Tag Archives: Google Calendar

Reminder: Switch to the new desktop Google Chat app before March 30 2021

What's changing

As previously announced, we plan to switch users from the old electron-based Google Chat app to the new Chat standalone app in March 2021. If you or your users are still using the old version of desktop Google Chat, you should upgrade to the new desktop Chat app before March 30 to minimize any potential disruption. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it matters 

Last year, we introduced a new Google Chat standalone app. The app is a Progressive Web Application (PWA), which provides a fast, reliable, and engaging way to use Chat on any desktop device with the Google Chrome web browser. 

In February, users of the old app started seeing banners prompting them to install the new desktop Chat. Clicking on the banner takes them to chat.google.com, where they see a pop-up nudge asking them to install the new Chat app. 

Regardless of whether the new Chat app is installed, users will be able to use Chat on the web at chat.google.com or within Gmail, if permitted by their admin. 


Getting started 

Rollout pace 

  • The new Google Chat app is available now to all users. 

Availability 

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

Resources 

Reminder: Switch to the new desktop Google Chat app before March 30 2021

What's changing

As previously announced, we plan to switch users from the old electron-based Google Chat app to the new Chat standalone app in March 2021. If you or your users are still using the old version of desktop Google Chat, you should upgrade to the new desktop Chat app before March 30 to minimize any potential disruption. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it matters 

Last year, we introduced a new Google Chat standalone app. The app is a Progressive Web Application (PWA), which provides a fast, reliable, and engaging way to use Chat on any desktop device with the Google Chrome web browser. 

In February, users of the old app started seeing banners prompting them to install the new desktop Chat. Clicking on the banner takes them to chat.google.com, where they see a pop-up nudge asking them to install the new Chat app. 

Regardless of whether the new Chat app is installed, users will be able to use Chat on the web at chat.google.com or within Gmail, if permitted by their admin. 


Getting started 

Rollout pace 

  • The new Google Chat app is available now to all users. 

Availability 

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

Resources 

Set up Google Meet breakout rooms ahead of meetings in Google Calendar

Quick launch summary

You can now set up Google Meet breakout rooms in advance on Google Calendar. This makes it easier for teachers and meeting facilitators to prepare for differentiated learning, be thoughtful about group dynamics and avoid losing valuable time setting up breakout rooms during the call.

We previously announced this feature at Learning with Google, and it is now rolling out to customers.

Add breakout rooms to Google Meet from Calendar


Getting started

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Nonprofits and Education Plus as well as G Suite Business customers, Teaching and Learning upgrade (launching in April)
  • Not available to Google Workspace Business Starter and Education Fundamentals, as well as G Suite Basic customers

Resources

Sign in to RSVP via hyperlinks in Google Calendar email invitations

Quick launch summary

In order to prevent unauthorized users from responding on your behalf to Google Calendar event invitations, you’ll now be required to be logged in to use any of the RSVP hyperlinks in invite emails. Previously, organizers or anyone with a specific invitee's invitation copy could respond on behalf of that invitee.
Responding to invitations via email will now require you to be signed in


If a user is not logged in, they will be asked to sign in to their Google Account. Note that this only applies to users with a Google account.

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 responding to event invitations.

Rollout pace

Availability

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

Resources

Join Google Meet calls from third-party video conferencing systems more easily

What’s changing

  • If you’re using third-party video conferencing hardware with a third-party calendar service, you can now enable your users to join Meet video calls with just one click from the device.
  • If you’re using third-party video conferencing hardware with Google Calendar, you can now choose to have SIP meeting codes automatically added to new Calendar events.


Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it’s important

Meet supports SIP URI—a common way to let video conferencing systems know how to join calls—but to date, many customers have found it difficult to use. With this launch, we’re giving admins the option to automatically add SIP join information to new third-party calendar events—thus making it easier for third-party hardware solutions to find and join Meet calls. If the hardware you use doesn’t have a calendar integration, we’ll automatically add SIP join information to new Calendar events. This should make it easier for users to join Meet calls on third-party video conferencing hardware.

Getting started

  • Admins: These features will be off by default. To take advantage of them, you need to download and install Pexip Infinity gateway and turn on Meet interoperability in the Admin console. You must then choose to use long meeting IDs. Visit the Help Center for instructions on how to use Meet with third-party video conferencing systems.
  • End users: There is no end user setting for these features. They will only work for users with interop enabled.

Rollout pace

  • This feature is available now for all domains.

Availability

  • Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, and Education Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, and Nonprofits customers. A gateway license from Pexip or a Pexip partner is required for Meet interoperability.

Resources

Adding Google Chat, Google Calendar, and Jamboard to Google Workspace Essentials

Quick launch summary

We’re giving teams and organizations more ways to connect and collaborate by adding Google Chat, Google Calendar, and Jamboard to Google Workspace Essentials, all included at no additional cost.

We know that different types of workers have different needs for communication and collaboration. We hope that, with the addition of these apps, Google Workspace Essentials customers will take advantage of new ways to communicate and collaborate by:

  • Using Chat to stay connected with your team and other stakeholders in your organization
  • Using Jamboard and Google Meet to conduct more immersive and engaging meetings
  • Using Calendar to schedule calls and team meetings

We’re also adding the ability for multiple teams within one domain to sign up for Google Workspace Essentials, even if other teams in their domain have previously signed up in the past.

Visit http://workspace.google.com/essentials to learn more about Google Workspace Essentials.

Getting started

Rollout pace

These features are available now.

Availability

  • These changes apply to Google Workspace Essentials customers only.
  • These changes are not relevant to Google Workspace Enterprise Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, or Enterprise Plus, or G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, or Nonprofits customers.

Resources

Access to Google Workspace core services from Google Assistant

What’s changing

Over the next few weeks, we’ll begin making access to Google Workspace services from Google Assistant generally available to any customers with the “Search and Assistant” additional service enabled. This was previously available in beta.




Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why you’d use it

This will allow your users to more seamlessly get things done using just their voice—from asking what’s on their Calendar to joining meetings and sending emails on the go. Google Assistant will respond to voice commands for certain Google Calendar and Gmail functions and:
  • Let you know when your next meeting is
  • Create, cancel or reschedule a Calendar event
  • Send a note to event attendees via email
  • Dial into a meeting
  • Email a contact

Additional details

At launch, this service will initially only be available in English on personal mobile devices. Support for access on Nest smart speakers and smart displays is still in beta (you can sign up to participate).

Getting started

Rollout pace

Admin controls

Availability

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

Resources

Let Google Calendar automatically book a replacement room for your events

What’s changing

If a room declines your event, Google Calendar can now find a similar room to replace it, automatically.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why you’d use it

In the past, when a room declined a Calendar meeting, your users may not have noticed until the last minute, leaving them and their guests without a room. This was especially common with recurring meetings, where a room may have declined on some dates but not others.

When this new feature is enabled, your users will save time and effort as Calendar automatically tries to find and book a replacement room that is a similar size, is in the same building, and has the same equipment.


Additional details 

The organizer and guests of the event will receive an email informing them of the newly booked room. Visit the Help Center for more information.




Getting started

  • Admins: This feature will be ON by default and can be disabled at the domain level by going to Admin console > Building and resources > Global Room Settings and deselecting “Automatic room replacement.”Please note that for this feature to work, the setting must be enabled and you must have structured resources added in the Admin console. Make sure your resources are all classified correctly to prevent incorrect room replacements.
  • End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about automatic room replacement.



Rollout pace

Admin setting
Feature rollout

Availability

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

Resources

More options for sharing your availability in Google Calendar

What’s changing 

We’re adding two new options in Calendar, which will help you better communicate your work availability to your colleagues. Specifically, you can: 
  • Create repeating out of office entries. 
  • Split your working hours into multiple segments each day. 
At the moment, working hour segments will only be available on the web and repeating out of office entries on the web and Android devices. See below for more information on these features, including rollout details. 



Who's impacted

End users



Why it’s important 

As many people have experienced changes to their working environments in the past year, their work schedules have also changed—and are now often mixed with personal commitments and other obligations. We hope that with the addition of repeating out of office entries and segmentable working hours, you can better organize your time and communicate availability to your colleagues. 

You can use segmentable working hours to indicate when certain blocks of time are outside of your working hours. Working hours are visible on your calendar when someone schedules a meeting with you. 

In addition to using repeating out of office entries for vacation time, you can use them to indicate time when you need to handle personal commitments—like childcare, exercise, and more. They can also be used to better communicate part-time availability or certain days when you're consistently unavailable. 



Additional details 

Repeating out of office entries and declining meeting behavior 
If you create a repeating out of office entry and select “Automatically decline meetings,” a decline meeting notification will be sent to the organizers of any meetings scheduled during your repeating OOO. If the declined meeting is a recurring meeting, those organizers may get multiple notifications—these emails are bundled for Gmail users, but not always for users of other email services. 



Getting started 

Segment your working hours in Google Calendar

Rollout pace 

Working hour segments 
  • Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 22, 2021 
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 8, 2021 

Repeating out of office entries 
  • Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 1, 2021 
  • Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 15, 2021 


Availability 

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

Resources 

New Calendar admin privilege hierarchy in the Admin console

What’s changing

You can now grant admin privileges for Calendar-related settings and resource management separately.

We’re changing the hierarchy of privileges within the Calendar privileges section of the Admin console. Before, to control calendar-related admin privileges, you had to use the "All Settings" checkbox, which controlled both calendar settings and resource management. Now, there's a separate "Settings" checkbox which allows you to assign privileges related to calendar settings separately from resource management.

Old hierarchy

New hierarchy

Who’s impacted

Admins only

Why you’d use it

With this change, admins can now create more specified custom roles to delegate tasks clearly and without worrying who the appropriate user is, for example:
  • An admin who can only manage buildings and resources 
  • An admin who can only see room insights
  • An admin who can only modify calendar-related settings

Getting started

  • Admins: In the Admin console, go to Account > Admin roles and select the admin role for which you’d like to designate privileges. Click on Calendar.
  • End users: No action required.

Additional details

Existing pre-built and custom roles will NOT be affected by this change. To learn more about the different admin privileges and their definitions, check out the Help Center.

Rollout pace

Availability

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

Resources