Tag Archives: apps

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – January 15, 2021

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 and G Suite customers.

Smart Compose in Google Docs available in French and Portuguese
Smart Compose helps you write high-quality content in Google Docs faster and more easily—helping you cut back on spelling and grammatical errors and repetitive writing. It's rolling out now in French and Portuguese. | Learn more.


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.

Deploy and manage Google Credential Provider for Windows via the Admin console
You can now deploy and manage Google Credential Provider for Windows (GCPW) in the Admin console. | Learn more.

Expanding the Gmail delegate limit
We’re expanding the number of allowed Gmail delegates from 25. In addition, to help with delegate management, delegation for Contacts is now available via the Contacts API. | Learn more.

New tools to troubleshoot network and performance issues in Google Meet
We’ve added tools in Google Meet that make it easier for end users to understand how their local desktop and network environments affect meeting quality. | Learn more.

New option to block devices with basic management from accessing your organization’s data
We’re adding the ability for admins to manually block or unblock mobile apps from accessing their organization’s Google Workspace data on Android and iOS devices with basic mobile management. | Learn more.

Improved mobile device management rules experience in the Admin console
We’re making improvements to how you manage rules related to mobile device management (MDM) in the Admin console. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Enterprise for Education and Cloud Identity Premium customers only. | Learn more.

Protecting against harmful financial services products

Providing a safe and secure experience across Google’s products is our top priority. Our global product policies are designed and implemented with this goal in mind, and we're always working to improve our practices to enhance user safety. 

Personal loan apps have received attention recently, and we wanted to clarify the action we have taken on these apps on Google Play. 

We have reviewed hundreds of personal loan apps in India, based on flags submitted by users and government agencies. The apps that were found to violate our user safety policies were immediately removed from the Store, and we have asked the developers of the remaining identified apps to demonstrate that they comply with applicable local laws and regulations. Apps that fail to do so will be removed without further notice. In addition, we will continue to assist the law enforcement agencies in their investigation of this issue.   

Protecting users from deceptive financial products and services

All developers in the Play Store agree to the terms of the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement, which stipulates that apps must adhere to applicable rules and laws, including generally accepted practices and guidelines. In addition, the Google Play Developer Policy requires financial services apps that offer personal loans to disclose key information such as the minimum and maximum periods of repayment, the maximum Annual Percentage Rate, and a representative example of the total loan cost. To help further ensure that users are making sound choices, we only allow  personal loan apps with full repayment required in greater than or equal to 60 days from the date the loan is issued. 

We believe transparency of information around the features, fees, risks, and benefits of personal loans will help people make informed decisions about their financial needs, thereby reducing the risk of being exposed to deceptive financial products and services. 

In addition, we publish reports of alleged local law violations, including those submitted by government agencies in our Transparency Report. 

Protecting user privacy 

To protect user privacy, developers must only request permissions that are necessary to implement current features or services. They should not use permissions that give access to user or device data for undisclosed, unimplemented, or disallowed features or purposes. 

Developers must also only use data for purposes that the user has consented to, and if they later want to use the data for other purposes, they must obtain user permission for the additional uses. 

Google Play users expect a safe, secure and seamless experience, and developers come to Play for powerful tools and services that help them build and grow their businesses. Our policies help us deliver on these expectations, and we continue to work hard to ensure Google Play is a platform that supports the entire ecosystem.

Posted by Suzanne Frey, Vice President, Product, Android Security and Privacy 

Protecting against harmful financial services products

Providing a safe and secure experience across Google’s products is our top priority. Our global product policies are designed and implemented with this goal in mind, and we're always working to improve our practices to enhance user safety. 

Personal loan apps have received attention recently, and we wanted to clarify the action we have taken on these apps on Google Play. 

We have reviewed hundreds of personal loan apps in India, based on flags submitted by users and government agencies. The apps that were found to violate our user safety policies were immediately removed from the Store, and we have asked the developers of the remaining identified apps to demonstrate that they comply with applicable local laws and regulations. Apps that fail to do so will be removed without further notice. In addition, we will continue to assist the law enforcement agencies in their investigation of this issue.   

Protecting users from deceptive financial products and services

All developers in the Play Store agree to the terms of the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement, which stipulates that apps must adhere to applicable rules and laws, including generally accepted practices and guidelines. In addition, the Google Play Developer Policy requires financial services apps that offer personal loans to disclose key information such as the minimum and maximum periods of repayment, the maximum Annual Percentage Rate, and a representative example of the total loan cost. To help further ensure that users are making sound choices, we only allow  personal loan apps with full repayment required in greater than or equal to 60 days from the date the loan is issued. 

We believe transparency of information around the features, fees, risks, and benefits of personal loans will help people make informed decisions about their financial needs, thereby reducing the risk of being exposed to deceptive financial products and services. 

In addition, we publish reports of alleged local law violations, including those submitted by government agencies in our Transparency Report. 

Protecting user privacy 

To protect user privacy, developers must only request permissions that are necessary to implement current features or services. They should not use permissions that give access to user or device data for undisclosed, unimplemented, or disallowed features or purposes. 

Developers must also only use data for purposes that the user has consented to, and if they later want to use the data for other purposes, they must obtain user permission for the additional uses. 

Google Play users expect a safe, secure and seamless experience, and developers come to Play for powerful tools and services that help them build and grow their businesses. Our policies help us deliver on these expectations, and we continue to work hard to ensure Google Play is a platform that supports the entire ecosystem.

Posted by Suzanne Frey, Vice President, Product, Android Security and Privacy 

New option to block devices with basic management from accessing your organization’s data

What’s changing 

We’re adding the ability for admins to manually block or unblock mobile apps from accessing access to their organization’s Google Workspace data on Android and iOS devices with basic mobile management. These actions can be automated using device management rules (for supported editions). 


Who’s impacted 

Admins 


Why it’s important 

Previously, admins had a limited set of actions they could perform with basic management—they could wipe an account or delete the device from inventory. However, they couldn’t block apps on those devices from accessing organizational data in the way that they could for devices with advanced mobile management. This launch makes that possible, helping to keep your organization’s data secure. 

While the blocking action is the same for devices with basic and advanced management, advanced management allows you to proactively block devices based on the Require Admin Approval setting. With basic management, you can only do this on a per-device basis. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: This feature will be available by default. To use it, navigate to a device page in the Admin console and click block device. Visit the Help Center to learn more about blocking and unblocking devices. 
  • End users: If a user’s device is blocked by an admin, the user will be signed out of all Google Workspace mobile apps. If they try to sign in again, they will see a message indicating that they do not have access to the app, and that they should contact their administrator for help. 
New option to block a device available for devices with basic management 

Once a device is manually blocked, admins can unblock the device 

Those trying to access Google Workspace apps on a blocked device will see a message to contact the administrator for help 


Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers 

Resources 

Improved mobile device management rules experience in the Admin console

Quick launch summary

We’re making improvements to how you manage rules related to mobile device management (MDM) in the Admin console. There are two key aspects of the launch: 
  1. A new location for MDM rules: You can now manage rules at Devices > Security rules. Previously, MDM rules were managed at Admin console > Rules. 
  2. New rule options and creation workflow: You’ll see a new flow to create MDM rules, including new conditions which can trigger rules, and new device management and notification actions to take as a result. 
Use our Help Center to learn more about managing MDM rules for your organization. Note that any previously created rules will continue to function as before. However, you’ll be able to use the new flow and options if you update the rules. 


Getting started 

Device management rules are now in the Security rules section of the Admin console 

A sample screen from the new rule creation flow 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, Enterprise for Education, and Cloud Identity Premium customers 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, and Nonprofits customers 

Resources 

New tools to troubleshoot network and performance issues in Google Meet

What’s changing 

We’ve added tools in Google Meet that make it easier for end users to understand how their local desktop and network environments affect meeting quality. During a call, you can now go to the three-dot menu and select “Troubleshooting and Help” to see: 
  • CPU load and network stability over time 
  • Time segments highlighted when the local environment likely affects the call quality 
  • Suggested actions to help improve call performance 
  • Real-time feedback on the effect of any action taken on network and processing load 
  • Tips for performing common tasks, like presenting content and recording meetings 


Who’s impacted 


End users 


Why it’s important 

Meet shares processing power and network connections with all other applications and browser tabs running on a computer. When the system is overusing its processing power or suffering from a bad network connection, Meet will try to adjust and maintain performance while consuming less resources. Some of those adjustments are less visible, but if resource shortages are severe or persistent, users may notice blurry video, stuttering audio, or other issues. 

With this launch, we’re providing more visibility into how the system is performing. We hope this will help diagnose and alleviate any noticeable performance issues if they occur. 


Getting started 


Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers 

Resources 

Expanding the Gmail delegate limit

What’s changing 

We’re expanding the number of allowed Gmail delegates from 25. In addition, to help with delegate management, delegation for Contacts is now available via the Contacts API. 

Who’s impacted 

Admins, end users, and developers 

Why you’d use it 

We’ve heard from you that allowing more than 25 users to access a single mailbox can sometimes help manage the messages. For example, in certain cases, the volume and variety of inquiries necessitated having a larger group of individual users be able to read and respond to them. To address this need, we‘ve enabled higher limits. 

Additionally, we’re now offering programmatic access to managing Contacts delegation, similar to how Gmail delegation can be managed via the API. Note that delegation limits for Contacts delegation are not changing. 

Additional details 

Where previously we advised that a technical limit of 25 delegates applied for email delegation, our updated guidance is as follows: 
  • With typical usage, up to 40 of those configured users may concurrently access the account. However, please note that 
    • All other Gmail limits and policies continue to apply. 
    • Heavy usage by any user will reduce the overall concurrency limit. This will most commonly occur if automation or scripting (e.g. via Chrome extension or API) is used to engage with the mailbox via high frequency actions. 
  • Up to 1000 delegates may be configured as delegates for the purposes of setting up access control. 
  • For high-volume operations such as sales or support teams, we continue to recommend the use of a dedicated ticketing system. Gmail is not intended to replace a ticketing system for scaled operations. 
  • Contacts delegation is still limited to 25 delegates per user.  

Getting started 


Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers 
  • Not available to users with personal Google Accounts 

Resources 

Deploy and manage Google Credential Provider for Windows via the Admin console

What’s changing 

You can now deploy and manage Google Credential Provider for Windows (GCPW) in the Admin console. Previously, you had to edit registry entries to manage GCPW. The new, organization-specific installation file and setting management in the Admin console makes it easier to deploy and manage GCPW in your organization. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins 


Why you’d use it 

GCPW is an aspect of Enhanced desktop security for Windows that makes using Windows 10 devices with Google Workspace easier and more secure. Once set up, users can: 
  • Sign in to a Microsoft Windows 10 device using their Google Workspace Account. 
  • Take advantage of security protections on Windows 10 devices, including 2-step verification (2SV) and login challenges. 
  • Access Google Workspace and other single sign-on (SSO) apps without the need to re-enter their credentials. 
With this launch, you can configure and manage GCPW in the Admin console instead of in each device’s registry settings. This can make setting up and updating GCPW deployments less manual and time-consuming for if you don’t have standard software deployment tools. 


Additional details 

Device setup and management: To set up GCPW on a new device, download a GCPW installation file customized for your company from the Admin console. After GCPW is installed, you can manage GCPW settings in the Admin console. When a user signs in to a device managed with GCPW, GCPW fetches and applies the settings from in the Admin console. GCPW settings in the Admin console may take up to one hour to be implemented on the device. If you already installed GCPW on a device, you can set a token to manage GCPW from the Admin console. 

Settings available in the Admin console: You can manage most of the settings in the Admin console that you can in registry settings, including offline access, multiple account management, and more. 

Working with existing registry settings: Admin console settings supersede registry settings. To continue to use registry settings instead of Admin console settings, leave GCPW settings in the Admin console as “not configured.” 



Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers. 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – January 8, 2021

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 and G Suite customers.


Google Voice now generally available in Germany and Italy
Google Workspace customers based in Germany and Italy can now sign up for Google Voice. These customers, as well as international customers with Google Voice Premier edition, can assign and port numbers with Germany country codes (+49) and Italy country codes (+39) to users. | Learn more.


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.


Smart compose and spelling autocorrect available when adding comments in Google Docs
Smart compose and spelling autocorrect are now available when adding comments in Google Docs. | Learn more.


Join a meeting with new options on the Google Meet landing page
We’re changing the options for a more tailored experience when Google Workspace users join or start a meeting from meet.google.com. | Learn more.

Join a meeting with new options on the Google Meet landing page

Quick launch summary

We’re changing the options for a more tailored experience when Google Workspace users join or start a meeting from meet.google.com.

When you click “New meeting,” you’ll now see the following three options:

  • Create a meeting for later: Generate joining information for a new meeting. You can save this information to use later.
  • Start an instant meeting: Join a meeting in one click, without first going to the Meet greenroom. Once in the meeting, you can add others or copy the joining information to share. Please note, your camera and microphone will be on automatically if you select this option. You can turn them off once in the meeting.
  • Schedule in Google Calendar: Go to Calendar in a new tab to create an event with Meet conferencing details automatically populated.
New options to start a meeting from meet.google.com


Users will still be able to enter a meeting code or nickname to join a meeting.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about joining a video meeting.

Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers. Also available to users with personal Google Accounts Google
  • Workspace Essentials customers will not see the “Schedule in Google Calendar” option, but will have the other two options available.

Resources