Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – February 20, 2026

View Gemini feature usage and threshold reports in the Admin console

Today, we’re releasing new adoption and usage metrics to our Gemini reports in the Admin console. These new reports offer administrators comprehensive visibility into AI feature usage and thresholds to help them better manage their Workspace subscription and Gemini adoption. This includes usage data by features, apps, and active users. | Learn more about Gemini feature usage and threshold reports in the Admin console.

Improvements to local administrative access controls on Windows devices

We are updating the administrative privileges setting for Windows device management to give administrators more control over how local administrative access is handled on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices, managed by Google Endpoint Management. This update simplifies settings and provides greater flexibility for organizations that need to preserve local admin access while managing specific users via Google Workspace. | Learn more about Improvements to local administrative access controls on Windows devices.

Forecast data in Connected Sheets using BigQuery ML and TimesFM

We are introducing a new capability in Connected Sheets for BigQuery that allows users to generate data forecasts directly within Google Sheets using the power of BigQuery ML (BQML) and Google’s state-of-the-art TimesFM model. | Learn more about Forecast data in Connected Sheets using BigQuery ML and TimesFM.

Create custom soundtracks with Lyria 3 in the Gemini app

Using text-based or image prompting, you can now generate custom 30 second soundtracks in Gemini. This new capability is powered by Lyria 3, Google’s most advanced music generation model yet. | Learn more about how to Create custom soundtracks with Lyria 3 in the Gemini app.

New user controls for Take notes for me

We are introducing more ways meeting hosts and participants can view and control “Take notes for me” in Google Meet. | Learn more about New user controls for Take notes for me.

New 'Take notes for me' configuration in the Admin console for select Gemini Alpha customers

To help users remember to get notes for meetings where it is most valuable, we are developing new settings for ‘Take notes for me’ that lets users and admins pre-configure AI note taking. | Learn more about New 'Take notes for me' configuration in the Admin console for select Gemini Alpha customers.

Educators can now get help drafting personalized guidance on written assignments with AI-suggested feedback in Google Classroom

We’re introducing AI-suggested feedback for written assignments in Google Classroom, a new feature designed to help educators provide high-quality, personalized support to their students more efficiently. | Learn more about how Educators can now get help drafting personalized guidance on written assignments with AI-suggested feedback in Google Classroom.

Manage permission to edit group details and changes to groups settings

We’re introducing a new permission in Google Groups: "Who can modify group details." This update allows group owners and managers to grant specific roles the ability to edit a group's name and description. | Learn more about to Manage permission to edit group details and changes to groups settings.

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

Chrome Dev for Desktop Update

The Dev channel has been updated to 147.0.7695.0 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

Introducing the 185 Organizations for GSoC 2026

by Stephanie Taylor, Mary Radomile & Lucila Ortíz, Google Open Source

The complete list of Google Summer of Code (GSoC) Mentoring Organizations is now available! 2026 brings us 185 open source communities who are eager to mentor a new group of open source contributors. Now is the time for prospective contributors to start looking for a community to participate with. Visit the full list of 2026 organizations to learn about each community, their project ideas, and read the specific contributor guidance to apply.

Who can apply as a GSoC contributor?
If you are 18 or older and a student or just starting out in open source (less than 2 years of open source experience), GSoC is for you!

Why participate in Google Summer of Code?
GSoC offers a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience and build new skills through open source contributions while being mentored by experienced maintainers and developers.

The application period starts on March 16th at 1800 UTC. Here are some things you can do to get started:

  • Visit our GSoC website and read the FAQ, the Contributor Guide, Advice for people applying for GSoC, Program Rules and the videos for Potential GSoC Contributors to learn the basics about GSoC.
  • Browse the Organization pages—use filters (languages, categories) to narrow down your choices.
  • Look at the Project Ideas for the Orgs you like. Pick one that excites you and reach out to them ASAP to talk about it.
  • Heads up! Each Org has its own application steps and maybe some required pre-tasks. Check their Contributor guidance link in their profile. Chatting and contributing early is HUGE for getting accepted!
  • Write a proposal based on the organization guidelines, also remember that some orgs do not allow the use of AI, be aware of their guidelines.
  • We strongly recommend submitting your proposal on the GSoC site at least 3 days before the hard deadline March 31, 1800 UTC.

Mark your calendars with the upcoming important GSoC 2026 dates!

  • Contributor application period: March 16 - 31 1800 UTC
  • GSoC 2026 Accepted Contributors announced: April 30 1800 UTC
  • Coding Starts: May 25

Thank you for being part of this wonderful community and we wish the best of luck to all the 2026 applicants!

Introducing the 185 Organizations for GSoC 2026

by Stephanie Taylor, Mary Radomile & Lucila Ortíz, Google Open Source

The complete list of Google Summer of Code (GSoC) Mentoring Organizations is now available! 2026 brings us 185 open source communities who are eager to mentor a new group of open source contributors. Now is the time for prospective contributors to start looking for a community to participate with. Visit the full list of 2026 organizations to learn about each community, their project ideas, and read the specific contributor guidance to apply.

Who can apply as a GSoC contributor?
If you are 18 or older and a student or just starting out in open source (less than 2 years of open source experience), GSoC is for you!

Why participate in Google Summer of Code?
GSoC offers a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience and build new skills through open source contributions while being mentored by experienced maintainers and developers.

The application period starts on March 16th at 1800 UTC. Here are some things you can do to get started:

  • Visit our GSoC website and read the FAQ, the Contributor Guide, Advice for people applying for GSoC, Program Rules and the videos for Potential GSoC Contributors to learn the basics about GSoC.
  • Browse the Organization pages—use filters (languages, categories) to narrow down your choices.
  • Look at the Project Ideas for the Orgs you like. Pick one that excites you and reach out to them ASAP to talk about it.
  • Heads up! Each Org has its own application steps and maybe some required pre-tasks. Check their Contributor guidance link in their profile. Chatting and contributing early is HUGE for getting accepted!
  • Write a proposal based on the organization guidelines, also remember that some orgs do not allow the use of AI, be aware of their guidelines.
  • We strongly recommend submitting your proposal on the GSoC site at least 3 days before the hard deadline March 31, 1800 UTC.

Mark your calendars with the upcoming important GSoC 2026 dates!

  • Contributor application period: March 16 - 31 1800 UTC
  • GSoC 2026 Accepted Contributors announced: April 30 1800 UTC
  • Coding Starts: May 25

Thank you for being part of this wonderful community and we wish the best of luck to all the 2026 applicants!

Manage permission to edit group details and changes to groups settings

We’re introducing a new permission in Google Groups: "Who can modify group details." This update allows group owners and managers to grant specific roles the ability to edit a group's name and description.

Previously, the ability to edit a group’s name and description was limited to the owner and manager roles. This meant that if an owner wanted a member to be able to update the name or description, they had to grant that member manager status, which included a broader set of additional permissions.

With this launch, "Who can modify group details" is now a standalone, configurable permission. Group owners and managers can now precisely control who can update these details, choosing from owners, managers, or all members of the group.

Additionally, as part of this launch, all group members will be able to see the groups settings page, however the ability to edit it will continue to depend on the groups permissions and the users role.

The new setting: “Who can modify group details”

Getting started

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
  • End users: This feature will be set to “Group owners and managers” by default. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Rollout pace

Availability

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

Resources

Educators can now get help drafting personalized guidance on written assignments with AI-suggested feedback in Google Classroom

We’re introducing AI-suggested feedback for written assignments in Google Classroom, a new feature designed to help educators provide high-quality, personalized support to their students more efficiently. Educators can now generate suggestions from Gemini to draft feedback that is specifically tailored to a student's work, grade level, and any specific focus area designated by the educator.

Educators have shared that personalized feedback is critical for closing learning gaps, yet it is often one of the most time-consuming tasks. By using AI to assist in drafting these comments, teachers can:

  • Manage workloads effectively: Get support in significantly reducing the hours spent giving input on written assignments.
  • Enhance student growth: Deliver the timely, specific feedback students need to build stronger self-reflection and evaluation skills.
  • Prioritize personalization efficiency: Use Gemini’s drafts as a starting point to provide high-level, empathetic guidance that might otherwise be difficult to scale across large classes.
When giving feedback in private comments on assignments in Google Classroom, educators can select “Help me write” to have Gemini suggest written feedback for the assignment. Teachers can then review, edit, and refine before sharing with students, ensuring teachers remain in control of the guidance provided while reducing the time spent on writing manual feedback.

By highlighting a student's strengths and identifying specific areas for improvement, this feature empowers educators to do their best work while ensuring every student feels heard and supported.


Additional details
This feature is a part of Gemini in Google Classroom. Gemini in Classroom is only available in English for education users over the age of 18.

Getting started

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available for Google Workspace for Education Plus and the Teaching and Learning add-on

Resources

New ‘Take notes for me’ configuration in the Admin console for select Gemini Alpha customers

*Note: This update only applies to customers who participate in the Gemini Alpha program for Workspace.

To help users remember to get notes for meetings where it is most valuable, we are developing new settings for ‘Take notes for me’ that lets users and admins pre-configure AI note taking. For organizations in the Gemini Alpha, we will soon begin testing a new setting in Google Meet that will automatically enable Take notes for me for meetings with three or more participants.

This setting will be on by default for organizations in the Gemini Alpha program. Admins can disable it at any time, as soon as they see the new setting in their admin console.


This setting may be visible to customers broadly, but it will only be functionable for customers participating in the Gemini Alpha program.

In addition to this test, we are also introducing more ways hosts and participants can control Take notes for me. Soon, all customers—regardless of whether they are in the Gemini Alpha program—will see the ability to turn off "Take notes for me" directly from the green room before joining a call. See this post for more details on the new controls

Getting started

  • Admins: This new setting will be on by default for organizations in the Gemini Alpha starting no sooner than March 11th. Admins can opt out of this experience starting now by going to the Google Meet Admin Console, going to Gemini settings, and adjusting the value under “Automatic note-taking” to “OFF”.
  • End users: End users in the Gemini Alpha program can opt out of this experience when they see the new setting (no sooner than March 11) by visiting their user settings in Meet (gear icon in top right), clicking “Meeting Records” and adjusting the drop-down to “OFF”. If an admin enables the setting for their organization but a user disables the setting, any meeting set by the individual user will have Take notes for me OFF by default.

Rollout pace

  • Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains:
    • Admin setting: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 18th, 2026
    • New functionality to Gemini Alpha customers: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting no sooner than March 11th, 2026

Availability

  • Business Standard and Plus
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus
  • Google AI Pro for Education add-on
  • Frontline Starter, Standard, and Plus
*Note: This setting may be visible to customers broadly, but it will only be functionable for customers participating in the Gemini Alpha program.

Resources

New user controls for Take notes for me

We are introducing more ways meeting hosts and participants can view and control “Take notes for me” in Google Meet.

When participants join a call in Google Meet, they are first directed to a green room. In the green room, participants now see a more prominent notice when “Take notes for me” is enabled for a meeting they are about to join.

Additionally, eligible users can now turn off "Take notes for me" and transcription directly from the green room before joining a call that has yet to start. If the call has started, users can still stop or start notes at any time during the call.

Getting started

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Business Standard and Plus
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus
  • Google AI Pro for Education
  • Frontline Plus

Resources

Chrome Beta for Desktop Update

The Beta channel has been updated to 146.0.7680.16 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