Category Archives: Apps Feed Blog

The feed from the Google Apps team

Gmail data loss prevention now supports “sensitive content snippets”

What’s changing

We recently launched data loss prevention for Gmail and, beginning today, Admins can see “Sensitive content snippets” for Gmail messages that trigger data loss prevention rules. This content is logged  in the security investigation tool and admins can use the information to better identify security risks, determine whether a false positive was returned, and decide on an appropriate course of action.

Snippets are already available for DLP events for Drive, Chat, and Chrome. Visit our Help Center and our previous announcement for more information.

Matched content and information about the data detector type is displayed in the side panel under ‘Log Details’ in the Security Investigation Tool

Getting started

Rollout pace

Availability

Available to Google Workspace 
  • Frontline Standard
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus, and the Teaching and Learning add-on
  • Enterprise Essentials Plus
  • Also available for Chrome Enterprise Premium

Resources


Use Gemini in the side panel of Google Slides in even more languages

What’s changing

Following up on our recent language availability announcement, we’re excited to announce that you can now use Gemini in the side panel of Google Slides, which includes the ability to generate images, in the following languages: 
  • Arabic
  • Catalan
  • Chinese
  • Czech 
  • Danish 
  • Dutch 
  • Finnish 
  • Greek 
  • Hebrew 
  • Hungarian 
  • Indonesian 
  • Malay 
  • Norwegian 
  • Polish 
  • Romanian 
  • Russian 
  • Swedish 
  • Thai 
  • Turkish 
  • Ukrainian 
  • Vietnamese 
With Gemini in the side panel of your Workspace apps, you can get help summarizing, brainstorming, and generating content by utilizing insights gathered from your emails, documents, and more—all without switching applications or tabs. Check out our original announcements for Gemini in the side panel of Slides, Docs, Sheets, and Drive, and Gmail for even more information. 


Additional details 

  • Users may see the “Alpha” badge as we bring more features into Gemini in the side panel of Google Workspace. 
  • Image generation of people is not supported in these additional languages at this time. 

Getting started 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

Available to Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on 
  • Customers with the Gemini Business or Gemini Enterprise add-on* 
*As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details.

Resources 

Beta update: Data loss prevention rules based on classification labels are now applied instantly in Gmail on the web

What’s changing

In November 2024, we announced an open beta for data classification labels in Gmail. To further enhance the experience, we’re pleased to announce that auto-classification labeling with data loss prevention (DLP) rules and actions triggered by classification labels detected in the message will now be applied instantly when using Gmail on the web. Previously, users were informed of any implications after messages left the inbox. With this update, the feedback is instant, providing the opportunity to educate users on why their message is classified, blocked or quarantined, and how to remedy the issue to keep their email communications flowing. 

With this new functionality, and with this feature still in an open beta period, we strongly encourage you to continue providing feedback so we can optimize the feature for general availability. You can also use the form to sign-up for feedback sessions with the Google user research team to provide more detailed feedback.




Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it matters
Google Workspace's expansion of data classification labels to Gmail gives admins the ability to mitigate data exfiltration and gain a deeper understanding of shared data based on information type and sensitivity level to apply data protection policies appropriately. Some ways you can use Data Protection Rules with Classification Labels are:

    • Prevent messages based on a specific classification (e.g. Confidential, Internal, NTK) from being accidentally shared with unauthorized users.
      • You can create a rule with specific label(s) as a condition and choose an action to trigger when a message is sent:
        • Warn: users will see a notification that their message may contain sensitive information, helping to prevent accidental sharing. Note that this action does not block the message from being sent.
        • Block: users will be notified that their message will not be sent unless the label is changed or removed (if data organization policy allows).
        • You can also create a rule in a way that allows for sharing labeled messages only if confidential mode is enabled for the message.

    • Enforce classification on every message or specific messages
      • You can create a rule that warns users or blocks the message if a specific classification label is not found in the message. This can help educate users and drive adoption of your organization’s data classification policy among users.
    • Automatically apply classification labels messages if specific information types are found in the message
      • You can create a rule to automatically apply a specific classification label if certain criteria is met. For example, credit card information or medical information are contained within the email. 
      • You can also configure the rule to allow users to modify the label to a more appropriate one based on the situation and data classification policy of your organization.
    For more detailed information, please refer to our beta announcement as well as our Help Center.


    Additional details

    At this time, this update is only supported when using Gmail on the web. Stay tuned for further updates about instantaneous support in Gmail iOS and Android clients.

    Getting started

    Rollout pace

    Availability

    The Label Manager and manual classification is available to Google Workspace:
    • Frontline Starter and Standard
    • Business Standard and Plus
    • Enterprise Standard and Plus
    • Education Standard and Education Plus
    • Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, and Enterprise Essentials Plus


    Data loss prevention rules with labels as a condition or labels as an action are available to:
    • Enterprise Standard and Plus
    • Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus, and the Teaching & Learning Upgrade
    • Frontline Standard
    • Cloud Identity Premium (with a Workspace Edition that includes Gmail)

    Resources



    Admins can now deploy Context-Aware Access for NotebookLM and NotebookLM Plus

    What’s changing

    Building upon the recent announcement of NotebookLM and NotebookLM Plus becoming available as a Google Workspace core service with enterprise-grade data protection, we’re excited to introduce the ability for admins to specify Context-Aware Access (CAA) policies when their users access NotebookLM and NotebookLM Plus. 

    Context Aware Access support for NotebookLM

    Who’s impacted 

    Admins and end users 


    Why it’s important

    Using Context-Aware Access, admins can set up different access levels for NotebookLM and NotebookLM Plus based on a user’s identity and the context of the request (location, device security status, IP address). This can help provide granular access controls without the need for a VPN, and give users access to Google Workspace resources based on organizational policies. 


    Getting started 


    Rollout pace 


    Availability 

    Context-Aware Access is available for Google Workspace: 
    • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
    • Education Standard and Plus 
    • Enterprise Essentials Plus 
    • Frontline Standard 
    • Cloud Identity Premium 

    Resources 

    Introducing a new building block that summarizes content with Gemini in Google Docs

    What’s changing

    Last year, we introduced a collection of building blocks designed to help you manage important business workflows in Google Docs, including team task management, project tracking, hiring, and more. 

    Today, we’re excited to announce an additional building block that adds an AI-generated summary to your content using Gemini in Docs. By going to Insert > Building Blocks > AI Summary or typing “@” followed by “AI summary,” Gemini will provide a summary that you can instantly insert or edit alongside other document collaborators. In addition, you can select the refresh option to update your summary when you make changes to your document. doc content. 

    These AI-generated summaries make it easier to consume long documents and can be particularly useful for content such as technical documents, meeting notes, strategy documents, marketing briefs, and more. 
    new building block that summarizes content with Gemini in Google Docs




    Getting started 


    Rollout pace 


    Availability 

    Available for Google Workspace: 
    • Business Standard and Plus 
    • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
    • Google One AI Premium 

    Anyone who previously purchased these add-ons will also receive this feature: 
    • Gemini Business* 
    • Gemini Enterprise* 
    *As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details.

    Resources 

    Available in beta: Convert your client-side encrypted documents after a Vault or Takeout export

    What’s changing 

    After a Vault or Data export (takeout), admins can now convert their exported client-side encrypted documents to Word files. This allows organizations to maintain ownership over, access to, and analysis of sensitive data in a portable format even after it has been exported from Google Workspace. 


    Eligible Google Workspace admins can use this form to request access to the beta. We’ll share more specific instructions once you’re accepted into the beta.



    Getting started

    • Admins: Client-side encryption can be enabled at the domain, OU, and Group levels (Admin console > Data > Compliance > Client-side encryption). Visit our Help Center to learn more about client-side encryption.

    Rollout pace

    • The feature will be available immediately once you're accepted into the beta.

    Availability

    • Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus customers.

    Resources


    Upcoming changes to how retention policies are applied to 1:1 direct messages in Google Chat

    What’s happening 

    Many Google Workspace organizations rely on Google Chat to facilitate communication and collaboration, including with users in the same domain, users in other Workspace Domains, and users with personal Google accounts. Currently, each organization in an external 1:1 direct message conversation can set their own retention policy, which impacts what messages end users see in the product user interface and what admins see in Google Vault.


    To provide a more consistent product experience across conversation types, we are changing how retention policies are applied to 1:1 direct messages with external participants.


    Following this change, 1:1 direct messages with external participants will respect the retention policy of the user who created the conversation. If a user in your organization did not create the conversation, they may see more or fewer messages in the Chat user interface after this change since the creator’s policy will be respected. You can see who created the conversation by scrolling to the top of the conversation, or hovering over the external badge. 


    This change does not impact an admin’s ability to apply a retention policy or ability to access 1:1 direct messages in Google Vault or Data Export for users with a Google Vault policy applied. 


    If you do not have Vault, or do not have a Vault policy applied, changes in access to conversations will apply to the product user interface and Data Export.


    Additionally, today, in the case that two users within the same organization have conflicting retention or auto-deletion policies, we respect those policies separately for each user. Once the migration happens, we will respect the longer of the two retention policies and the shorter of the two auto-deletion policies for both users in the conversation. If one user has a custom retention rule while the other has only a default retention rule, the custom rule will take precedence over a default rule.


    Starting May 1, 2025:
    • All new external 1:1 direct messages will respect the retention policy of the creator. 
      • For users with a Vault policy applied, the creator’s policy will only impact messages in the Chat product user interface. 

    Starting June 2, 2025:
    • Existing 1:1 direct messages will migrate to respect the retention policy of the creator. 
      • For users with a Vault policy applied, the creator’s policy will only impact messages in the Chat product user interface. 

    By August 1, 2025:
    • We anticipate the migration will be complete.

    Until February 1, 2026:
    • We will preserve impacted 1:1 direct messages in Google Vault or Data Export for 6 months past the end of the migration to allow organizations to download a copy of the data.

    Why it matters

    It’s important to note that if your organization has a Google Vault policy applied to your users, you will not lose access to any conversations—even if they no longer appear in the Chat product user interface. If your organization does not have Vault or does not have a Vault policy applied, some conversations that were previously available may no longer be available in Data Export or Vault. 


    Getting started

    Resources

    Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – March 14, 2025

    3 New updates

    Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are available to all Google Workspace customers, and are fully launched or in the process of rolling out. Rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete if launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time. If not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete.



    Updates to the attachment menu in the Gmail app
    We’ve updated and added new attachment options to the Gmail app on Android and iOS devices.
    • On Android, in addition to the current options for attaching a file or inserting an item from Drive, you’ll now notice a dedicated menu item for Camera.

    • On iOS, we recently replaced the attachment sheet that previously appeared at the bottom of your screen after clicking the attachment icon. Now, iOS users will see a menu experience similar to the one on Android devices that includes: Photos, Camera, Files, and Drive. 

    Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete for iOS devices. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains for Android devices. | Available to Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about sending attachments with your Gmail message.



    Additional accessibility tags for Tables, Equations, and Checkboxes in PDFs exported from Google Docs
    Last year, we added structural and accessibility tagging in PDFs exported from Google Docs to improve the ability for users with screen readers and other assistive technology to read and navigate PDFs. We’re building upon this by introducing support for tables, equations, and checkboxes. As a result, users will be able to export a wider range of content in an accessible format. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Google Docs with a screen reader.


    2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental model upgrades in the Gemini app and Deep Research              We’re pleased to announce that an improved version of Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental will become available to Gemini app users. Built on the foundation of 2.0 Flash, this model delivers improved performance and better advanced reasoning capabilities with efficiency and speed. Gemini Advanced users will also have access to a 1M token context window with this model.

    Additionally, we're upgrading Gemini Deep Research to use the 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental model. With advanced reasoning from 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental, Gemini is even better at all stages of research from planning to delivering even more insightful and detailed reports. 

    Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | The improved version of 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental and Deep Research with 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental is available for Google Workspace Business Starter, Standard and Plus; Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus; Frontline Starter and Standard; Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus; Education Standard and Plus; and Google Workspace for Nonprofits and customers with a Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on, and anyone who previously purchased a Gemini Business or Gemini Enterprise add-on. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about using the Gemini app with a work or school account in general, as well as for in-depth research.





    Previous announcements

    The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.


    Quickly add events to Google Calendar based on your emails with Gemini in Gmail
    In addition to asking Gemini in Gmail to perform calendar related actions or answer questions about your calendar, you can now add an event to your calendar directly from an email. | Learn more about adding events to your calendar from Gmail using Gemini. 

    Create files and folders using Gemini in the side panel of Google Drive 
    We're excited to expand Gemini in Drive capabilities by introducing the ability to create new Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and folders in your Drive. | Learn more about creating files and folders in Drive using Gemini. 

    View invited meeting participants on Google Meet hardware 
    You can now see participants who were invited to the meeting but have yet to join the call right on Google Meet hardware. | Learn more about invited Meet participants. 

    Use Gemini in the side panel of Workspace apps in four more languages 
    Gemini in the side panel of Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive, and Gmail can now be used in four additional languages: Greek,  Catalan,  Indonesian, and Malay. | Learn more about new languages for Gemini in the side panel of Workspace apps. 

    More AI-powered features in Google Meet and Google Chat are coming to Google Workspace Business and Enterprise editions 
    Earlier this year, we announced that we’re including the best of Google AI in Workspace Business and Enterprise plans without the need to purchase a separate Gemini add-on. Beginning this week, even more AI-powered features are available for Business and Enterprise editions. | Learn more about additional AI-powered features. 

    Export your client-side encrypted documents to Microsoft Word files 
    Launching in beta, you can now export client-side encrypted Google Docs to Word files. This means you'll continue to own the encryption keys that protect your files to prevent unauthorized access from any third party (including Google or foreign governments) but convert your files as needed. | Learn more about exporting your client-side encrypted documents to Microsoft Word files. 

    Embed AppSheet apps directly in Google Sites 
    You can now embed authenticated AppSheet applications as iframes directly within Google Sites pages. | Learn more about AppSheet apps in Sites. 

    More languages are available for recorded captions and transcripts in Google Meet 
    Transcripts in Google Meet are now available in seven additional languages: French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. | Learn more about recorded captions and transcripts in Google Meet. 

    "Take notes for me" in Google Meet is available in seven additional languages
    We’re rolling out support “take notes for me” in the following seven additional languages: French,  German,  Italian,  Japanese,  Korean,  Portuguese, and Spanish. | Learn more about “Take notes for me” in Google Meet.

    Deep Research and Gems in the Gemini app are now available for more Google Workspace customers 
    We’re expanding the availability of Deep Research and Gems in the Gemini app to Google Workspace:  
    • Business Starter 
    • Enterprise Starter 
    • Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus 
    • Frontline Starter and Standard 
    • Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, and Enterprise Essentials Plus 
    • Nonprofits 
    Learn more about Deep Research and Gems.

    Introducing AppSheet User Pass
    You can now license any user of your apps with AppSheet User Pass. | Learn more about the AppSheet User Pass.

    Consent re-confirmation for under 18 users accessing Additional Services will soon be required
    In September 2024, we communicated that we now require admins who have Additional Services enabled for users under the age of 18 to re-review them on an annual basis. Admins are always in control of which services their users have access to, and this gives admins an opportunity to ensure the right users have access to the right services. | Learn more about consent re-confirmation for under 18 users accessing Additional Services.


    Completed rollouts

    The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog posts for additional details.


    Rapid Release Domains: 
    Scheduled Release Domains: 
    Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains: 

      For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).       

      Consent re-confirmation for under 18 users accessing Additional Services will soon be required

      What’s changing

      When a Google Workspace for Education admin chooses to enable Additional Services for students under the age of 18 to use, they acknowledge that they may be required to collect parental or guardian consent. This includes access to services like YouTube, Google Translate, Google Photos, Google Books, Google Earth and more.

      In September 2024, we communicated that we now require admins who have Additional Services enabled for users under the age of 18 to re-review them on an annual basis. Admins are always in control of which services their users have access to, and this gives admins an opportunity to ensure the right users have access to the right services.

      • If admins do not want to provide access to Additional Services for their under 18 users, they can turn them off for those users. 
      • If admins want to keep Additional services enabled for under 18 users, they need to reconfirm parental consent in the admin console.  
      • If admins do not take action, under 18 users who previously had access to Additional Services will lose access in the coming weeks. Admins can re-enable access to Additional Services at any time. 

      How admins can take action
      Admins were first provided notice of this re-confirmation requirement in September 2024, which indicated a 6 months notice to complete the re-review process before the March 2025 rollout. The banner in the admin console has turned red to alert admins that action is required. While the rollout begins in March, it might take several weeks before some users in your organization are impacted.

      You can easily view which applications require consent reconfirmation from Admin console > Apps > Additional Google services. You can re-confirm consent by checking the box next to the app, hovering over the app, or using the three-dot overflow menu. 

      Experience for impacted end users
      If users lose access to a specific service they’ll be notified “Your Google Workspace for Education account is designated as under 18 and your organization’s admin has not granted you access to this Additional Service. To regain access, inform your admin that you need this service to be enabled.“ 



      Who’s impacted

      Admins and end users under the age of 18


      Why it’s important

      Admins are in control of which services their users have access to, and to do so in alignment with both our terms of service and local laws and regulations that determine what services are appropriate for users under 18. Since admins manage which services their students have access to, only they can enable or disable access for their under 18 users. 


      This is a guide to support admins with collecting consent from parents, which includes this template for communicating with parents and guardians around collecting consent. 

      Additional details

      The requirement to review and re-confirm access to Additional Products is an annual requirement customers must complete for their under 18 users, subject to their Google Workspace for Education Terms of Service. 

      Getting started


      Rollout pace


      Availability

      This change impacts Google Workspace:
      • Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus

      Resources




      Introducing AppSheet User Pass

      What’s changing

      Starting today, you can license any user of your apps with AppSheet User Pass. Each User Pass grants unlimited access to an AppSheet app for the month and your users can consume as many User Pass licenses as they need. This gives you the flexibility to pay for the features that will make a difference for your users, whether they are internal or external to your organization, signed-in or unauthenticated.

      Additional details

      How is an AppSheet User Pass is different from traditional Google Workspace licenses?:

      1. User Pass licenses are available to your app users as a pool, rather than assigned to individual users through the Google Admin console. Licenses are automatically consumed each time an eligible user accesses one of your AppSheet Enterprise Plus or AppSheet Core apps. Eligible users include those that do not already have an AppSheet license or have a license of a lower tier than the app owner, including internal, external, or unauthenticated users.

      2. Users consume a license for each app they use - allowing you to license your app users at a discounted rate. User Pass will not independently grant these users the ability to build apps with Core or Enterprise features, but it is possible for an eligible user to consume more than one User Pass license if they access multiple unique apps in a month. For example:


      Please also note that:
      • The pool of User Pass licenses resets at the end of the calendar month and unused licenses do not rollover. You will only be charged for the user pass licenses that you have committed to purchase.
      • AppSheet User Pass will be available through Workspace and the Partner Sales Console. 
      • We recently alerted customers that starting April 10, 2025, the AppSheet Enterprise Standard External User and AppSheet Enterprise Plus External User licenses will no longer be available for purchase. Customers with existing external user licenses will not see any interruption in service during this transition and will receive additional notice with next steps.

      Getting started

      Rollout pace

      Availability

      Available for Google Workspace:
      • Business Starter, Standard, and Plus
      • Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus
      • Education Standard and Plus
      • Frontline Standard
      • AppSheet Enterprise Plus

      Resources