google Voice license and number here >
• Note down the MAC address for the phone
  • The MAC address is found on a label on the back of the phone unit or by going to Settings on the phone
• Power the phone using PoE or a power supply (using an optional power supply)
• Connect the phone to your network using Ethernet or Wi-Fi (using the optional Polycom OBiWiFi5G USB Adapter)

These preliminary steps done, let’s get to actually provisioning the phone.

Provisioning VVX OBi Edition Phone with Google Voice

1. Go to the administrator’s console for G Suite
2. Select Apps > G Suite > Google Voice
3. Select Service management > Desk phones
4. Select Add desk phone
5. Enter the phone’s MAC address
6. Add a User name to assign the phone to a specific user (you can do this step later)
   • Start typing the user’s name or email address
   • Select the user from the list that appears when you start typing
7. Enter a Desk phone name to identify the phone
8. Select Close

The phone will then reboot. It might reboot a few times.

When you see the Google Voice logo as the background image of the phone, you’ll know it’s done provisioning.

And that’s it!

Changing a Phone’s User on Google Voice

Let’s say you want to reassign a phone to a different user. Here’s how to do that.

1. Go to the administrator’s console for G Suite
2. Select Apps > G Suite > Google Voice
3. Select Service management > Desk phones
4. Select the phone you want to reassign from the list of connected phones
5. Select Unassign
6. A prompt will appear: select Unassign
7. The phone will then appear as unassigned in the list of connected phones
8. Select the phone
9. Add a User name to assign it to a new user
   • Start typing the user’s name or email address
   • Select the user from the list that appears when you start typing
10. Enter a Desk phone name to identify the phone
11. Select Next

And you’re done!

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