Tag Archives: Gemini

The Android Show: I/O Edition – what Android devs need to know!

Posted by Matthew McCullough – Vice President, Product Management, Android Developer

We just dropped an I/O Edition of The Android Show, where we unpacked exciting new experiences coming to the Android ecosystem: a fresh and dynamic look and feel, smarts across your devices, and enhanced safety and security features. Join Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem, and the Android team to learn about exciting new development in the episode below, and read about all of the updates for users.

Tune into Google I/O next week – including the Developer Keynote as well as the full Android track of sessions – where we’re covering these topics in more detail and how you can get started.


Start building with Material 3 Expressive

The world of UX design is constantly evolving, and you deserve the tools to create truly engaging and impactful experiences. That’s why Material Design’s latest evolution, Material 3 Expressive, provides new ways to make your product more engaging, easy to use, and desirable. Learn more, and try out the new Material 3 Expressive: an expansion pack designed to enhance your app’s appeal by harnessing emotional UX, making it more engaging, intuitive, and desirable for users. It comes with new components, motion-physics system, type styles, colors, shapes and more.

Material 3 Expressive will be coming to Android 16 later this year; check out the Google I/O talk next week where we’ll dive into this in more detail.

A fluid design built for your watch's round display

Wear OS 6, arriving later this year, brings Material 3 Expressive design to Google’s smartwatch platform. New design language puts the round watch display at the heart of the experience, and is embraced in every single component and motion of the System, from buttons to notifications. You'll be able to try new visual design and upgrade existing app experiences to a new level. Next week, tune in to the What’s New in Android session to learn more.

Plus some goodies in Android 16...

We also unpacked some of the latest features coming to users in Android 16, which we’ve been previewing with you for the last few months. If you haven’t already, you can try out the latest Beta of Android 16.

A few new features that Android 16 adds which developers should pay attention to are Live updates, professional media and camera features, desktop windowing for tablets, major accessibility enhancements and much more:

Watch the What’s New in Android session and the Live updates talk to learn more.

Tune in next week to Google I/O

This was just a preview of some Android-related news, so remember to tune in next week to Google I/O, where we’ll be diving into a range of Android developer topics in a lot more detail. You can check out What’s New in Android and the full Android track of sessions to start planning your time.

We can’t wait to see you next week, whether you’re joining in person or virtually from anywhere around the world!

Use Gemini in Drive to interact with folders in 20+ additional languages

What’s changing 

Last year, we added folder support to Gemini in the side panel of Google Drive. Today, we’re excited to announce this experience is now available in the following languages: 
  • Arabic 
  • Catalan Valencian 
  • Central Standard Swedish 
  • Common Czech 
  • Dutch 
  • Finnish 
  • French 
  • German 
  • Greek 
  • Hungarian 
  • Indonesian 
  • Italian 
  • Japanese 
  • Korean 
  • Malay 
  • Mandarin 
  • Modern Hebrew 
  • Norwegian 
  • Polish 
  • Portuguese 
  • Romanian 
  • Russian 
  • Spanish 
  • Standard Danish 
  • Thai 
  • Turkish 
  • Ukrainian 
  • Vietnamese
As a result, you can now use Gemini in Drive to answer questions like: 
  • “Summarize files in @-folder” 
  • “What is the theme of the content in @-folder” 
  • “When is the due date based on files in @-folder”

Additional details 

Gemini can only answer questions about text documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and presentations. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: To access Gemini in the side panel of Workspace apps, users need to have smart features and personalization turned on. Admins can turn on default personalization setting for their users in the Admin console. 
  • End users: 
    • If Gemini in the side panel is closed, you can: 
      • Navigate to a folder, and click on the “Summarize this folder” button, or; 
      • Right-click on a folder in the doclist, and click on “Ask Gemini” in the context menu, or; 
      • Select a folder in a doclist, and click on “Summarize this folder” in the selection toolbar. 
    • If Gemini in side panel is already open, you can: 
      • Drag and drop a folder from the doclist into the side panel, or; 
      • @-mention a folder in the side panel’s textbox. 
    • If you are searching for a folder, you can: 
      • Click the Gemini icon next to the folder in the search dropdown box. 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about collaborating with Gemini in Google Drive. 

Rollout pace 

Availability

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on 
  • Google One AI Premium 
Anyone who previously purchased these add-ons will also receive this feature: 
  • Gemini Business* 
  • Gemini Enterprise* 
*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.

Resources 

Conduct in-depth two-way conversations with Gemini Live

What’s changing

The Gemini mobile app now supports voice conversations for Google Workspace users. The “Live” feature leverages Gemini’s multi-modal capabilities allowing you to ask questions and receive spoken responses in a selection of natural-sounding voices. You can even interrupt Gemini to ask clarifying questions or change the topic mid-response, providing a more intuitive and conversational experience. A few ways you can use Gemini Live are:

  • Talk back and forth: brainstorm with Gemini to come up with ideas for a new marketing campaign, strategy for a sales meeting with a new prospect, or potential thesis topic
  • Explore: discuss potential features for a new product or questions for a research paper
  • Practicing aloud: practice and receive feedback on a sales pitch or a class presentation
  • Share your camera or screen: turn on your camera or share your screen to show Gemini what you see and talk about it.
  • Bring context to conversations: add a specific image, file, or YouTube video.

Additional details

  • Gemini Live is available for users 18+.
  • For users with a work or school Google Account and access to the Gemini app, Gemini Apps Activity is on and can’t be turned off and you can’t delete your Gemini Apps activity.
    • Your Gemini Apps Activity includes activity from the Gemini web app and the mobile app. When you delete your chats with Gemini for Workspace inside a Workspace app, this does not delete any information that is saved to your Gemini Apps Activity.
    • Currently, if you use the Gemini web app or mobile app with your work or school account, your Gemini Apps Activity is turned on and your conversation history is retained for 18 months.
    • Important: For work users who have access to Gemini Apps as an additional service, while Gemini Apps Activity is on, Google collects your Gemini Apps conversations and other information you provide to improve and develop Google products and services and machine-learning technologies. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Getting started

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature – this feature is available by default when access to the Gemini app is enabled. Visit the Help Center to learn more about the Gemini app and available features.
  • End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Gemini Live.

Rollout pace


The rollout for sharing your screen on iOS is slightly delayed. We’ll provide an update on iOS rollout as soon as possible.

Availability

Available for Google Workspace:
  • Business Starter, Standard, Plus
  • Enterprise Starter, Standard, Plus
  • Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus
  • Frontline Starter and Standard
  • Nonprofits
  • Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, and Enterprise Essentials Plus
Available for Google Workspace customers with these add-ons:
  • Gemini Business*
  • Gemini Enterprise*
  • Gemini Education
  • Gemini Education Premium

*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.

Resources

Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop is stable

Posted by Adarsh Fernando, Group Product Manager

Today, we're excited to announce the stable release of Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop (2024.3.2)!

This release brings a host of new features and improvements designed to boost your productivity and enhance your development workflow. With numerous enhancements, this latest release helps you build high-quality Android apps faster and more efficiently: streamlined Jetpack Compose previews, new Gemini capabilities, better Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) integration, improved device management, and more.

Read on to learn about the key updates in Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop, and download the latest stable version today to explore them yourself!

Developer Productivity Enhancements

Analyze Crash Reports with Gemini in Android Studio

Debugging production crashes can require you to spend significant time switching contexts between your crash reporting tool, such as Firebase Crashlytics and Android Vitals, and investigating root causes in the IDE. Now, when viewing reports in App Quality Insights (AQI), click the Insights tab. Gemini provides a summary of the crash, generates insights, and links to useful documentation. If you also provide Gemini with access to local code context, it can provide more accurate results, relevant next steps, and code suggestions. This helps you reduce the time spent diagnosing and resolving issues.

moving image of Gemini in the App Quality Insights tool window in Android Studio
Gemini helps you investigate, understand, and resolve crashes in your app much more quickly in the App Quality Insights tool window.

Generate Unit Test Scenarios with Gemini

Writing effective unit tests is crucial but can be time-consuming. Gemini now helps kickstart this process by generating relevant test scenarios. Right-click on a class in your editor and select Gemini > Generate Unit Test Scenarios. Gemini analyzes the code and suggests test cases with descriptive names, outlining what to test. While you still implement the specific test logic, this significantly speeds up the initial setup and ensures better test coverage by suggesting scenarios you might have missed.

moving image of generating unit test scenarios in Android Studio
Gemini helps you generate unit test scenarios for your app.

Gemini Prompt Library

No more retyping your most frequently used prompts for Gemini! The new Prompt Library lets you save prompts directly within Android Studio (Settings > Gemini > Prompt Library). Whether it's a specific code generation pattern, a refactoring instruction, or a debugging query you use often, save it once from the chat (right-click > Save prompt) and re-apply it instantly from the editor (right-click > Gemini > Prompt Library). Prompts that you save can also be shared and standardized across your team.

moving image of prompt library in Android Studio
The prompt library saves your frequently used Gemini prompts to make them easier to use.

You have the option to store prompts on IDE level or Project level:

    • IDE level prompts are private and can be used across multiple projects.
    • Project level prompts can be shared across teams working on the same project (if .idea folder is added to VCS).

Compose and UI Development

Themed Icon Support Preview

Ensure your app's branding looks great with Android’s themed icons. Android Studio now lets you preview how your existing launcher icon adapts to the monochromatic theming algorithm directly within the IDE. This quick visual check helps you identify potential contrast issues or undesirable shapes early in the workflow, even before you provide a dedicated monochromatic drawable. This allows for faster iteration on your app's visual identity.

moving image of themed icon support in preview in Android Studio
Themed icon support in Preview helps you visually check how your existing launcher icon adapts to monochromatic theming.

Compose Preview Enhancements

Iterating on your Compose UI is now faster and better organized:

    • Enhanced Zoom: Navigate complex layouts more easily with smoother, more responsive zooming in your Compose previews.
    • Collapsible Groups: Tidy up your preview surface by collapsing groups of related composables under their @Preview annotation names, letting you focus on specific parts of the UI without clutter.
    • Grid Mode by Default: Grid mode is now the default for a clear overview. Gallery mode (for flipping through individual previews) is available via right-click, while List view has been removed to streamline the experience.
moving image of Compose previews in Android Studio
Compose previews render more smoothly and make it easier to hide previews you’re not focused on.

Build and Deploy

KMP Shared Module Integration

Android Studio now streamlines adding shared logic to your Android app with the new Kotlin Multiplatform Shared Module template. This provides a dedicated starting point within your Android project, making it easier to structure and build shared business logic for both Android and iOS directly from Android Studio.

Kotlin Multiplatform template in Android Studio
The new Kotlin Multiplatform module template makes it easier to add shared business logic to your existing app.

Updated UX for Adding Devices

Spend less time configuring test devices. The new Device Manager UX for adding virtual and remote devices makes it much easier to configure the devices you want from the Device Manager. To get started, click the ‘+’ action at the top of the window and select one of these options:

    • Create Virtual Device: New filters, recommendations, and creation flow guide you towards creating AVDs that are best suited for your intended purpose and your machine's performance.
    • Add Remote Devices: With Android Device Streaming, powered by Firebase, you can connect and debug your app with a variety of real physical devices. With a new catalog view and filters, it's now easier to locate and start using the device you need in just a few clicks.
moving image of configuring virtual devices in Android Studio
It’s now easier to configure virtual devices that are optimized for your workstation.

Google Play Deprecated SDK Warnings

Stay more informed about SDKs you publish with your app. Android Studio now displays warnings from the Google Play SDK Index when an SDK used in your app has been deprecated by its author. These warnings include information about suggested alternative SDKs, helping you proactively manage dependencies and avoid potential issues related to outdated or insecure libraries.

Google Play Deprecated SDK warnings in Android Studio
Play deprecated SDK warnings help you avoid potential issues related to outdated or insecure libraries.

Updated Build Menu and Actions

We've refined the Build menu for a more intuitive experience:

    • New 'Build run-configuration-name' Action: Builds the currently selected run configuration (e.g., :app or a specific test). This is now the default action for the toolbar button and Control/Command+F9.
    • Reordered Actions: The new build action is prioritized at the top, followed by Compile and Assemble actions.
    • Clearer Naming: "Rebuild Project" is now "Clean and Assemble Project with Tests". "Make Project" is renamed to "Assemble Project", and a new "Assemble Project with Tests" action is available.
Build menu in Android Studio
The Build menu includes behavior and naming changes to simplify and streamline the experience.

Standardized Config Directories

Switching between Stable, Beta, and Canary versions of Android Studio is now smoother. Configuration directories are standardized, removing the "Preview" suffix for non-stable builds. We've also added the micro version (e.g., AndroidStudio2024.3.2) to the path, allowing different feature drops to run side-by-side without conflicts. This simplifies managing your IDE settings, especially if you work with multiple Android Studio installations.

IntelliJ platform update

Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop (2024.3.2) includes the IntelliJ 2024.3 platform release, which has many new features such as a feature complete K2 mode, more reliable Java** and Kotlin code inspections, grammar checks during indexing, debugger improvements, speed and quality of life improvements to Terminal, and more.

For more information, read the full IntelliJ 2024.3 release notes.

Summary

Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop (2024.3.2) delivers these key features and enhancements:

    • Developer Productivity:
        • Analyze Crash Reports with Gemini
        • Generate Unit Test Scenarios with Gemini
        • Gemini Prompt Library
    • Compose and UI:
        • Themed Icon Preview
        • Compose Preview Enhancements (Zoom, Collapsible Groups, View Modes)
    • Build and Deploy:
        • KMP Shared Module Template
        • Updated UX for Adding Devices
        • Google Play SDK Insights: Deprecated SDK Warnings
        • Updated Build Menu & Actions
        • Standardized Config Directories
    • IntelliJ Platform Update
        • Feature complete K2 mode
        • Improved Kotlin and Java** inspection reliability
        • Debugger improvements
        • Speed and quality of life improvements in Terminal

Getting Started

Ready to elevate your Android development? Download Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop and start using these powerful new features today!

As always, your feedback is crucial. Check known issues, report bugs, suggest improvements, and connect with the community on LinkedIn, Medium, YouTube, or X. Let's continue building amazing Android apps together!


**Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop is stable

Posted by Adarsh Fernando, Group Product Manager

Today, we're excited to announce the stable release of Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop (2024.3.2)!

This release brings a host of new features and improvements designed to boost your productivity and enhance your development workflow. With numerous enhancements, this latest release helps you build high-quality Android apps faster and more efficiently: streamlined Jetpack Compose previews, new Gemini capabilities, better Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) integration, improved device management, and more.

Read on to learn about the key updates in Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop, and download the latest stable version today to explore them yourself!

Developer Productivity Enhancements

Analyze Crash Reports with Gemini in Android Studio

Debugging production crashes can require you to spend significant time switching contexts between your crash reporting tool, such as Firebase Crashlytics and Android Vitals, and investigating root causes in the IDE. Now, when viewing reports in App Quality Insights (AQI), click the Insights tab. Gemini provides a summary of the crash, generates insights, and links to useful documentation. If you also provide Gemini with access to local code context, it can provide more accurate results, relevant next steps, and code suggestions. This helps you reduce the time spent diagnosing and resolving issues.

moving image of Gemini in the App Quality Insights tool window in Android Studio
Gemini helps you investigate, understand, and resolve crashes in your app much more quickly in the App Quality Insights tool window.

Generate Unit Test Scenarios with Gemini

Writing effective unit tests is crucial but can be time-consuming. Gemini now helps kickstart this process by generating relevant test scenarios. Right-click on a class in your editor and select Gemini > Generate Unit Test Scenarios. Gemini analyzes the code and suggests test cases with descriptive names, outlining what to test. While you still implement the specific test logic, this significantly speeds up the initial setup and ensures better test coverage by suggesting scenarios you might have missed.

moving image of generating unit test scenarios in Android Studio
Gemini helps you generate unit test scenarios for your app.

Gemini Prompt Library

No more retyping your most frequently used prompts for Gemini! The new Prompt Library lets you save prompts directly within Android Studio (Settings > Gemini > Prompt Library). Whether it's a specific code generation pattern, a refactoring instruction, or a debugging query you use often, save it once from the chat (right-click > Save prompt) and re-apply it instantly from the editor (right-click > Gemini > Prompt Library). Prompts that you save can also be shared and standardized across your team.

moving image of prompt library in Android Studio
The prompt library saves your frequently used Gemini prompts to make them easier to use.

You have the option to store prompts on IDE level or Project level:

    • IDE level prompts are private and can be used across multiple projects.
    • Project level prompts can be shared across teams working on the same project (if .idea folder is added to VCS).

Compose and UI Development

Themed Icon Support Preview

Ensure your app's branding looks great with Android’s themed icons. Android Studio now lets you preview how your existing launcher icon adapts to the monochromatic theming algorithm directly within the IDE. This quick visual check helps you identify potential contrast issues or undesirable shapes early in the workflow, even before you provide a dedicated monochromatic drawable. This allows for faster iteration on your app's visual identity.

moving image of themed icon support in preview in Android Studio
Themed icon support in Preview helps you visually check how your existing launcher icon adapts to monochromatic theming.

Compose Preview Enhancements

Iterating on your Compose UI is now faster and better organized:

    • Enhanced Zoom: Navigate complex layouts more easily with smoother, more responsive zooming in your Compose previews.
    • Collapsible Groups: Tidy up your preview surface by collapsing groups of related composables under their @Preview annotation names, letting you focus on specific parts of the UI without clutter.
    • Grid Mode by Default: Grid mode is now the default for a clear overview. Gallery mode (for flipping through individual previews) is available via right-click, while List view has been removed to streamline the experience.
moving image of Compose previews in Android Studio
Compose previews render more smoothly and make it easier to hide previews you’re not focused on.

Build and Deploy

KMP Shared Module Integration

Android Studio now streamlines adding shared logic to your Android app with the new Kotlin Multiplatform Shared Module template. This provides a dedicated starting point within your Android project, making it easier to structure and build shared business logic for both Android and iOS directly from Android Studio.

Kotlin Multiplatform template in Android Studio
The new Kotlin Multiplatform module template makes it easier to add shared business logic to your existing app.

Updated UX for Adding Devices

Spend less time configuring test devices. The new Device Manager UX for adding virtual and remote devices makes it much easier to configure the devices you want from the Device Manager. To get started, click the ‘+’ action at the top of the window and select one of these options:

    • Create Virtual Device: New filters, recommendations, and creation flow guide you towards creating AVDs that are best suited for your intended purpose and your machine's performance.
    • Add Remote Devices: With Android Device Streaming, powered by Firebase, you can connect and debug your app with a variety of real physical devices. With a new catalog view and filters, it's now easier to locate and start using the device you need in just a few clicks.
moving image of configuring virtual devices in Android Studio
It’s now easier to configure virtual devices that are optimized for your workstation.

Google Play Deprecated SDK Warnings

Stay more informed about SDKs you publish with your app. Android Studio now displays warnings from the Google Play SDK Index when an SDK used in your app has been deprecated by its author. These warnings include information about suggested alternative SDKs, helping you proactively manage dependencies and avoid potential issues related to outdated or insecure libraries.

Google Play Deprecated SDK warnings in Android Studio
Play deprecated SDK warnings help you avoid potential issues related to outdated or insecure libraries.

Updated Build Menu and Actions

We've refined the Build menu for a more intuitive experience:

    • New 'Build run-configuration-name' Action: Builds the currently selected run configuration (e.g., :app or a specific test). This is now the default action for the toolbar button and Control/Command+F9.
    • Reordered Actions: The new build action is prioritized at the top, followed by Compile and Assemble actions.
    • Clearer Naming: "Rebuild Project" is now "Clean and Assemble Project with Tests". "Make Project" is renamed to "Assemble Project", and a new "Assemble Project with Tests" action is available.
Build menu in Android Studio
The Build menu includes behavior and naming changes to simplify and streamline the experience.

Standardized Config Directories

Switching between Stable, Beta, and Canary versions of Android Studio is now smoother. Configuration directories are standardized, removing the "Preview" suffix for non-stable builds. We've also added the micro version (e.g., AndroidStudio2024.3.2) to the path, allowing different feature drops to run side-by-side without conflicts. This simplifies managing your IDE settings, especially if you work with multiple Android Studio installations.

IntelliJ platform update

Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop (2024.3.2) includes the IntelliJ 2024.3 platform release, which has many new features such as a feature complete K2 mode, more reliable Java** and Kotlin code inspections, grammar checks during indexing, debugger improvements, speed and quality of life improvements to Terminal, and more.

For more information, read the full IntelliJ 2024.3 release notes.

Summary

Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop (2024.3.2) delivers these key features and enhancements:

    • Developer Productivity:
        • Analyze Crash Reports with Gemini
        • Generate Unit Test Scenarios with Gemini
        • Gemini Prompt Library
    • Compose and UI:
        • Themed Icon Preview
        • Compose Preview Enhancements (Zoom, Collapsible Groups, View Modes)
    • Build and Deploy:
        • KMP Shared Module Template
        • Updated UX for Adding Devices
        • Google Play SDK Insights: Deprecated SDK Warnings
        • Updated Build Menu & Actions
        • Standardized Config Directories
    • IntelliJ Platform Update
        • Feature complete K2 mode
        • Improved Kotlin and Java** inspection reliability
        • Debugger improvements
        • Speed and quality of life improvements in Terminal

Getting Started

Ready to elevate your Android development? Download Android Studio Meerkat Feature Drop and start using these powerful new features today!

As always, your feedback is crucial. Check known issues, report bugs, suggest improvements, and connect with the community on LinkedIn, Medium, YouTube, or X. Let's continue building amazing Android apps together!


**Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Start a conversation with Gemini in the side panel of Google Drive about specific files

What’s changing

Since rolling out Gemini in the side panel of Google Drive, users have been able to summarize one or multiple documents, get quick facts while viewing PDFs, create files and folders, and more. 

Most recently, we added clickable “nudges” at the top of the Drive homepage and folders to help you get started with Gemini in Drive even faster, and today we’re introducing updates that make starting a conversation with Gemini about a specific set of files easier. 

After entering your question or prompt into the side panel, click the new “Add sources” button to let Gemini know which sources to draw from to generate a response. You can also drag and drop sources into the side panel to drive your conversation. With this new functionally, you’ll have better visibility and control over sources used in your conversations with Gemini. 


Drag and drop sources into the side panel to drive your conversation

Drag and drop sources into the side panel to drive your conversation

Visibility and control over sources used in your conversations with Gemini

Visibility and control over sources used in your conversations with Gemini


Getting started 


Rollout pace 

Availability

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on 
  • Google One AI Premium 
Anyone who previously purchased these add-ons will also receive this feature: 
  • Gemini Business* 
  • Gemini Enterprise* 
*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.

Resources 

  • Google Workspace Admin Help: Turn on or off Gmail, Chat, and Meet smart features and personalization (Region specific) 
  • Google Help: Collaborate with Gemini in Google Drive

Expanding Google Vids to Business Starter, Enterprise Starter and Nonprofit customers

What’s changing 

Last year, we announced the general availability of Google Vids, our AI-powered video creation app for work to help tell stories across your organization for select Workspace editions. 


Vids helps novice video creators easily build videos with a host of Gemini features that get them to a first draft faster using a set of generative AI capabilities. Help me create can generate a fully editable initial storyboard using a prompt and a doc from your Google Drive. After choosing a style, Gemini pieces together your video draft with suggested scenes, including recommended stock media, scripts, AI voiceovers, background music and more. Recently announced at Next, users will soon be able to generate custom video clips directly in Vids with Veo 2, enabling them to spend less time searching for assets to tell their story. 


Today, we’re excited to expand Google Vids to Business Starter, Enterprise Starter, and Nonprofit customers, giving them full access to Vids, and access to Vids AI features for a limited time (see below for more details). 


Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why you’d use it 

We know that creating and editing video feels challenging because it previously required special skills or licensing, but with Google Vids, anyone can be a great storyteller. Now teams can build and tell more compelling stories at work that break through the noise to engage their coworkers and colleagues.


Additional details 

For a period of 12 months after the rollout, Business Starter, Enterprise Starter, and Nonprofit customers can create a video with AI in Google Vids (using the “Help me create” feature) and use other AI features, to produce engaging videos that help scale your message, build connections and break through the noise across your organization. 

Full access to Vids (non-AI features) will be available to Business Starter, Enterprise Starter, and Nonprofit customers, allowing users to create, write, produce, edit, collaborate, and share videos.


Getting started

  • Admins: Vids will be ON by default. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning Vids on or off for users. 
  • End users:
    • To start, open Google Vids and choose an option to create a new video. You can create a new video or make a copy of an existing video for editing. Visit the Help Center to learn more about getting started with 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. 
    • Currently, Vids is available in the user’s local language, but the AI features (e.g. Help me create, read-along teleprompter) are only available in English at this time. 
    • 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 and Gemini with Google Workspace customers. 

Rollout pace

Availability 

This update impacts Google Workspace: 
  • Business Starter 
  • Enterprise Starter 
  • Nonprofits 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – April 25, 2025

5 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.


New look for the Gmail mobile app on iOS devices 
Starting this week, you’ll notice a refreshed look and feel for the Gmail mobile app on iOS devices that is in line with Google Material Design 3. This matches the experience on web and Android devices. | 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 the Gmail app.


Introducing easier editing for objects and audio tracks in Google Vids
Following the recently introduced looping animations feature in Google Vids, we’re excited to announce an additional update that improves the editing experience in Vids. Users can now control the height of the timeline, which helps a user easily view more objects when working on timing for individual scenes. | 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; Education Plus; customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on, and anyone who previously purchased a Gemini Business or Gemini Enterprise add-on. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about controlling audio timing & transitions with audio tracks.

editing for objects and audio tracks in Google Vids

Create birthdays in Google Calendar using iOS devices 
Last year, we introduced the ability to create and modify birthday events in Google Calendar on Android devices. This week, we’re excited to announce these capabilities are now available on iOS devices as well. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing birthdays on your calendar. 

Create birthdays in Google Calendar using iOS devices

Generate and use images with Gemini in the side panel of Gmail on Android and iOS devices
Building upon the ability to generate images using Gemini in the side panel of Workspace apps on web, we’re excited to announce you can now generate images in Gmail on your mobile device. Once you select the image, you can then save it, copy it, or insert it into a compose draft. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains on Android and iOS devices. | Available to Business Starter, Standard and Plus; Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus; Google One AI Premium; customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on, and anyone who previously purchased a Gemini Business or Gemini Enterprise add-on. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about Gemini in Gmail.


Introducing draggable dividers on large screen Android devices
When using the Gmail or Google Chat app on your large screen Android device, such as a tablet or foldable, you can now drag the divider that divides the list view and conversation view in the existing two pane layout. Draggable dividers enable you to pick between a one pane or two pane experience and allow you to control the width of each pane when in two pane mode. | Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.

draggable dividers on large screen Android devices

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.


Adding new capabilities to student groups in Google Classroom 
We’ve introduced improvements to student groups that enable teachers to email groups, sort by groups when grading on the Student work page and edit student groups when creating an assignment. | Learn more about student groups in Classroom. 

Introducing even more high-quality Google Slides templates to elevate your presentations 
We’ve introduced a second wave of templates that cater to a wide range of use cases such as business proposals, product pitches, marketing plans, quarterly reviews, team intros or celebrations, and more. | Learn more about templates in Slides. 

Data classifications labels for Gmail are now generally available 
Data classification labels are generally available, giving admins yet another way to enhance their security posture. | Learn more about Data classifications labels. 

Introducing Frontline Plus: Enhanced Security and AI features for Frontline Workers
We’re expanding Google Workspace Frontline to include a new edition: Frontline Plus. | Learn more about Frontline Plus.


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: 


Rollout updates 

We have changed the rollout timelines for this feature. Please refer to the original blog post for complete details.

For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).