Author Archives: Jane Smith

Easily enter building locations into the Admin console

What’s changing

You can now input addresses, instead of latitude and longitude coordinates, to enter the locations of your office buildings in the Admin console. This is a more efficient and reliable ways for you, as a G Suite admin, to manage international office locations.

Who’s impacted

Admins only

Why you’d use it

Adding address information immediately unlocks automatic correction of room and resource time zones based on building address. This ensures that you have correct data in the room insights dashboard. Additionally, with this change we’ll now automatically set the correct time zones for all resources in these buildings, and help ensure you see accurate usage by time of day in the room insights dashboard.

In the future, this information will also power other intelligent features such as:
  • Automatic time zone adjustment when you’re working from other buildings
  • Accurate directions from Calendar
  • Room suggestions in nearby buildings

How to get started


Admins: There are three ways to input this information:
  1. Directly from the Admin console user interface: In the Admin console under Manage Resources > Manage Buildings, you can enter addresses directly and be shown a Google map to confirm their location. This is recommended for entering a small number of buildings at a time. 
  2. Bulk upload via CSV file: This is also in the Admin console under Manage Resources > Manage Buildings. The bulk upload spreadsheet supports a general address format, so you can verify your locations in many countries and regions. 
  3. Upload via the Building Resources API. 
End users: No end user impact.



    Additional details

    Check out the Help Center for complete instructions on adding locations for all three of these methods and read the documentation on how to add building addresses via the API.

    Helpful links

    Help Center: Set up buildings, features, and other resources

    Availability

    Rollout details

    • Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 6, 2019
    • Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 6, 2019
    G Suite editions
    Available to all G Suite editions
    On/off by default?
    This feature will be ON by default

    Stay up to date with G Suite launches

    Changes to Google Groups settings starting May 6, 2019

    What’s changing 

    In May 2019, we’ll make some changes to the settings in Google Groups. In response to your ongoing feedback, we are updating Groups’ settings to make it easier for you and your users to manage and configure groups. Specifically, we will remove settings and features that are rarely used, and combine settings that cover similar functionality. These changes will affect the groups.google.com interface and also the APIs used to manage groups.

    Your existing groups may be affected by the upcoming settings changes. When the changes take effect, we’ll update the settings for existing groups. These updates may change how groups can be accessed and used.

    Use this Help Center article to see details of these changes and see how you can prepare for the update.

    The changes will start to roll out on May 6, and may take up to 15 days to reach all domains.

    Who’s impacted 

    Admins and end users

    Why you’d take action 

    Some users who are not group owners or group managers but who currently have access to specific group management features may lose that access. We recommend you audit groups in your organization and adjust the settings before May 6 to make sure these users don’t lose access.

    When the new settings take effect:
    • Existing group settings will be updated to conform to the new controls available. 
    • Group owners will still be able to change the settings that apply to their group at any point. 
    • New groups will be subject to the same default controls that they are today. 


    How to get started 


    Additional details 

    In the next few days, users will see an in-product message about the upcoming changes when they use Groups. The message will direct them to the Help Center for an overview of the changes and change timeline.

    Most groups will be affected in some way by these changes. You can use the Groups API to get a list of all groups and get a list of group owners in your organization, which might help you prepare for the changes.

    Helpful links 


    Availability 

    Rollout details 
    • Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 6, 2019 
    • Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 6, 2019 G Suite editions Available to all G Suite editions On/off by default? This feature will be ON by default. 

    Stay up to date with G Suite launches

    Manage and distribute Android apps when using basic mobile management

    What’s changing 

    You can now manage Android apps for your users when using basic mobile management. Previously, you could only do this if you used advanced mobile management.

    Who’s impacted 

    Admins only

    Why you’d use it 

    With basic mobile management you can now:
    • Organize apps in the managed Google Play store 
    • Automatically install apps on users' devices 
    • Create web apps 
    • Create private apps 

    See below for more info.

    How to get started 

    • Admins: Go to Admin console > Device management > App Management > Manage apps for Android devices, to start to whitelist and manage Android apps. 
    • End users: No action needed. Users in basic mobile management domains will now see a “Work apps” section in the managed Google Play store. The section contains the default G Suite apps and other apps that are whitelisted from the Admin console. 

    Additional details 


    Organize apps in the managed Google Play store: 
    To help your users find the apps they need, you can organize apps into collections. These collections appear on devices in the “Work apps” section in the managed Google Play store.

    Automatically install apps: 
    With basic mobile management you can now automatically install apps on your users’ devices. Use our Help Center to find out how to manage app preferences. Note that preventing users from uninstalling apps, and some other advanced features, require advanced mobile management.

    Create web apps 
    You can now create and manage web apps in the Admin console. Web apps look like native apps and can make web pages easier to find and simpler to use on mobile devices. You can also distribute web apps the same way you distribute native apps–by adding them to collections in a managed Google Play store or automatically installing them on users’ devices.

    Create private apps 
    You can now create private Android apps directly from the Admin console. Simply upload the APK and give the app a title. The app will appear in the managed Google Play store within minutes. You can also install the app directly on your users’ devices (see above). Previously, it took several hours to create and publish an app, and you had to create a Play Console account, provide a credit card, and fill in many other fields before the app would be available to your users.


    The ‘Work Apps’ tab in the managed Google Play store has the G Suite apps and other apps whitelisted by admins. 

    Helpful links 


    Availability 

    Rollout details 

    G Suite editions:
    Available to all G Suite editions.

    On/off by default? 
    This feature will be OFF by default until app management is set up, and can be enabled at the domain, OU, or group level.

    Stay up to date with G Suite launches
  • Get G Suite product update alerts by email
  • See the G Suite launch release calendar
  • Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

    • Automatically provision users with three additional apps

    What’s changing 

    We’re adding auto-provisioning support for three new applications:
    • Boomi 
    • Keeper 
    • SpaceIQ 


    Who’s impacted 

    Admins only

    Why you’d use it 

    When auto-provisioning is enabled for a supported third-party application, any users created, modified, or deleted in G Suite are automatically added, edited, or deleted in the third-party application as well. This feature is highly popular with admins, as it removes the overhead of managing users across multiple third-party SaaS applications.

    How to get started 

    • Admins: For more information on how to set up auto-provisioning, check out the Help Center.
    • End users: No action needed.

    Helpful links 

    Help Center: Automated user provisioning 
    Help Center: Using SAML to set up federated SSO 

    Availability 

    Rollout details 

    G Suite editions 
    • G Suite Education, Business, and Enterprise customers can enable auto-provisioning for all supported applications 
    • G Suite Basic, Government, and Nonprofit customers can enable auto-provisioning for up to three applications 

    On/off by default? 
    This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the OU level.
    Stay up to date with G Suite launches

    What’s New in G Suite – January 2019




    Check out the latest "What's New in G Suite" launch recap (pdf) for a roundup of all G Suite launches from January 2019.

    Archive and translated versions (coming soon for January issue)

    Stay up to date with G Suite launches

    Dedicated Hangouts Meet IP addresses

    What’s changing

    We’re adding a range of official, fixed IP addresses to be used exclusively for classic Hangouts and Hangouts Meet in G Suite domains. That means that you can identify video conference traffic used in G Suite and deprioritize Hangouts traffic from consumer accounts. This can help you better configure and optimize network and firewall access.

    Who’s impacted

    Admins and network operators only

    Why you’d use it

    Hangouts Meet IP addresses allow you to recognize the G Suite video conference traffic. Use the IPs to:

    • Open Meet’s TCP and UDP ports for Meet IPs
    • Avoid tunneling or DPI for Meet IPs
    • Reduce latency by providing the shortest path possible to the internet for Meet traffic

    How to get started



    Additional information

    Hangouts Meet and classic Hangouts will stop using the old IP address on February 14, 2019. As this change might interfere with previous network optimization you might have set up, we recommend adopting these IP addresses as part of your firewall and network configuration.

    Helpful links


    Availability

    Rollout details

    • Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 14, 2019
    • Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 14, 2019

    G Suite editions
    Available to all G Suite editions

    On/off by default?
    This feature will be ON by default.

    Stay up to date with G Suite launches

    Five new third-party applications added to G Suite pre-integrated SAML apps catalog

    What’s changing 

    We’re adding SAML integration for five additional applications:
    • Carbonite 
    • ComponentSpace 
    • Emburse 
    • Sentry 
    • Twic 

    Use our Help Center to see the full list of SAML apps and find out how to configure SAML applications.

    Who’s impacted 

    Admins only

    Why you’d use it 

    With Single-Sign-On (SSO), users can access all of their enterprise cloud applications—including the Admin console for admins—after signing in just one time. Google supports the two most popular enterprise SSO standards, OpenID Connect and SAML, and there are already many applications with pre-integrated SSO support in our third-party apps catalog.

    How to get started 

    • Admins: You can find our full list of pre-integrated applications, as well as instructions for installing them, in the Help Center.
    • End users: No action needed.

    Additional details 

    Note that apart from the pre-integrated SAML applications, G Suite also supports installing “Custom SAML Applications,” which means that admins can install any third-party application that supports SAML. The advantage of a pre-integrated app is that the installation is much easier. Use out Help Center to learn more about installing Custom SAML Applications.

    Helpful links 

    Help Center: Using SAML to set up federated SSO 
    Help Center: Set up your own custom SAML applicationAvailability 

    Rollout details 

    G Suite editions 
    Available to all G Suite editions.
    On/off by default? 
    This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the OU level.
    Stay up to date with G Suite launches

    Feedback requested: New blog post format

    Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed a new format to our launch announcements on this blog. Based on customer feedback, we tried to:

    • Use headings to make our posts more scannable 
    • Reorder information to call out what’s most important for you to know. 

    We hope that this new formatting saves you time and makes our launch announcements more useful for you. If you haven’t already provided feedback, we’d love to get your thoughts on the new style. Please let us know what you think of the changes by filling out this form.


    Thanks, The G Suite Launch Announcement team

    A new look and feel for Gmail on mobile

    What’s changing

    In addition to similar announcements we’ve recently made for Drive and Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Sites on the web, we’re now bringing a new look to Gmail on mobile, too.

    As part of the new design, you can quickly view attachments—like photos—without opening or scrolling through the conversation. It’s also easier to switch between personal and work accounts, so you can access all of your emails without breaking a sweat.

    A more minimal use of color helps you focus on content and what's important to you. We’ve also replaced the search button with a more prominent search bar at the top of the screen.


    And just like on the web, you’ll get big, red warnings to alert you when something looks phish-y. 

    Who’s impacted

    All end users

    Why you’d use it

    This update is part of a larger effort to bring the look and feel of our G Suite apps together as a whole, and always with ease-of-use in mind.

    How to get started

    • Admins: No action needed
    • End users: You'll see the changes coming to your Android and iOS devices over the coming weeks.

    Additional details

    We’ve already updated the web apps for Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and most recently Google Docs and Sites. In the coming weeks, you’ll see the new mobile design in Gmail on Android and iOS, with more G Suite mobile apps to follow later this year.

    Helpful links

    Availability

    Rollout details
    • Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 29, 2019
    • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 29, 2019
    G Suite editions
    Available to all G Suite editions

    On/off by default?
    This feature will be ON by default.

    Stay up to date with G Suite launches

    More language options available for the 2019 Calendar Template in Sheets

    Quick launch summary 

    We’ve expanded language options for creating a 2019 Calendar Template in Sheets. The new language options available are:

    • Brazilian Portuguese 
    • Chinese 
    • Danish 
    • Dutch 
    • Filipino 
    • French 
    • German 
    • Hindi 
    • Indonesian 
    • Italian 
    • Japanese 
    • Korean 
    • Latin American Spanish 
    • Polish 
    • Russian 
    • Spanish 
    • Swedish 
    • Thai 
    • Turkish 
    • Vietnamese 
    Note: The template was previously released in English languages.

    Availability 

    Rollout details 
    G Suite editions 
    • Available to all G Suite editions. 
    On/off by default? 
    • This feature will be ON by default.