Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - May 19, 2023

6 New updates

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are fully launched or in the process of rolling out (rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete), 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), and available to all Google Workspace customers.

Improve time management and display time with new chips in Google Docs

In addition to the recent introduction of new smart canvas features in Google Sheets and Google Docs, we’re adding new timer chips that can be used to timebox activities and ensure that you’re using your time productively.

To more finely represent time, we’re also adding a time-of-day chip to Google Docs. By typing “@today" you can add the date and then select "Set time" to add the time to the date chip.

Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for May 31, 2023. | Learn more about inserting smart chips & building blocks in your Google Doc.

Use alternative text for visual content on Google Sites

Google Sites editors are now able to add or edit alt text on inserted images and add or edit alt text on background images, making their Sites more readable by everyone. | Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for May 30, 2023. | Learn more about making your site more accessible.

Enhancing our web onboarding experience in Google Chat to help users get started quicker

To build upon recent Google Chat improvements and help organizations use Chat more efficiently, we’re revamping the web onboarding experience for those new to Chat. When using Chat in Gmail or visiting chat.google.com for the first time, you will see options to start a chat, join a space, or browse apps. If you select the first option to send a direct message to a colleague or group, the simpler chat creation options will appear. Choosing to join a space will display a new browsing experience, and the Chat apps option will show you how apps work and the ways to find and add apps. | Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for June 5th 2023.

New web onboarding experience in Google Chat

Spellcheck for client-side encrypted files in Google Slides

If you’re working in a client-side encrypted file in Google Slides, you’ll now see spelling suggestions as you type. You can see suggestions for misspelled words (indicated by a red wavy underline) by accessing the menu (Tools > Spelling > Spell check) or right- or left-clicking on the word. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus customers only. | Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for May 30, 2023. | Learn more about encrypted files in Drive, Docs, Sheets & Slides.

Export client-side encrypted spreadsheets to Excel files

Google Sheets files that are client-side encrypted can now be exported as an Excel file. This means you'll continue to protect your files with encryption, but convert your files as needed. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more about encrypted files in Drive, Docs, Sheets & Slides.

AppSheet-powered no-code apps in Google Chat

This announcement was made at Google I/O ‘23. Visit the Workspace Blog to learn more about building workflows across Google Workspace to connect user experiences across apps. You can now create Google Chat apps without code in AppSheet to build integrations or workflows that suit the needs of your organization. | Available now to all Google Workspace customers with an AppSheet Starter, Core, or Enterprise plan. | Learn more about Chat apps.

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.

Improving Calendar Interoperability

Recent improvements to Calendar Interoperability include: Microsoft Outlook users who also have a Google Calendar with the same email address can receive Google Calendar invitations and RSVPs in Outlook, a default meeting reminder will be generated in Microsoft Outlook if the invitation was created in Google Calendar to help make sure guests using Outlook do not miss events, and non-Google Calendar recurring events will be more systematically and accurately updated in Google Calendar. | Learn more about Calendar Interoperability improvements.

New membership limits for Google Groups

We've increased the limits for the number of direct and indirect group memberships for which a user can have: Direct: 3,000 memberships (increasing from 2,000) and Combined direct and indirect: 7,500 memberships (increasing from 5,000). | Learn more about new membership limits for Google Groups.

Easily expand and collapse content in Google Docs

We introduced a new feature that helps you minimize and expand sections within Google Docs. This collapsible headings function makes it easier to consume content by enabling you to hide portions of larger documents more easily. | Learn more about expand/collapse in Google Docs.

Create custom building blocks in Google Docs

This feature enables you to save custom blocks of text, tables, and chips to build reusable components. For example, you might create a project kickoff template to track milestones and tasks, a product launch checklist, or even a block of code or text that’s commonly used within your organization. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus customers and Nonprofits only. | Learn more about custom building blocks in Docs.

React to messages quickly in Google Chat

We've added quick reactions in Chat, which displays your most frequently used emojis upon hovering over a message. You'll also see options to open the full emoji picker, reply in a thread, quote in reply and more. | Learn more about quick reactions in Google Chat.

Monitor abuse related events in the Alert Center

Admins will now receive alerts related to abuse related events in their organization. This includes events related to content that has been marked abusive or user access restrictions to apps. | Learn more about monitoring abuse related events in the Alert Center.

Complete data-driven tasks faster with new smart chip data extraction in Google Sheets

You will now be able to quickly extract information from smart chips for advanced sorting, filtering and analysis to drive your projects forward. | Learn more about smart chip data extraction in Google Sheets.

Collaborate with others on Google Calendar invites in Google Docs

We've introduced a building block that lets you collaborate with others to draft calendar invites. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus customers and Nonprofits only. | Learn more about drafting calendar events from Google Docs.