Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – January 30, 2026

Prepare for the SAT with full-length practice tests in Gemini

Standardized tests are often a critical component of the college application process. To support high school and college prep students during these critical milestones, we’re launching practice tests in Gemini: full-length, on-demand practice exams available at no cost. | Learn more about preparing for the SAT with full-length practice tests in Gemini.

New admin controls for "Take notes for me" sharing settings in Google Meet

We are introducing two new admin settings to give you more control over how meeting notes generated by "Take notes for me" are shared within your organization. These settings allow you to: Set a default sharing value: Choose who should receive access to the Take notes for me document and the recap email by default. | Learn more about new admin controls for the 'Take notes for me' sharing settings in Google Meet.

Better time suggestions for meeting with your colleagues using Gemini in Google Calendar

Google Calendar now uses Gemini to find the perfect meeting time faster. Whether scheduling or rescheduling, it analyzes colleagues’ availability, time zones, and conflicts to suggest the best options automatically. | Learn more about improved time suggestions for meeting with your colleagues using Gemini in Google Calendar.

Take your notebooks further by adding NotebookLM as a source in the Gemini app

Starting today, Workspace users can now add notebooks from NotebookLM as a source in the Gemini app. This will provide deeper, more relevant responses that are grounded in the sources in your notebook. | Learn more about taking your notebooks further by adding NotebookLM as a source in the Gemini app.

Calendar event color labels now also accessible to users with “Make changes to events” permission

Google Calendar offers event color labels for events on your primary calendar, which help users to visually organize their meetings and categorize them with Time Insights. Currently, color labels are only visible to users who have “Make changes to events and manage sharing” permissions for a primary calendar. | Learn more about how Calendar event color labels are now also accessible to users with 'Make changes to events' permission.

Record audio, video, and screencasts directly in Google Classroom

Starting today, we're bringing audio, video, and screencast recording functionality to Google Classroom. This new functionality is designed to help transform teaching and learning through multimodality, improving communication, intake, and retention for learners. | Learn more about recording audio, video, and screencasts directly in Google Classroom.

All Google Forms will now have granular controls over who can respond

We’re excited to announce that we will now automatically upgrade all existing forms to have granular controls over who can respond. When forms are upgraded, all users who could previously respond to the form will continue to be able to respond. | Learn more about how all Google Forms will now have granular controls over who can respond.

The announcements above were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – January 30, 2026

Prepare for the SAT with full-length practice tests in Gemini

Standardized tests are often a critical component of the college application process. To support high school and college prep students during these critical milestones, we’re launching practice tests in Gemini: full-length, on-demand practice exams available at no cost. | Learn more about preparing for the SAT with full-length practice tests in Gemini.

New admin controls for "Take notes for me" sharing settings in Google Meet

We are introducing two new admin settings to give you more control over how meeting notes generated by "Take notes for me" are shared within your organization. These settings allow you to: Set a default sharing value: Choose who should receive access to the Take notes for me document and the recap email by default. | Learn more about new admin controls for the 'Take notes for me' sharing settings in Google Meet.

Better time suggestions for meeting with your colleagues using Gemini in Google Calendar

Google Calendar now uses Gemini to find the perfect meeting time faster. Whether scheduling or rescheduling, it analyzes colleagues’ availability, time zones, and conflicts to suggest the best options automatically. | Learn more about improved time suggestions for meeting with your colleagues using Gemini in Google Calendar.

Take your notebooks further by adding NotebookLM as a source in the Gemini app

Starting today, Workspace users can now add notebooks from NotebookLM as a source in the Gemini app. This will provide deeper, more relevant responses that are grounded in the sources in your notebook. | Learn more about taking your notebooks further by adding NotebookLM as a source in the Gemini app.

Calendar event color labels now also accessible to users with “Make changes to events” permission

Google Calendar offers event color labels for events on your primary calendar, which help users to visually organize their meetings and categorize them with Time Insights. Currently, color labels are only visible to users who have “Make changes to events and manage sharing” permissions for a primary calendar. | Learn more about how Calendar event color labels are now also accessible to users with 'Make changes to events' permission.

Record audio, video, and screencasts directly in Google Classroom

Starting today, we're bringing audio, video, and screencast recording functionality to Google Classroom. This new functionality is designed to help transform teaching and learning through multimodality, improving communication, intake, and retention for learners. | Learn more about recording audio, video, and screencasts directly in Google Classroom.

All Google Forms will now have granular controls over who can respond

We’re excited to announce that we will now automatically upgrade all existing forms to have granular controls over who can respond. When forms are upgraded, all users who could previously respond to the form will continue to be able to respond. | Learn more about how all Google Forms will now have granular controls over who can respond.

The announcements above were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Beta Channel Update for ChromeOS / ChromeOS Flex

The Beta channel is being updated to OS version 16552.18.0 (Browser version 145.0.7632.25) for most ChromeOS devices.

If you find new issues, please let us know one of the following ways:


  1. File a bug

  2. Visit our ChromeOS communities

    1. General: Chromebook Help Community

    2. Beta Specific: ChromeOS Beta Help Community

  3. Report an issue or send feedback on Chrome

  4. Interested in switching channels? Find out how.


Andy Wu

Google ChromeOS

Announcing the Google Mobile Ads Next-Gen SDK for Android

We are announcing the Google Mobile Ads (GMA) Next-Gen SDK for Android, a significant rewrite of the Google Mobile Ads SDK that prioritizes speed, stability, and an improved developer experience. See the developer guides to get started today (AdMob | Ad Manager).

Currently available in Open Beta, the GMA Next-Gen SDK is scheduled for General Availability (GA) in July 2026. We encourage you to explore the new SDK and its potential benefits for your applications.

Advantages of the GMA Next-Gen SDK

  • Improved Performance: Benefit from notable reductions in ad request latency. The new Google Mobile Ads SDK offers up to 27% faster ad request latency for banner ads than our previous version1. The new SDK also features background initialization to minimize impact on application startup times.
  • Reduced Application Size: The new Google Mobile Ads SDK file size is up to 17% smaller than our previous version2.
  • Modern Language Support: Developed in Kotlin, the SDK provides idiomatic APIs for developers working in both Kotlin and Java.
  • Faster Release Cycles: The GMA Next-Gen SDK benefits from a more frequent and regular release schedule, providing quicker access to new features and bug fixes.
  • Comprehensive Feature Support: Continues to use all existing Google Mobile Ads formats and features within your applications.

Early adoption successes

Publishers participating in the beta program have reported positive outcomes compared to the previous SDK:

  • 50% increase in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU).
  • 91.5% uplift in Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU).
  • 1/3 reduction in ANR rate and a 50% reduction in slow cold starts.
  • 16% increase in fill rate.

Further details on these outcomes can be found in the GMA Next-Gen SDK success stories.

Live events

The following upcoming live events are encouraged for those interested in the GMA Next-Gen SDK:

  • Introductory webinar: An overview focused on the advantages of the GMA Next-Gen SDK and best practices for implementation.
    • EMEA/APAC session: Live webinar broadcasted on February 19th. (Register)
    • AMER session: Live viewing of recording on February 24th. (Register)
    • February 26th - Discord technical overview session: A technical introduction of the GMA Next-Gen SDK specifically for developers. Register (Accept Invite)
    • March 4th - Discord banner migration live coding session: A practical demonstration of migrating banner ads from the previous SDK to the GMA Next-Gen SDK. Register (Accept Invite)
    • March 11th - Migration hackathon: AI-Based migration to the GMA Next-Gen SDK with a dedicated MCP server and vibe coding. If interested, please reach out to your Google account manager.

Implementation resources

Get started with these Next-Gen SDK resources:

  1. Integration guide: The latest version and setup instructions are available in our GMA Next-Gen SDK Get Started guide (AdMob | Ad Manager).
  2. Migration guide: Instructions to migrate to the GMA-Next Gen SDK (AdMob | Ad Manager).
  3. Developer samples: Example applications demonstrating SDK usage are available in our GitHub repository.
  4. Introduction video: For an overview of the SDK's benefits, please watch our introductory video.

We invite you to integrate the Google Mobile Ads Next-Gen SDK and discover the performance and stability enhancements it can bring to your Android applications.

If you have any questions or need additional help, please join the GMA Next-Gen SDK channel to share your thoughts and get in contact with the team.

 - Justin Malandruccolo, Mobile Ads Developer Relations

1 Google Internal Data, Latency Measurement for Banner Ads, Google Mobile Ads SDK vs. New Google Mobile Ads SDK, August 21, 2025 to September 3, 2025.

2 Google Internal Data, Increase to app file size when adding the SDK, Google Mobile Ads SDK vs. new Google Mobile Ads SDK, September 29, 2025.

All Google Forms will now have granular controls over who can respond

Last year, we announced that form creators can upgrade their existing forms to have granular controls over who can respond to those forms via sharing settings.  Specifically, form creators can limit response access to specific users, groups, or target audiences, similar to how file owners can restrict the sharing of Google Docs, Sheets, Slides or Sites files in Drive. 

We’re excited to announce that we will now automatically upgrade all existing forms to have granular controls over who can respond. When forms are upgraded, all users who could previously respond to the form will continue to be able to respond. Once the upgrade is complete, form creators can make changes to who can respond using the new granular controls, if desired. The form will remain available to receive new responses while  it is being upgraded.


Form creators can control who can respond to existing forms by sharing to specific users or groups

Getting started

  • Admins:  There is no admin control for this feature.
  • End users: Form creators can share their forms with specific individuals or groups. Visit Help Center to learn more.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

Chrome Dev for Desktop Update

The Dev channel has been updated to 146.0.7655.3 for Windows, Mac and Linux.

A partial list of changes is available in the Git log. Interested in switching release channels? Find out how. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug. The community help forum is also a great place to reach out for help or learn about common issues.

Chrome Release Team
Google Chrome