Tag Archives: apps

Ring groups in Google Voice now generally available

What’s changing

We’re launching automatic call routing rules with ring groups in Google Voice. With ring groups, multiple people in your organization can make and receive calls from the same Google Voice number. This feature was previously available in beta and is now generally available.



Who’s impacted

Admins and end users


Why you’d use it

A ring group is a way for a team to intelligently route incoming calls to the correct person or device. This means that groups within your organization, like sales or customer service teams, can easily triage and take quick actions on ongoing calls (such as transferring to a team member or another device).


Additional details

Admins can customize several aspects of ring groups, including:
  • Simultaneous or random order call routing
  • Who in the ring group can make outbound calls and use the ring group number(s) as caller ID
  • What happens to unanswered calls
  • Ring group business hours 

Check out the Help Center for more information on configuring ring groups.


Getting started



Rollout pace

  • This feature is available now for all users.

Availability 



Resources



Roadmap

Timelines and tools for transition from classic to new Google Sites

What’s changing 

In 2017, we announced that we would replace classic Sites with new Sites, and in 2019 we announced that domains will have until the end of 2021 to complete the transition. Now, we’re providing a more detailed timeline, as well as new tools to help you and your users manage the transition. 


Timeline to fully transition to new Sites by end of 2021 

Here’s a detailed look at the expected timeline for the transition from classic Sites to new Sites: 
  • Currently available - Classic Sites Manager, a tool which can help admins and users manage the transition to new Sites. See more details below. 
  • Starting August 13, 2020 - New Sites will become the default option for website creation. See more details below. 
  • Starting May 2021 - New website creation will no longer be available in classic Sites. This means that any new websites created in your organization will only be in new Sites. 
  • Starting October 2021 - Editing of any remaining classic Sites will be disabled. 
  • Starting December 2021 - When users try to visit a classic Site, they will no longer see the website content. Any remaining classic Sites will automatically be: 
    • Downloaded as an archive. 
    • Replaced with a draft in the new Sites experience for site owners to review and publish. 

We’ll announce more details on each of these stages on the G Suite Updates blog over the course of the transition. Use our Help Center to learn more about the transition from classic Sites to new Sites. 


Enable new Sites for users today 
If you haven’t done so already, we recommend that you enable new Sites for all user groups that don’t already have access within your domain, and disable creation of new classic Sites. This will help reduce the number of classic Sites which get created and then need to be migrated. Your users will still be able to view and edit existing classic Sites as needed. Use our Help Center to learn more about turning on new Sites for your users. 


New Classic Sites Manager tool now available 
A new tool, Classic Sites Manager, is now available. It provides a view of your classic Sites, the ability to export a summary to Google Sheets for project management, options to convert classic Sites, and take bulk actions to archive or delete sites. Currently, super admins will be able to see and manage all classic Sites in their domain, and users will be able to see and manage classic Sites they own. Use these guides to learn more about how to use the Classic Sites Manager tool: guidance for G Suite admins, guidance for end users.

  
New Sites the default option starting on August 13, 2020 
Starting August 13, 2020, new Sites will become the default option for website creation. This means that if you have both classic Sites and new Sites enabled, when users go to sites,google.com, they’ll be redirected to sites.google.com/new. From there, users can see and manage new Sites, as well as create sites with new Sites. Users will still be able to use classic Sites easily by clicking the “back to classic Sites” button on the new Sites homepage. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why you’d use it 

Since launching new Sites, we’ve listened to and incorporated your feedback, and top requests are now included in the new Sites experience. These include: 
  • Admin permissions that allow you to control your users’ ability to edit and create sites within your domain. 
  • Section layouts and pre-built templates that let users create websites with fewer clicks and less site creation expertise. 
  • Version history that allows users to see their edit history, revert and restore previous versions, and review the history of who made changes. 
  • New tile types that let users be more expressive with website content, including a table of contents, image carousels, collapsible text, and more. 
  • Custom URLs and publishing to an audience that let users share their website content. 
As a result of these improvements, new Sites offers powerful features and a simple user experience so users can create websites without designer, programmer, or IT help. For example, you can learn about how customers are using Sites to support remote work and learning. Use our Help Center to learn more about how G Suite admins can use the new Google Sites. 


Getting started 

Admins: 
  • New Sites default: This change will take place by default if you have both classic Sites and new Sites enabled. You can turn new Sites on or off for users at the OU or group level. Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to enable new Sites. 
  • Classic Sites Manager console: Use our Help Center to learn more about the Classic Sites Manager and plan for your transition using this migration guide. 
End users: 

Rollout pace 

New Sites default: 
Classic Sites Manager tool: 
  • This feature is available now for all users. 

Availability 

  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal Google accounts. 

Resources 

Google Docs mobile improvements: link previews and Smart Compose

What’s changing 

We’re improving the Android and iOS experiences for Google Docs users with two new features. These were previously available on the web, and are now available on mobile as well: 
  • Link previews, which help you get context from linked content without bouncing between apps and screens. 
  • Smart Compose, which helps you write faster and with more confidence. 

Read our Cloud Blog post to learn more about how these and other launches can help you collaborate from anywhere, with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on mobile. 


Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why it’s important 

These launches build on other recent launches that improve the mobile user experience, including a new commenting interface in Docs on Android, dynamic email notifications for Gmail on mobile, and dark mode for Docs, Sheets, and Slides on Android. 

Together, these features will help make it easier and quicker not only to read and review content on mobile devices, but also to create and collaborate on content, wherever you are. 


Additional details 

Link previews 
Linked content can enrich documents with useful information, but if clicking a link means opening another window, that can be distracting and disrupt your reading flow. Earlier this year, we launched link previews on the web. Now, we’re adding link previews to mobile as well. When you click on a link in Docs, dynamic information about the content will appear. This may include the title, description, and thumbnail images from public web pages, or the owner and latest activity for linked Drive files. This can help you decide whether to open linked content while staying in-context. 

Preview links in Google Docs on the web 


Preview links in Google Docs on mobile devices 

Smart Compose 

Smart Compose on mobile will help you write documents faster and reduce the chance of spelling and grammatical errors when working on the go. When a Smart Compose suggestion appears, simply swipe right to accept it. See more in our announcement for the feature on the web. 

Getting started 

Admins: These features will be ON by default. There are no admin controls for them. 

End users: 
  • Link previews: This feature will be on by default. There is no setting to control the feature. 
  • Smart Compose: This feature may be on or off depending on whether you have turned it on or off on the web. When enabled, you’ll automatically see suggestions; swipe right to accept a suggestion. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Smart Compose in Google Docs. 

Rollout pace 

Link previews in Docs, iOS and Web 
Link previews in Docs, Android 
Smart Compose in Docs, iOS 
Smart Compose in Docs, Android 

Availability 

  • Link previews in Docs: Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal accounts. 
  • Smart Compose in Docs: Available to all G Suite customers. Not available to users with personal accounts. 

Resources 

Review presentations more quickly with new viewing interface on Google Slides Android app

Quick launch summary 

We’re improving the mobile viewing experience for Google Slides on Android. Rather than swiping to view slides one by one, you can now: 
  • Scroll through a vertical stream of slides. 
  • Pinch to zoom to get a closer look. 
  • Easily switch to editing, presenting, or casting content. 
This enables you to see more information at once, which can help you review slides faster. Read our Cloud Blog post to learn more about how these and other launches can help you collaborate from anywhere, with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on mobile.

Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: To use the feature, open a presentation in the Slides app on Android. Visit our Help Center to learn more about how to use Google Slides on Android. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal accounts. 

Resources 

Access checker for Slides ensures inserted video and audio is playable

What’s changing 

Access checker is a feature in Gmail and Google Chat that ensures the recipients of a Drive file have permission to access it. We're now expanding Access checker to Google Slides, to make sure that anyone who is viewing or presenting a Slides presentation can play embedded videos and audio files. 

When you insert a video or audio file that is stored in Drive into Slides, Access checker will automatically look to see if the people who have access to the presentation also have access to the audio or video file you just inserted. If they don’t, Access checker will suggest changing the permissions for the audio or video file so that all viewers, commenters, editors, and owners of the presentation will be able to see and hear its content. 

We are also working toward launching functionality in the future that will perform an access check for all Drive video and audio files in the presentation after you share the presentation with additional users. At that point, we may suggest permission changes for multiple files used in the presentation. We will post any updates about this in-progress feature on the G Suite Updates Blog. 


Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why it’s important 

When a user can’t play videos and audio files within a presentation, it can be disruptive. When presenting, it can be an awkward or negative experience for the presenter. However, manually checking that permissions are correct before presenting or distributing a presentation is time-consuming. By adding Access checker to Google Slides, we’re making it easier to ensure all viewers of the presentation will get a complete experience. 

Getting started 

Rollout pace 

  • Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on August 4, 2020 
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on August 26, 2020 

Availability 

  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal accounts. 

Resources 

Access checker for Slides ensures inserted video and audio is playable

What’s changing 

Access checker is a feature in Gmail and Google Chat that ensures the recipients of a Drive file have permission to access it. We're now expanding Access checker to Google Slides, to make sure that anyone who is viewing or presenting a Slides presentation can play embedded videos and audio files. 

When you insert a video or audio file that is stored in Drive into Slides, Access checker will automatically look to see if the people who have access to the presentation also have access to the audio or video file you just inserted. If they don’t, Access checker will suggest changing the permissions for the audio or video file so that all viewers, commenters, editors, and owners of the presentation will be able to see and hear its content. 

We are also working toward launching functionality in the future that will perform an access check for all Drive video and audio files in the presentation after you share the presentation with additional users. At that point, we may suggest permission changes for multiple files used in the presentation. We will post any updates about this in-progress feature on the G Suite Updates Blog. 


Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why it’s important 

When a user can’t play videos and audio files within a presentation, it can be disruptive. When presenting, it can be an awkward or negative experience for the presenter. However, manually checking that permissions are correct before presenting or distributing a presentation is time-consuming. By adding Access checker to Google Slides, we’re making it easier to ensure all viewers of the presentation will get a complete experience. 

Getting started 

Rollout pace 

  • Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on August 4, 2020 
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on August 26, 2020 

Availability 

  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal accounts. 

Resources 

Updating video conferencing policies for delegated and transferred Google Calendar events

Quick launch summary 

We’re making some changes that will affect the Google Meet video conferencing policies applied to a Google Calendar event that is organized by a delegate or when a meeting is transferred. In both cases, Google Meet video conferencing policies will now be based on the person who owns the calendar event, not the delegate or original event owner. 

Initially, these changes will only apply to new meetings created after the launch. Over the next several weeks, we’ll apply the changes to existing events as well. Also note that these changes will only apply to primary calendars. For events created on shared calendars or new calendars you create, the policies will be applied based on the user that adds the Google Meet link. 

Some specific examples of the potential impact of this change are below. 

Impact on meetings set up by delegates 
  • Previously, any Meet video settings would be applied based on the delegate’s settings. Now settings will be applied based on the calendar owner’s settings and so will be consistent with events the owner organizes themselves. 
  • Previously, if the delegate left an organization, the Google Meet video conferencing link in the meeting would stop working. Now, it will continue to work. 

Impact on meetings with transferred ownership 
  • Previously, if an event was transferred between users in different organizations or to users with different access policies, any Meet video settings would be applied based on the original owner’s settings. Now, settings will be applied based on the new event owner’s settings. 
  • Previously, if the original owner of a transferred event left an organization, the Meet video conferencing link would stop working. Now, it will continue to work. 
  • Previously, users in the new organization may have had to request access to the meeting if the event was transferred between users at different organizations. Now, users should have the expected automatic access, and users in the original owner’s organization will have to request access unless they’re specifically invited to the meeting. 



Getting started 

Rollout pace 

For new events created after launch: 
For existing events: 

Availability 

  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal accounts. 

Resources 

Dark theme now available for Google Chat on Android and iOS

Quick launch summary

We’re enhancing Google Chat on Android and iOS with dark theme support. Dark theme is a popular feature that’s frequently requested by users. It creates a better viewing experience in low-light conditions by reducing brightness.

Dark theme on Google Chat


Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.

End users: This feature will automatically respect the Android system settings. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning dark theme on or off for your iOS device.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all G Suite customers

Resources

New beta adds IRM controls for DLP to help protect sensitive content in documents

What’s changing 

You can now automatically restrict the ability to download, print, and copy sensitive documents through data loss prevention (DLP) rules. These new DLP-driven information rights management (IRM) controls, currently available in beta, will make it more difficult for users to make copies of documents that might expose sensitive content. 

G Suite DLP rules already enabled admins to limit the sharing of documents directly. However, users could make copies of documents by printing it, copying it to unmanaged locations, or downloading it to physical media. These copies were not subject to the same sharing controls, increasing the risk of that content being exposed. 

There are already controls so that document owners and editors can manually prevent viewers and commenters from printing, copying, or downloading their files. However, this placed the responsibility of selecting the correct restriction on a file on end users. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

The new IRM controls will help ensure that only a single version of sensitive documents exists, and therefore that company DLP policies will help protect it. This could help reduce the potential for accidental or intentional exposure of sensitive content in documents. It also reduces the need for end-users to recognize and manually adjust the IRM settings for files, creating a more scalable and automated process to protect your organization’s content. 


Additional details 

Admin setting for IRM in the DLP rule creation workflow 
When you’re creating or editing a DLP rule, there will be a new option: “Beta: Disable download, print, and copy for commenters and viewers.” If selected, this will prevent downloading, printing, and copying of the document unless the user has editor or owner permissions. Note that this is only available as part of our new Drive DLP system. 
Admins can add IRM controls to DLP rules 


Users will see new notifications on affected files 
Document editors and owners will see a new note when in the settings section of the sharing screen, as pictured below. Users with view or comment access will not be able to download, copy, or print the document—these options will be greyed out for them. Note that this only places limits on “viewer” or “commenter” roles within Drive. 
Document owners and editors will see a new note when they try to share the document 
Document viewers and commenters will have print, download, and copy options greyed out 


Getting started 

  • Admins: This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled as part of new and existing DLP rules. Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to create new DLP rules and see FAQs about the Drive DLP IRM beta. 
  • End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. 

Rollout pace 

  • This feature is available now for all users. 

Availability 

  • Available to G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Enterprise for Education, G Suite for Education, and G Suite Enterprise Essentials customers 
  • Not available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, and G Suite for Nonprofits, and G Suite Essentials customers 

Resources 

Roadmap 

Set the default meeting length for Google Calendar events in your domain

What’s changing

We’re adding a new setting in the Admin console where you can define the default Calendar meeting length for users in your domain. Previously, the default of 60 minutes could only be changed from a user's individual Calendar settings. Now, admins can set a new default length for all of their users.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why you’d use it

You can make your organization more efficient by selecting the default meeting length that makes the most sense for your employees’ time and room usage.

How to get started

Admins: This new setting’s default value will remain at the standard 60 minutes unless admins take action to change it. Default meeting lengths can be customized at the organizational unit (OU) or domain level. Visit the Help Center to learn more about setting the default duration for events in your organization.


End users: If an admin changes the default meeting value, it will apply to end users who haven’t changed the "Default Meeting Length" setting in their individual Calendar settings and to all new users in a domain. End users will be able to overwrite the admin’s setting from their individual Calendar settings.


Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to G Suite Business, G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Enterprise for Education and G Suite for Education customers
  • Not available to G Suite Essentials, G Suite Enterprise Essentials, G Suite Basic and G Suite for Nonprofits customers

Resources