Upcoming changes to page size in the Google Ads API

Starting the week of August 19, 2024, we will roll out a change that removes the ability to set the page_size field when making GoogleAdsService.Search requests. All requests will assume a fixed page size of 10,000 rows instead. Developers will receive the following errors if the page_size field is set:

This change was previously introduced as a versioned change in version v17 of the API. The current change introduces the change to the older API versions, making the API consistent across all API versions.

What do I need to change?

If you use version v17 of the API, no changes are required. If you use an older version of the API and set the page_size field in your GoogleAdsService.Search requests, then you should update your application code to stop setting this field.

How to get help

If you have any questions or need help, check out the Google Ads API support page for options.

 - , Google Ads API Team

Google Blocks is now Open Source

In 2017, we shared Google Blocks with the world as a simple, easy and fun way to create 3D objects and scenes, using the new wave of VR headsets of the day.

We were thrilled to see the surprising, inventive and beautiful assets you all put together with Google Blocks, and continue to be impressed by the enthusiasm of the community.



We now wish to share the code behind Google Blocks, allowing for novel and rich experiences to emerge from the creativity and passion of open source contributors such as the Icosa Foundation, who have already been doing wonderful work with Tilt Brush, which we open-sourced in 2021.


"We're thrilled to see Blocks join Tilt Brush in being released to the community, allowing another fantastic tool to grow and evolve. We can't wait to take the app to the next level as we have done with Open Brush." 
– Mike Nisbet, Icosa Foundation

What’s Included

The open source archive of the Blocks code can be found at: https://github.com/googlevr/blocks

Please note that Google Blocks is not an actively developed product, and no pull requests will be accepted. You can use, distribute, and modify the Blocks code in accordance with the Apache 2.0 License under which it is released.

The currently published version of Google Blocks will remain available in digital stores for users with supported VR headsets. If you're interested in creating your own Blocks experience, please review the build guide and visit our github repo to access the source code.

Thank you all for coming on this journey with us so far, we can’t wait to see where you take Blocks from here.

By Ian MacGillivray – Software Engineer, on behalf of the Google Blocks team.

Google Workspace extensions for Gmail, Google Drive and Google Docs are now available in open beta for Gemini (gemini.google.com)

What’s changing 

We’re pleased to announce Google Workspace extensions for Gmail, Google Drive and Google Docs are available for Gemini (gemini.google.com). When enabled, Gemini will be able to cross reference these apps as data sources to better inform its responses.

View of Google Workspace extensions from the Gemini Extensions page




This feature is available in open beta for Google Workspace customers with the Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, and Education Premium add-ons — no additional sign-up is required.


Who’s impacted


Admins and end users


Why you’d use it


Google Workspace extensions enhance Gemini's capabilities by allowing it to access information from your Gmail, Docs, and Drive. This enables Gemini to locate, reference and incorporate this additional data, leading to even more informed and relevant responses. This deeper integration helps bring Gemini’s capabilities more seamlessly into your daily workflows, helping enhance productivity. For example, referencing a Doc that outlines your target audiences while performing customer research in Gemini (gemini.google.com).


Additional details

  • During the open beta period, Context-Aware Access (CAA) for Gmail, Drive and Docs isn’t supported with Google Workspace extensions. Context-Aware Access gives you control over which apps a user can access based on their context, such as whether their device complies with your IT policy. Learn more about Context-Aware Access.
  • Google Workspace extensions honors access control settings for files within Drive, meaning users can only access files that they own or have been shared with them (excluding files shared via Shared Drive).
  • Google Workspace extensions is not available to Google Workspace users accessing Gemini as an additional Google service.
  • Note that Google Workspace personal content that Gemini Apps get from extensions is not reviewed by anyone to improve AI models, not used to train AI models, and not shared with other users or institutions. Visit the Help Center for more information.

Getting started

  • Admins: 
    • This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the OU or Group level. During the open beta period, Drive, Gmail and Docs must be enabled to use Google Workspace extensions.


Rollout pace


Availability

Available for Google Workspace customers with the:
  • Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, or Education Premium add-on

Resources


Teachers will soon be able to create a new class in Google Classroom using Student Information System (SIS) data

What’s changing

We recently introduced the ability to import data, such as student rosters, co-teachers and grading categories, from your Student Information System (SIS) to Google Classroom. 


In the coming weeks, we will be introducing a new feature that allows teachers to set up a Google Classroom class using information directly imported from an SIS, including co-teachers, student rosters and class lists, grading categories and grading periods. Please note this feature is only available with our current SIS partners. 


In preparation for the “full class” import feature, we advise admins to connect Classroom to their Student Information System (SIS) as soon as possible. Once the admin establishes a connection between their district SIS and Google Classroom, teachers will be able to use the connection to import data from their SIS to set up new classes or update existing classes when the feature launches later this quarter. 

Getting started 

Rollout pace 

  • Full class import will be available in the coming weeks. We will provide an update on the Workspace Updates Blog when this feature becomes generally available. 

Availability

Available for Google Workspace:

In Praise of Small Pull Requests

This is another post in our Code Health series. A version of this post originally appeared in Google bathrooms worldwide as a Google Testing on the Toilet episode. You can download a printer-friendly version to display in your office.


By Elliotte Rusty Harold

Note: A “pull request” refers to one self-contained change that has been submitted to version control or which is undergoing code review. At Google, this is referred to as a“CL”, which is short for “changelist”.

Prefer small, focused pull requests that do exactly one thing each. Why? Several reasons:

  • Small pull requests are easier to review. A mistake in a focused pull request is more obvious. In a 40 file pull request that does several things, would you notice that one if statement had reversed the logic it should have and was using true instead of false? By contrast, if that if block and its test were the only things that changed in a pull request, you’d be a lot more likely to catch the error.

  • Small pull requests can be reviewed quickly. A reviewer can often respond quickly by slipping small reviews in between other tasks. Larger pull requests are a big task by themselves, often waiting until the reviewer has a significant chunk of time.

  • If something does go wrong and your continuous build breaks on a small pull request, the small size makes it much easier to figure out exactly where the mistake is. They are also easier to rollback if something goes wrong.

  • By virtue of their size, small pull requests are less likely to conflict with other developers’ work. Merge conflicts are less frequent and easier to resolve.

  • If you’ve made a critical error, it saves a lot of work when the reviewer can point this out after you’ve only gone a little way down the wrong path. Better to find out after an hour than after several weeks.

  • Pull request descriptions are more accurate when pull requests are focused on one task. The revision history becomes easier to read.

  • Small pull requests can lead to increased code coverage because it’s easier to make sure each individual pull request is completely tested.

Small pull requests are not always possible. In particular:

  • Frequent pull requests require reviewers to respond quickly to code review requests. If it takes multiple hours to get a pull request reviewed, developers spend more time blocked. Small pull requests often work better when reviewers are co-located (ideally within Nerf gun range for gentle reminders). 

  • Some features cannot safely be committed in partial states. If this is a concern, try to put the new feature behind a flag.

  • Refactorings such as changing an argument type in a public method may require modifying many dozens of files at once.

Nonetheless, even if a pull request can’t be small, it can still be focused, e.g., fixing one bug, adding one feature or UI element, or refactoring one method.

Google Classroom now supports exporting grades and importing rosters and grade settings with PowerSchool SIS

What’s changing

Google Classroom teachers can now export and import select information via the new integration with PowerSchool SIS, a third-party student information system (SIS) that provides innovative K-12 software and cloud-based solutions to improve educational outcomes and simplify school operations. 

Once an admin establishes a connection between PowerSchool SIS and Classroom, teachers will be able to export grades from Classroom to PowerTeacher Pro Gradebook. Teachers can also import useful information, such as student rosters, co-teachers and grading categories, from PowerSchool SIS into Classroom. 
Classroom integration with PowerSchool SIS



Getting started 

Rollout pace 

  • This feature is available now 

Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Education Plus and the Teaching & Learning Upgrade 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – July 12, 2024

2 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.


Shared drives can now have up to 100 levels of nested folders and 500,000 items 
Prior to this month, a folder in a shared drive could have up to 20 levels of nested folders and could contain a maximum of 400,000 items. Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve increased the nested folder limit to 100 levels and the maximum number of items to 500,000. | Rollout to Rapid and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Learn more about shared drive limits in Google Drive. 

eSignature is now available for select Google Workspace customers 
As previously announced, starting July 15, 2024, we will begin rolling out eSignature for Google Docs to end users on select Google Workspace editions. eSignature offers a variety of features to help you streamline requesting and capturing signatures, helping you stay organized and keep your work moving along. Specifically, you can: 
  • Request eSignatures, including signatures from more than one user and from non-Gmail users. 
  • View the status of pending signatures and find completed contracts. 
  • Keep contract templates to initiate multiple eSignature requests. 
  • View an audit trail of completed contracts.
  • Use custom text fields to request additional information from signers, such as job titles, email addresses and more. 
  • Sign contracts from both mobile devices and PCs. 
Rollout to Rapid and Scheduled Release domains starts July 15, 2024 at a gradual pace (up to 15 days for feature visibility). | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, and Education Plus customers. | Learn more about sending signature requests & sign documents with eSignature.


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.


Introducing a new experience for data regions reporting
We’ve introduced several new enhancements to Google Workspace data regions. | Learn more about data regions reporting. 

Access Management is now generally available in the European Union 
Access Management is now also generally available in the European Union — these controls allow customers to select the physical location from which Google support teams can access organizational data during support activities. | Learn more about Access Management. 

Manage your compliance and data controls from a single source in the Admin console 
We’ve centralized relevant features and information into a single location in the admin console: Data. | Learn more about compliance and data controls. 

Enhancing the Google Calendar appointment scheduling experience with additional features 
We’re updating appointment schedules by adding new features to enhance the overall experience. | Learn more about appointment scheduling updates. 

Pre-configure meeting notes, recordings, and transcripts from the Calendar invite 
Meeting hosts can now pre-configure meeting notes, meeting recordings, and meeting transcripts from the Calendar invite. | Learn more about meeting host capabilities. 

Use the Apple Volume Purchasing Program (VPP) to distribute apps for device enrollment and company owned devices 
In November 2023, we announced the ability to purchase and distribute iOS apps to user-enrolled devices through Apple’s Volume Purchase Program. Beginning this week, we’re expanding this functionality to include device enrollment and company-owned iOS devices. | Learn more about the Apple Volume Purchasing Program. 

Google Meet and Zoom interoperability now includes presented content via a wired HDMI connection 
We’re expanding the interoperability between Google Meet and Zoom to include the ability to present content via a wired HDMI connection. | Learn more about Google Meet and Zoom interoperability.

Rollout Update: setting the default camera framing option for Google Meet hardware devices
We recently announced several updates related to framing options on Google Hardware devices. This included the ability for admins to configure the default camera framing option for their hardware devices. After pausing rollout to optimize performance, we are pleased to announce that this feature is now fully available. | Learn more about default camera framing options for Meet hardware devices.

Access Google Meet artifacts with a new Google Drive API scope
We’re introducing a new OAuth scope for the Drive API: drive.meet.readonly. The new scope grants app access to read and download files from a user’s drive that were created or edited by Google Meet — this includes meeting transcripts, notes, recordings, and more. | Learn more about accessing Meet artifacts.


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.



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).  

Prepare your app for the new Samsung Galaxy foldables and watches!

Posted by Maru Ahues Bouza – Product Management Director, Android Developer

Yesterday’s Galaxy Unpacked event from Samsung debuted the latest in foldables, wearables, and more! The event introduced the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 and the Galaxy Watch7 and Watch Ultra - and it has never been easier to build apps that look great across all these screen sizes and types. To help you get your apps ready for the latest Android devices, we’re sharing how you can prepare your app for Wear OS 5 and how to build adaptive apps that scale across mobile, tablets, foldables and more!

Get your app ready for Wear OS 5

Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch lineup, including the Watch Ultra and Watch7, will be the first smartwatches powered by Wear OS 5, the latest version of the Wear OS platform. As Wear OS 5 is based on Android 14, this new platform version brings with it a number of developer-facing changes. To ensure your app is ready for the next generation of devices, start by testing your app on the Wear OS 5 Emulator!

Galaxy Watch Ultra (left) and Galaxy Watch7 (right)
Galaxy Watch Ultra (left) and Galaxy Watch7 (right)

Wear OS 5 brings the next iteration of the Watch Face Format, providing more features to create expressive, efficient and individual watch faces for your users. New watches launched with Wear OS 5 will only support third-party watch faces built with Watch Face Format, prioritizing the user experience. For more information on watch face compatibility, see this Help Center article.

As we gather momentum behind the Watch Face Format, we’re changing requirements for publishing watch faces on Google Play. Check out the watch face page for the latest guidance.

Build adaptive to scale across screen sizes and types

The latest in large screens and foldables are here, with the new Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6, so there is even more reason to ensure your app looks great across whatever screen size or folded state your users are engaging with. The best way to do that is to make your app adaptive - meaning your users get an optimal experience on all their devices. By building an adaptive app, you scale across mobile, tablets, foldables, desktop and more.

Galaxy Watch Ultra (left) and Galaxy Watch7 (right)
Galaxy Z Fold6

A great place to start when building adaptive apps is with the new Compose adaptive layout libraries. These libraries are designed to help you to make your UI look good across window sizes. From navigation UI to list/detail and supporting pane layouts, we’re providing composables to make building an adaptive app easier than ever.

Additionally, window size classes are the best way to scale your UI, with opinionated breakpoints that help you design, develop, and test responsive/adaptive layouts across various window sizes. Window size classes enable you to change your app layout as the display space available to your app changes, for example, when a device folds or unfolds, the device orientation changes, or the app window is resized in multi‑window mode.

Discover everything you need to know about building adaptive apps with the adaptive apps documentation; it will be continually updated with the latest and greatest tools and APIs to enable you to scale across screens!

Get started with Adaptive Apps and Wear OS

With these new devices, from the smallest to the largest, there are opportunities to build apps that excite your users on all their favorite Android screens. Apps like SoundCloud, Peloton, and more are already building experiences that scale across their user’s favorite screens!

Get building for Wear OS today by checking out Wear OS developer site and visiting the Wear OS gallery for inspiration. And scale your app across even more screens by building adaptive with the latest from Compose!