Tag Archives: Google Calendar

Improved email notifications for Google Calendar invites

Quick summary

We’re refreshing the layout of emails sent by Google Calendar. By making key event details more accessible and useful, this update enables you to quickly find and act on an event’s most important information. 

In addition, when you receive an email notifying you of a modification to an event, such as a time or location change, it will display both the old and updated information. 



Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: No action required. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • Available to users with personal Google Accounts

Resources

Add personal tasks from Google Chat

What’s changing

In Google Chat, you can now create personal tasks from individual or group messages. These will then be viewable by you in Google Tasks, the quick-access side panel, and Google Calendar if the task has a set date.

add-personal-tasks-from-google-chat


Who’s impacted 

End users 



Why you’d use it 


This feature allows you to more easily stay on top of tasks that come out of conversations with your coworkers via Chat. Once you’ve created a personal task, you can add a due date and description, then quickly navigate back to the conversation. 



Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about adding or editing a task. 


Rollout pace 


Android & Web: 

iOS: 
  • We anticipate this feature to be available for iOS in the coming months—we will provide an update on the Workspace Updates Blog once available. 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 


Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – May 13, 2022

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 legacy Google Workspace and G Suite customers. 


New idle status in Google Chat 
In Google Chat on web and Chat in Gmail, you'll see an orange clock badge for users that were recently active in Chat, but aren't currently active. We hope this makes it easier to determine the best time to connect with your colleagues. Visit the Help Center to learn more about availability statuses in Google Chat. 





Changes to the default Host Management controls in Google Meet for users with personal accounts 
The default setting for Host Management controls is changing for users with personal Google accounts. Previously, Host Management controls were ON by default — going forward, this setting will be OFF by default for new meetings. There are no changes to the behavior for Google Workspace customers or Google Workspace Individual users.



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.


Improved user interface for sharing your working location in Google Calendar
This update improves the working location feature by offering the same functionality for easily entering and updating location information in a more compact format that uses screen space more efficiently. | Learn more here and here. 

Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Nonprofits, as well as G Suite Business customers. 


Easily search for Google Meet content in Google Drive
In Google Drive, you can now use app:”Google Meet” to easily find and organize Meet content such as Meet recordings, meeting transcripts, and more. | Learn more.


Import existing custom themes to new Google Sites
You can now import a custom theme from one new Google Site to another. | Learn more.


Create Spaces and Add Members with the Google Chat API, available in Developer Preview
Using the Google Chat API, you can now programmatically create new Spaces and add members to those Spaces. This functionality is available in preview – developers can apply for access through our Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. | Learn more.


Require email verification to book appointments in Google Calendar
When using appointment scheduling in Google Calendar, you can now opt to have users verify their email before booking an appointment. When enabled, the user must be signed into a Google account or validate their email address using a PIN code to complete the booking. | Learn more.

Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits customers.


New delegated VirusTotal privilege in the Alert Center
In 2021, we announced an integration between the Alert Center and VirusTotal. At that time, any admin who had the Alert Center privilege could access all VirusTotal reports. Now, we’ve added the ability for admins to control who can view VirusTotal reports. | Learn more.

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


Set up SSO profiles for multiple third-party identity providers with the Multi-IdP SSO beta launch
You can further customize authentication by setting up single sign-on (SSO) profiles for multiple identity providers and then configuring authentication for each group or OU. This feature is available beginning today as an open beta, which means you can use it without enrolling in a specific beta program. | Learn more.


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

Require email verification to book appointments in Google Calendar

Quick summary 

When using appointment scheduling in Google Calendar, you can now opt to have users verify their email before booking an appointment. When enabled, the user must be signed into a Google account or validate their email address using a PIN code to complete the booking. 


This setting is off by default and is “sticky”. This means that if you turn it on or off, the configuration will be saved for any new appointment scheduling series. We hope this feature helps ensure you’re protected against potentially malicious actors. 


Appointment scheduling user interface with email verification option unchecked.


Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits customers 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Frontline, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 

Resources 

Improved user interface for sharing your working location in Google Calendar

Quick summary 

In August 2021, we gave users the ability to share where they’re working from directly on their calendar. This update improves the working location feature by offering the same functionality for easily entering and updating location information in a more compact format that uses screen space more efficiently. 


Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

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

Resources 

Create externally friendly booking pages with appointment scheduling in Google Calendar

What’s changing 

In addition to appointment slots in Google Calendar, we’re introducing appointment scheduling for selected Google Workspace editions. Introduced first for Google Workspace Individual users in June 2021, the appointment scheduling feature allows users to share their availability via a booking page, which can be used by external stakeholders, clients, and partners to schedule time.




See below for more information and availability. 


Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why you’d use it 

The existing appointment slot feature in Google Calendar is helpful for internal use cases, specifically if you don't know who needs to meet with you, but you want to make yourself available. For example, professors can invite their students to office hours each week or HR professionals can share availability for benefits Q&A sessions. 


The new appointment scheduling feature is suited for external use cases, allowing external users, including those without a Google account, to schedule meetings. Additionally, with automatic conflict detection with existing Calendar events, this feature helps reduce time spent finding and rescheduling appointments. 


We hope these scheduling options give users the flexibility to share their availability the way that works best for their particular needs.


Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: 
    • If you have used appointment slots before, you can enable appointment scheduling in your Calendar settings. 
    • For all other users, appointment scheduling will be ON by default. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using appointment slots and appointment scheduling. 
Setting up appointment scheduling in Google Calendar.


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits customers 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Frontline, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 

Resources 

Develop Google Workspace add-ons to attach files to Calendar events from third-party services

Quick summary 

Google Workspace developers can now create Google Workspace add-ons that attach files to a Google Calendar event from any third-party service. This feature enables developers to create add-ons that support attachments from a wide range of sources beyond Google Drive, such as digital whiteboard, content creation, or file management tools. 


Users who have the relevant add-ons installed will be able to attach files from these sources to a Calendar event, and attendees can view the event with the attachment on the web or on mobile.



Attach files from a third-party service to a Calendar event


After attaching files in Calendar on the web, users can view the event with the attachment on the web or on mobile. 


Getting started 


Rollout pace 

  • This feature is available now for all developers and users. 

Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 

Resources 

View additional Calendar statuses in Google Chat

What’s changing

In addition to seeing when someone is out of office, you can now see additional Google Calendar statuses like “In a meeting” or “In focus time” in Google Chat. 


Additional Calendar statuses on web




Additional Calendar statuses on mobile

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users


Why you’d use it

We hope by surfacing these additional statuses, this will make it easier for your colleagues to identify appropriate times to message you.


Additional details

Additionally, the Admin control for Calendar availability will be updated to include configuration options for displaying “In a meeting” or “In focus time” blocks.




See below for more information on availability. 


Getting started



Rollout pace

End user availability 

Android & iOS:


Web:

Admin setting
  • This feature is available now.

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers
  • Not available to Google Workspace Individual users or users with personal Google accounts

Resources


Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – February 22, 2022

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 legacy G Suite customers. 



Japanese grammar suggestions for Google Docs 
You'll now see grammar suggestions as you type in Japanese in Docs. Grammar suggestions can help you write faster and more accurately. | 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. 



Manage overdue tasks in Google Calendar You can now easily see and manage your overdue tasks in Google Calendar. 
If you have uncompleted tasks that were due in the past 30 days, you will have an all day entry that will tell you how many tasks are pending from that timeframe. | Learn more. 



Participate in Google Meet polls and Q&As on Chromebase for meetings 
You can now participate in Google Meet polls and Q&As when joining from a Chromebase for meetings all-in-one touchscreen device. | Learn more.



The future of Currents and the next generation of collaboration in Spaces 
With Spaces now available, starting in 2023 we are planning to wind down Google Currents and bring remaining content and communities over to the new Spaces experience. | Learn more here and here. 



Google Voice calls between many European numbers are now included in Google Voice licenses
Beginning February 8, 2022, calls from European Google Voice numbers to mobile and landline numbers in many European countries will be included with the cost of the Google Voice license. | Learn more. 



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

Manage overdue tasks in Google Calendar

Quick summary 

You can now easily see and manage your overdue tasks in Google Calendar. If you have uncompleted tasks that were due in the past 30 days, you will have an all day entry that will tell you how many tasks are pending from that timeframe. Clicking on that entry brings up the list of these pending tasks and you can directly edit or mark them as complete from this list. 

See pending tasks as an all day entry in Calendar




By giving you a comprehensive list of uncompleted past tasks, right in Calendar, we hope that this helps you better keep track of your Tasks. The feature will be available on the web and on mobile. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: This feature will be ON by default for anyone that uses tasks in Calendar and can be turned OFF by hiding tasks in Google Calendar. Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating & viewing tasks in Calendar. 

Rollout pace 

Web: 

Android: 

iOS: 

Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 

Resources