Google Voice Now Offers Custom Rules for Incoming Calls

Google Voice is making custom rules available for incoming calls, allowing users to decide how to handle groups or even specific individual contacts.

New tools are available for Google Voice users that allow for more direct control over how incoming calls from contacts are received. Google's aim is to help provide a better workflow and help with productivity by reducing possible distractions. Essentially you'll be able to redirect calls from non-essential contacts while still letting through calls that are more likely to be important.

If you use Google Voice, you now have several new options for dealing with calls from your contacts. You can set it up to forward specific contact calls to voicemail or to a different linked phone number.

You can also set up custom voicemails for individual contacts. And you can screen calls from individual contacts, too. Or you can apply the rules you've created to all contacts or designated groups within your contacts.

All of this can be managed in the Calls menu in Google Voice, where you'll find two new buttons under Call Forwarding: Create a rule and Manage rules. From there, you can adjust settings for individual contacts or groups, assign specific voicemails or forwarding numbers, etc.

The new custom rules feature is live now for all Google Voice users. It's Off by default, but you can activate it in Google Voice settings.