Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – February 28, 2025

4 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.



Summaries in Google Chat home now available for direct messages and read conversations 
Last year, we introduced the ability for Gemini in Google Chat to help you catch up on unread conversations in the Chat home view with summaries. In addition to being available for group conversations, spaces, or threads from home, we’re excited to announce summaries in home are now available for: 
  • Direct messages 
  • Read conversations. Prior to today, you could only review summaries for unread conversations. Now, you can review summaries regardless of read state. 
Upon navigating to a conversation in home, click the “Summarize” button to see a bulleted synopsis of the message content. This enables you to review recent activity across all active conversations to determine where best to focus your time and attention. | Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about summaries in home.


Adding real-time Markdown styling and code formatting support in Google Chat 
Users can change the appearance of their Google Chat messages using the format menu or markdown, and today we’re excited to introduce support for real-time markdown styling and code formatting. With this update, markdown will be converted in the compose bar to formatted text as a user types, rather than being converted only once the message is sent. In addition, we’re adding support for code and code block in the compose bar. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. | Available to Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about using markdown formatting in Google Chat.

Markdown formatting as you type in the compose bar
Markdown formatting as you type in the compose bar




Extending file upload to Gemini app users
We’re excited to announce that users of the Gemini app can now upload a variety of files from Google Drive or locally from their device into the Gemini app: 
  • Document files: DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF, DOT, DOTX, HWP, HWPX 
  • Documents created in Google Docs 
  • Plain text files: TXT 
  • Presentation files: PPTX 
  • Presentations created with Google Slides
Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to all Google Workspace users 18+ accessing the Gemini app. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about uploading & analyzing files in Gemini Apps. 



Google Vids introduces new looping animations feature 
We’re introducing a feature that enables users to add looping animations to text, stickers, and other shapes in their videos. Looping animations play continuously between enter and exit animations, allowing users to add extra emphasis or style to callouts, supers, and other elements in their videos, which can help increase viewer engagement. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. | Available to Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Essentials, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus and Education Plus. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about Google Vids.

looping animations in Vids



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.


Enhancing video navigation and accessibility with Google Drive video transcripts 
Last year, we announced that users can automatically generate captions for any video uploaded to Google Drive, improving the accessibility of videos and saving users the effort of manually creating captions. To build upon this feature and make information discovery, referencing, and productivity with video content much more efficient, we’re excited to introduce video transcripts. | Learn more about video transcripts.

Google Voice now supports call delegation
Admins can assign delegates to handle other users' calls. When assigned, delegates can: 1) Answer calls on the delegator’s behalf, 2) Place calls on the delegator’s behalf, including transferring the call to the delegator once connected , 3) Transfer calls selectively to the delegator and 4) Listen to voicemail messages and view voicemail transcripts. | Learn more about call delegation.

Transferring your personal Google Voice number to a Google Workspace business account just got easier
We're pleased to introduce a significantly improved experience for transferring a personal Google Voice number to a Google Workspace account. | Learn more about transferring your personal number to a Workspace business account. 

New Google Drive Inventory Reporting enhancements provide even richer insights into file permissions
We've enhanced Drive Inventory Reporting to include more detailed permission information for files and folders in My Drive. | Learn more about Drive Inventory Reporting.

Expanding SIP Link for Google Voice to new countries
We've launched Voice to new countries by expanding SIP Link availability. | Learn more about SIP Link.

Integrating HubSpot with Google Chat
Many utilize HubSpot, an AI-powered customer platform, to perform marketing, sales, customer service, content management, operations, and commerce tasks. This week, we’re excited to introduce an integration with HubSpot that enables users to see notifications and updates from HubSpot directly in Chat. | Learn more about the HubSpot integration.

Google Vids is expanding its AI voiceovers with new options
Users can now choose from a wider range of AI voices for their videos with the introduction of new options. | Learn more about new AI voiceovers in Vids.


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).       

    Announcing Android Google Mobile Ads SDK version 24.0.0

    Version 24.0.0 of the Android Google Mobile Ads SDK is now available. To take advantage of the latest features and performance improvements, we highly recommend you configure your app to upgrade as soon as possible. Major changes to the SDK are as follows:

    Minimum Android API level

    Starting with version 24.0.0, the Google Mobile Ads SDK requires all apps to be on a minimum Android API level of 23. To adjust the API level, change the value of minSdk in your app-level build.gradle file to 23 or higher.

    Optimized initialization and ad loading

    By default, The OPTIMIZE_INITIALIZATION and OPTIMIZE_AD_LOADING flags are now generally available and set to true. These flags help reduce ANRs. You can further prevent ANRs by initializing the Google Mobile Ads SDK on a background thread. For more information, see Optimize initialization and ad loading.

    Removed ad services config in AndroidManifest.xml

    To prevent merge conflicts for apps that configure API-specific Ad Services, we've removed the android.adservices.AD_SERVICES_CONFIG property tag from the SDK’s manifest file. This change provides greater flexibility for developers who need to customize their Ad Services configurations.

    SDK deprecation and sunset timelines activated

    With this Android major version 24 launch and the iOS major version 12 launch last month, new deprecation and sunset dates for older releases are as follows:

    • Android Google Mobile Ads SDK versions 22.0.0 - 22.6.0 are officially deprecated, and will sunset in June 2026.
    • Android versions 21.x.x and iOS versions 9.x.x will sunset on June 30, 2025.
      • While there are currently no plans to disable ad serving on Android versions 21.x.x and iOS versions 9.x.x, we strongly recommend updating to the latest SDK version to avoid future impactions.

    For a complete list of changes in v24.0.0 and detailed migration steps, check the release notes and SDK migration guide. If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us through Mobile Ads SDK Support.

     - Eric Leichtenschlag, Mobile Ads Developer Relations

    Google Vids is expanding its AI voiceovers with new options

    What’s changing

    Since bringing Google Vids—our AI-powered video creation app for work—to general availability last year, users have engaged with Gemini features in Vids like AI voiceovers. Today, we’re excited to announce that users can now choose from a wider range of AI voices for their videos with the introduction of new options: 
    • Narrator (Default) - Smooth, medium pitch 
    • Educator - Friendly, higher pitch 
    • Teacher - Clear, low pitch 
    • Persuader - Engaging, low pitch 
    • Explainer - Lively, low pitch 
    • Coach - Lively, higher pitch 
    • Motivator - Energetic, medium pitch
    These high-quality voices offer more natural and expressive voiceovers that dynamically adjust pitch and tone to match your script, whether you wrote it yourself or used the Gemini-powered 'Help me create' to generate your script. 


    new ai voiceover options in vids


    Who’s impacted 

    End users 


    Why you’d use it 

    Using AI voiceovers makes it easier to get started creating or updating video content in just a few clicks. 


    Getting started 

    • Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Vids in your organization.
    • End users: 
      • Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating scripts & voiceovers in Google Vids. 
      • You can use Vids on your computer with the two most recent versions of these browsers: 
      • You can access our always-on resources in the Google Workspace Learning Center to learn what you can do with Google Vids. 
      • Vids is available in the user's local language, but some AI features (including AI voiceovers) are currently only available in English. 
      • Note: View and collaborate access is available to anyone with a Google Workspace account, while create and copy access is available for select editions of Google Workspace customers. 

    Rollout pace 

    Availability 

    Available for Google Workspace: 
    • Business Standard and Plus 
    • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
    • Essentials, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus 
    • Education 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. 

    *Please refer to the following Workspace Updates Blog to learn more about Vids availability for Google Workspace for Education customers. 

    Resources 



    Chrome Dev for Android Update

    Hi everyone! We've just released Chrome Dev 135 (135.0.7037.2) for Android. It's now available on Google Play.

    You can see a partial list of the changes in the Git log. For details on new features, check out the Chromium blog, and for details on web platform updates, check here.

    If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug.

    Chrome Release Team
    Google Chrome

    Upcoming changes to CustomerService in Google Ads API

    We are introducing several changes to the CustomerService.CreateCustomerClient method to align the Google Ads API with how Google Ads UI handles new account creation functionality. These changes will take effect on March 17, 2025.

    New error codes for policy enforcement
    In order to limit abuse, the Google Ads API introduced two new error codes in the version v19 of the API for the purpose of policy enforcement.
    1. Google Ads manager accounts that do not have a certain threshold of spending or a certain number of active child accounts without policy issues (for example, not suspended or closed for policy violations) will be ineligible to create child accounts under them. Developers will receive a CustomerError.CREATION_DENIED_INELIGIBLE_MCC error code in the upcoming version v19 of the Google Ads API. To fix the issue, link a Google Ads account that is compliant with the Google policies and meets the threshold spending levels under your manager account.
    2. Google Ads manager accounts that have been flagged for policy violations related to account creation will no longer be able to create child accounts under them. Developers will receive a CustomerError.CREATION_DENIED_FOR_POLICY_VIOLATION error code in the upcoming version v19 of the Google Ads API.
    In both these cases, existing API versions (v18 and older) will throw a ContextError.OPERATION_NOT_PERMITTED_FOR_CONTEXT error instead.

    Quota limits for account creation
    The Google Ads API will enforce limits on creation of new Google Ads accounts. Developers will receive a QuotaError.RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED error once the limits are reached. The retry_delay field of the quota_error_details contains additional details on how long you should wait before retrying the API call. We do not expect most developers to be affected by these limits.

    What do I need to do?
    If your application uses the Google Ads API to create new Google Ads accounts, you should review your code to ensure that your application correctly handles these new error codes.

    If you have any questions or need help, check out the Google Ads API support page for options.Reach out to the Google Ads product support team for any questions related to account policies.
     - , Google Ads API Team

    New Google Drive Inventory Reporting enhancements provide even richer insights into file permissions

    What's changing

    In October 2024, we introduced Google Drive Inventory Reporting, which provides admins with key metadata about the files in their Drive corpus via a BigQuery report. These reports provide admins valuable insights into how data is classified, accessed, and used, which can help identify security risks, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, and much more. 

    Beginning today, we're pleased to announce that we've enhanced Drive Inventory Reporting to include more detailed permission information for files and folders in My Drive. This means you can now access the following schema fields concerning permission details for both shared drive and My Drive files:

    • Inherited: A boolean indicating whether the permission is inherited. 
    • Permission Type: The permission type for the user. 
    • Role: The primary role for the user. 
    This update builds on recent upgrades to the access experience in Drive, providing a more comprehensive and unified view of permissions across your entire Drive environment. 


    Getting started 

    • Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about Drive inventory reporting.
    • End users: There is no end user impact or action required. 

    Rollout pace

    Availability 

    Available* for Google Workspace: 
    • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
    • Education Standard and Plus 
    • Enterprise Essentials Plus 
    • Cloud Identity Premium 
    *Note that this availability refers to the ability to generate a report. All end users will be included in the report and are not limited to any specific Google Workspace edition. 

    Resources 

    Meet the Mentoring organizations of GSoC 2025!

    We are thrilled to share that we have selected 185 open source projects for the 21st year of Google Summer of Code (GSoC)

    Get to know more about each organization via their individual GSoC program page. There you will find the best way to engage with each community, view project ideas, and read their contributor guidance for applying to their organization.


    Applications for the GSoC Contributors are open March 24 - April 8, 2025

    The 2025 GSoC program is open to students and to beginners in open source software development. If you are eager to enhance your chances of becoming a GSoC contributor this year, we highly recommend following these steps:

    • Get inspired by watching the 'Introduction to GSoC' video for a quick overview and the Community Talks to learn more about past projects that contributors completed.
    • Review the Contributor Guide and Advice for Applying to GSoC.
    • Review the list of accepted organizations.
      • We recommend finding two to three Orgs that interest you and reading through their project ideas. Use the filters on the site to help you narrow down based on the programming languages you are familiar with or categories that interest you.
    • Once you find an idea that excites you, reach out to the organization right away via their preferred communication methods. Communicating early and often will increase your chances of being accepted.
      • Introduce yourself to the mentors and community and ask questions to determine if this project idea is a good fit for your skill set and interests.
      • Use the information you received to write up your proposal.

    Join us in our upcoming Info session!


    Finally, you can find more information about the program on our website which includes the full 2025 timeline. You’ll also find the FAQ, Program Rules and some videos with more details about GSoC for both contributors and mentors.

    Welcome aboard 2025 Mentoring Organizations! We are looking forward to an amazing year!

    By Stephanie Taylor, Mary Radomile & Lucila Ortíz – GSoC Program Admins