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Transitioning to the RingCentral app

Updated - 12/17/2020

As our efforts to transition users to the new RingCentral app continue, were continuously updating this post with the latest information. Be sure to check back on the original post and FAQs for updates!

At RingCentral, our number one priority is keeping you productive while making our solutions easy to manage. In response to customer feedback, we are unifying our separate business apps into one application, the RingCentral app.


In August 2019, we began the process of retiring our Phone and Meetings apps and bringing those capabilities into the RingCentral app. The first step in this process is to retire the mobile apps by the end of 2020.

There are no current plans to retire our separate business desktop apps just yet. The transition on desktop will only begin after we close key the feature gaps in the RingCentral desktop app. Until then, you can continue using your current desktop apps (RingCentral Phone and RingCentral Meetings) as usual.

What the transition process looks like

Starting August 2019, accounts are being migrated over a period of time, similar to how we roll out our quarterly feature releases. Once your account has been migrated, the unified RingCentral mobile app will be made the default app for phone calls and video meetings, on top of team messaging. This means all your calls and meetings will automatically launch with the integrated experience from inside the RingCentral app so you no longer need the separate business apps. We plan to complete this process by the end of 2020, at which time the app will be completely removed from the app store. Until then, no additional updates will be made to the mobile apps.

What communication is in place

About 2-3 months prior to your scheduled transition date youll receive an email notification with complete details including the exact date your account will be transitioned to the new app. If you are unsure of who receives product notifications you can check which users are designated as admin users within the Admin Portal at service.ringcentral.com. In addition, users will receive messaging inside of the old RingCentral Phone mobile application letting them know they will need to transition to the new app by a certain date.

Weve also put together some resources to help make your transition as effortless as possible. Here are some:

P.S. As a gentle reminder, this transition applies to the mobile app only. You will still be able to use your RingCentral desktop apps.

FAQ

Q. When will this affect me?

A. We began this process in August 2019 and plan to complete it by December 31, 2020. Accounts are being migrated over a period of time, similar to how we roll out our quarterly feature releases. No new updates will be made to the legacy mobile apps. The apps will remain on the app store for a period of time before they are removed.

About 2-3 months prior to your scheduled transition date youll receive an email notification with complete details including the exact date your account will be transitioned to the new app.

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Q. Who is impacted by this change?

A. All customers who are currently using RingCentral Phone and RingCentral Meetings on their mobile devices (both iOS and Android) will be impacted.

The transition is for MOBILE ONLY. You can continue to use the RingCentral Phone desktop app (for advanced calling features like HUD) and the RingCentral Meetings desktop app.

We have no plans to retire our separate business apps for desktop until key features have been integrated into the new unified RingCentral desktop app.

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Q. Can I turn off team messaging (Glip) in the RingCentral app?

A. Yes. Please reach out to your account manager or contact support with your request.

Starting in December 2019, admins have the ability to remove the Message tab from the navigation within the RingCentral mobile app.

To do this, you must first contact support to enable the permission for your account. Once enabled, you will be able to turn on/off access to team messaging for users through your RingCentral Admin Portal.

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Q. What if I still want to use the apps after they have been retired and removed from the app store?

A. You will be unable to continue to use the RingCentral Phone app after your transition date. All RingCentral meetings will automatically launch from within the new unified RingCentral app, leaving you no need to use the standalone app.

If you need assistance with the timeline or would like to delay this for business reasons, please contact your account manager or RingCentral global support.

After the app store removal date, you may continue to use the meetings app if you so choose but keep in mind that no additional updates will be made to the app.

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Q. How do I install/get the RingCentral app?

A. You can download the RingCentral app here. Your users will soon receive in-app notifications pointing them to the RingCentral app in their app store.

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Q. Can I still use my existing login credentials?

A. Yes, you'll still be able to use your existing credentials to log in to the RingCentral app.

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Q. Will all my data still be available once I transition to the RingCentral app?

A. While most of your existing data will be available in the RingCentral app, only meetings with a calendar integration will be visible. Any meetings scheduled directly in the separate business apps via methods such as copy link will not transfer over.

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Q. What additional features do I have access to in the RingCentral app?

A. You will still have access to features you know and love plus team messaging, HD video meetings,* task management, and more. Existing RingCentral Office customers will now also have access to additional functionalities including multi-party calling, custom ringtones, and warm transfer.


For more information about your account and specific features, don't hesitate to reach out to your account representative or RingCentral global support.

*HD video meetings are not available to Fax and Pro customers

UPDATE 12/17/2020

The RingCentral app for mobile allows you to customize its bottom navigation tabs, so you can have quick access to your frequently-used functions like fax, text, or contacts.

Learn how to set up your custom view here.

ringcentral app
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gadgetfreak avatar image gadgetfreak commented ·
I have been following this thread and appreciate that there are users watching offering their opinions. I can use your advice. I am currently testing RC for my 30-person company to replace Nextiva. I like the integrated meetings in RC and their easier ways to configure and use all the features. Nextiva billing is top complicated as well. But we subscribe to O365 and use MS Teams (which is much better than Glip). So we would like to keep Teams and use RC for phone and meetings. It seems RC is pushing Glip and it is impossible to hide it. In fact it seems to always remain front and center. MS Teams doesn't do phones (at least not well). So, before my trial is over, do the seasoned users here think I RC is still worth it or are there alternatives I should look at? Thanks in advance. 
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bob-robinson3288 avatar image bob-robinson3288 gadgetfreak commented ·
In conversations on this forum, the information provided by RingCentral is that admins will have the ability to disable/hide the Teams functionality.  I'm not sure how the interface would change if the part that takes up the most real estate is disabled, but that's the information they have provided.
1 Like 1 ·
J.B. Ferguson avatar image J.B. Ferguson gadgetfreak commented ·
@gadgetfreak - I am a telecommunications consultant and would be more than happy to discuss the pluses and minuses of these and other options With you. Im returning to my office from an appointment and will be available in about 30 minutes, about 12:15 PM central standard time. If you would like to contact me my direct dial number is 931-324-1230.
1 Like 1 ·
gadgetfreak avatar image gadgetfreak gadgetfreak commented ·
JB - Thanks for your reply. I can't call this week but I am interested in continuing the discussion. It doesn't seem like I can PM you on this forum. Do you have a website/email?
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chris-duquette4018 avatar image chris-duquette4018 commented ·
I have a customer right now who uses the ringcentral desktop app to send faxes and texts, how will using the "glip" app help them out? They don't want to have a platform like glip where the office could be wasting more time chatting and sending memes than doing actual work.
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saadetswift16514 avatar image saadetswift16514 chris-duquette4018 commented ·
Hey Chris, your customer will be able to turn off the messaging feature :)

Q. Can I turn off specific features I dont want my users accessing (e.g., team messaging, meetings, calling, etc.)?
A. Yes. As part of the transition, we will be introducing the ability for admins to turn off feature access for users in the RingCentral mobile app.
1 Like 1 ·
cglassy3135 avatar image cglassy3135 chris-duquette4018 commented ·
USA-based acct | 2287 Users | 3800 DID lines | 28 sites | all Polycom VVX500 phone handsets


NOTE  we have also recently adopted the BlincLight MIni for online presence indicator. This hooks directly to  your computer for use with the RingCentral HeadsUpDisplay app - and shows if you are on the line, available or DND    to others walking through your work area or office so they can tell you are On The Line or not

This device is on a USB cabled connection, the device about 3" tall, and has a RingCentral specific set of drivers etc. - it runs about $55.00 USD per unit - unless  you buy in bulk (over 20 units) then the per unit price goes down 

https://embrava.com/products/blynclight-mini




1 Like 1 ·
todd-shoemaker avatar image todd-shoemaker chris-duquette4018 commented ·
We need the same outgoing calling features that are on the RC phone app included before this app is the only one available. If thats not going to be a feature and function of this app we need to keep the other app usable. I hope you have planned to make all of those features work on the new app in your plans but if not please alter your plans so when an incoming call arrives on a given line (phone number) and we see it we can use our phone to call out on that exact phone number the incoming caller dialed. So for instance if they dialed the phone number on say our website and it rang here and then I missed the call I could return their call from the phone number for our website. Maybe the call came in on (012)345-6789 so well need to be able to dial them from that same phone number so they recognize the incoming line/phone number. Thank you!
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cglassy3135 avatar image cglassy3135 commented ·
USA-based acct | 2287 Users | 3800 DID lines | 28 sites | all Polycom VVX500 phone handsets

This is a huge problem for our organization as use of GLIP is banned throughout due to lack of Enterprise Security which is not compliant with our network requirements.   How is RingCentral going to accomodate this for us?  Previously, we were told we would always still have access to a version of the RingCentral software without GLIP being visible to all users - this creates a huge number internal helpdesk tickets and failed logins as users attempt to login to GLIP instead of RC Phone.

http://ringcentraladminusersgroup.org/faq/glipsec.html

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becky-higgins11976 avatar image becky-higgins11976 commented ·

Hi Cecile, we appreciate your feedback! We are starting this transition with our mobile apps first, and continuing with the desktop versions in 2020. In the case of team messaging capabilities, we understand flexibility is important and organizations will be able to turn team messaging chat functionality on/off in both (mobile/desktop) versions. The admin features you have previously mentioned are a part of our roadmap. 

In addition I wanted to share the latest version of our RingCentral App security white paper that addresses many of the Enterprise security concerns that come up for folks. 


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cglassy3135 avatar image cglassy3135 becky-higgins11976 commented ·
The white paper you linked above covers general security concerns, but not the issues we have with the lack of specific features for controlling Virus scan of attachments to glip message, message moderation,  control of who may or may not "send to all users in an organization"    we are a public entity and cannot use a tool that does not provide these controls. 

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tomc11593 avatar image tomc11593 becky-higgins11976 commented ·
Hi Becky - is there any progress to share on allowing users to use the new apps when they do not have access to Glip? Currently with Glip disabled users just cannot log in.  We'd really like to start using the new app as it seems slicker and this is obviously where you development is focused.  Thanks,
Tom
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chris-duquette4018 avatar image chris-duquette4018 commented ·
Is there an expected date for when this migration will happen? I will have to have a couple customers download this new app for their desktops. At the moment they strictly use the RC for desktop app on their PCs so they'll need this to continue operating correctly.
1 Like 1 ·
chris-duquette4018 avatar image chris-duquette4018 chris-duquette4018 commented ·
Thank you. I look forward to hearing from them and giving my customer time to get the app put in by their IT company.
1 Like 1 ·
saadetswift16514 avatar image saadetswift16514 chris-duquette4018 commented ·
Hey Chris, the migration dates will vary for each account - we'll do this in stages, just like when we roll out a new release :) The account manager or CSM for your customer's account will have more details about when the account is scheduled.
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