The adoption of electronic signatures as a convenient means for signing legal documents or managing crucial paperwork has seen a surge in recent years. It comes as no surprise, then, that Google is stepping into the realm of electronic signatures with the introduction of native support for eSignatures within Google Docs and Google Drive. As Android Central stated, the tech giant has unveiled an open beta for this new eSignature capability as part of Google Workspace.
This feature, which transitioned from alpha testing in June and is now in beta, is designed to empower users to seamlessly request, incorporate, and monitor electronic signatures all within the cloud-based productivity suite. The initial iteration provides an electronic signature input field that can be directly integrated into documents.
“To help streamline this workflow, we’re natively integrating eSignature in Google Docs, allowing you to request and add Signatures to official contracts, directly in Google Docs,” Google stated in an announcement.
Google’s roadmap for this capability extends beyond its current form. Planned enhancements for later this year encompass the introduction of an audit trail to monitor signatures within Google Docs, support for multiple signers (including non-Gmail users), and the ability to initiate electronic signatures from PDFs stored on Google Drive.
While a plethora of platforms already offers electronic signature solutions, including cloud-based options like DocuSign and Dropbox (which acquired HelloSign in 2019), as well as local programs like Adobe Acrobat, Google’s foray into eSignatures aligns with the company’s mission to offer a comprehensive suite of productivity tools. Although not pioneering the concept, Google’s inclusion of the eSignature feature is a strategic step, eliminating the need for users to juggle between various apps or tabs when dealing with contracts. The seamless integration of requesting and incorporating electronic signatures is poised to become an intrinsic aspect of the workflow for Google Workspace users.
Since its beta launch on August 8, Google has initiated a phased rollout of the eSignature feature to individual Workspace users, which will extend over the next 15 days. Group users can also partake in the beta experience by having their Workspace administrators apply for access to the feature.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.