eSignature now available as open beta for Google Docs and Drive

Google has officially launched eSignatures for Google Docs. Building upon the success of the alpha testing phase that began in June 2022, the feature is now transitioning to an open beta for Google Workspace Individual subscribers. The feature will also be available in beta for select Google Workspace customers.

Natively integrated in Google Docs, eSignatures allow you to request and add Signatures to official contracts, directly in the document. The feature offers the following benefits:

• Users can easily request signatures, monitor the status of pending signatures, and access completed contracts within Google Docs.
• The eSignature feature facilitates the signing of official contracts right from Google Drive without requiring users to switch between applications or tabs.
• Users can create a copy of the contract for each signature request. This enables the use of documents as templates and the initiation of multiple eSignature requests.

Google plans to introduce several new eSignature capabilities in the future, including:

• Audit trail: all completed contracts will automatically contain an audit trail report.
• Multi-signer: the ability to request a signature from more than one user.
• Non-Gmail users: the ability to request an eSignature from non-Gmail users
• Initiating eSignature on PDF: the ability to initiate an eSignature on PDF files stored in Drive

Select Google Workspace editions will have the opportunity to participate in the eSignature beta testing phase. The feature will be part of a comprehensive beta, which also includes access to new custom email layouts in Gmail. These layouts enable users to personalize existing templates, reuse layouts in multiple email campaigns, or design entirely new layouts.

Once you sign up for the beta you will see the eSignature and new Gmail features in the coming weeks. For Workspace customers, Google will be accepting beta applications and allowlisting customers over the next several weeks.

The feature will be available to Google Workspace individual subscribers and eligible for beta testing among Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Education Plus, and Nonprofits customers.