Tag Archives: Google Sheets

Import and convert sensitive Excel files into client-side encrypted Google Sheets

This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘23. Visit the Workspace Blog to learn more about latest security updates and the next wave of AI innovation in Workspace.


What’s changing

Launching in open beta, you can now import and convert sensitive Excel files into Google Sheets with client-side encryption. Your encrypted Excel file won’t be changed, even as you change the encrypted Sheets file.

In Google Sheets, navigate to File > Import.


Additional details

With this release:
  • You can only import encrypted .xslx Excel file types. Additional Excel and tabular file types are not supported.
  • During import, unsupported Excel features in Sheets will be ignored.
  • The maximum file size is 20MB.
  • The maximum number of cells that can be imported is 5 million.

Getting started

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus customers

Turn ideas into action using Google Sheets

This announcement was made at Google Cloud Next ‘23. Visit the Workspace Blog to learn more about the next wave of AI innovation in Workspace. This feature is exclusive to the Duet AI for Google Workspace Enterprise add-on.

What’s changing

Through Duet AI for Google Workspace, you can now use Google Sheets to quickly get started organizing your data in a straightforward, highly-visual manner. By simply describing what you want to accomplish using Help me organize, Sheets will generate a plan, tracker, budget, schedule, and more in the form of a template with sample text and smart chips that are easily editable. Once inserted into the grid, you can make the template your own by assigning owners, updating statuses, and bringing in relevant information such as location or time. 


Whether you’re a travel agent planning a trip for a company retreat or a team lead establishing onboarding plans for new hires, Help me organize gives you a running start for creating highly-organized plans, trackers, timelines and more. 
Turn ideas into action using Google Sheets

Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why it’s important 

Through the power of Duet AI for Google Workspace, you can now get started organizing information faster than ever before in Google Sheets. 


Additional details 

Help me organize makes template tables with sample data, and does not have access to the data within your spreadsheet or elsewhere. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: This feature will be ON by default and there is no admin control for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Duet AI for Google Workspace Enterprise.
  • End users: 
    • To use the Help me organize feature, write a description of what you need in the sidebar > click Create > View the generated table preview. 
      • Note: You must write a minimum of 2 characters in the sidebar. The maximum number of characters is 150. 
    • The Help me organize sidebar is surfaced for any empty tab (new or existing Sheets files). 
    • You can re-open Help me organize from the insert menu or the toolbar via a new icon. You can also re-trigger the sidebar when adding a new tab. 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about organizing with Duet AI in Google Sheets. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – August 25, 2023

2 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.


Copy space member email address in Google Chat 
Space managers and members can now copy the email addresses of members in a space on Google Chat. This option is ON by default for spaces with 100 members or less. The option to copy space member email addresses will be disabled in spaces with 100+ members. 
Copy space member email address in Google Chat

Filter by expression for Connected Sheets for Looker 
You can now use common filter expressions from Looker such as “last 30 days”, “last quarter”, or “NOT 50” to filter on pivot tables in Connected Sheets for Looker. | Learn more about Connected Sheets. 


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.


View speaker notes while co-presenting Google Slides in Google Meet
Co-presenters are now also able to view speaker notes. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade, and Workspace Individual customers only. | Learn more about viewing speaker notes while co-presenting Google Slides in Google Meet. 

Stronger protection for additional sensitive actions taken in Gmail 
Last year, we introduced stronger safeguards around sensitive actions taken in your Google Workspace accounts. We’re extending these protections to sensitive actions taken in Gmail. | Learn more about stronger protection in Gmail. 

See message view counts in Google Chat spaces 
Space members can now see view counts for messages in all spaces. | Learn more about view counts in Google Chat spaces. 

View & compare script versions with Apps Script project history 
We're announcing project history, a new interface for developers to view previously deployed script versions and compare versions to the current script version. | Learn more about Apps Script project history. 

Displaying Microsoft Outlook users as organizers in Google Calendar 
Microsoft Outlook user who organize meetings are now listed amongst the other meeting attendees in Calendar as the meeting organizer. | Learn more Microsoft Outlook organizers in Google Calendar. 

Introducing Workday app for Google Chat 
We’re adding a new Workday app for Google Chat that allows you to perform quick actions in Workday, such as requesting time off, filing expense reports and looking up colleague's information, all without leaving Google Chat. | Learn more about the Workday app for Google Chat.

Join client-side encrypted meetings from your mobile device 
You can join a client-side encrypted meeting directly from the Google Meet and Calendar apps. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus customers hosting client-side encrypted calls only. | Learn more about client-side encrypted meetings from your mobile device. 

Third-party app access enhancements for Google Workspace for Education 
All Google Workspace for Education Admins must review and confirm access settings for third-party configured apps that are currently accessible to your users by Oct 23, 2023 in order for users designated as under 18 to maintain access to those third-party apps. | Available to Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade only. | Learn more about third-party app access. 

Enhance your Google Keep notes on Android with rich text formatting 
We’re adding rich text formatting options to new notes on Keep. This highly requested feature enables you to customize and add emphasis to your text through bolding, underlining, italicizing, and heading styles. | Learn more about rich text formatting on the Keep app.


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.


Rapid Release Domains:

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

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – August 18, 2023

2 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.


Get started with smart canvas in Google Sheets 
When opening a new spreadsheet or tab in Google Sheets, you will now see “Type @ to insert” to help you start using the smart canvas features available in Sheets. 
Get started with smart canvas in Google Sheets

A new look for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps on Android devices 
We’re introducing a modernized visual design for the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps on Android devices. In the coming weeks, Android users will notice a refreshed look for things like the editing toolbar, icons, background colors, and more. 
A new look for Google Docs on Android devices
Refreshed visual design of Google Docs app

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.


Programmatically read and write working locations with the Calendar API, now generally available 
Previously available in beta through our Developer Preview Program, the ability to read and write a user’s working location using the Calendar API is now generally available. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Education Standard, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade and Nonprofits customers, as well as legacy G Suite Business customers only. | Learn more about Calendar API. 

Google Voice users can manage incoming calls across individuals and groups 
Admins can now designate specific Voice users as managers of a ring group, allowing them to make changes from voice.google.com instead of the Admin console. | Available to Google Voice Starter, Standard and Premier customers only. | Learn more about managing incoming calls. 

Resolve conflict accounts faster with the new Conflict Accounts Management tool 
We’re introducing an automated workflow to help reduce the manual effort needed to turn unmanaged accounts into managed accounts. Unmanaged accounts are users who independently created a Google account using one of your organization's domains. | Learn more about the new Conflict Accounts Management tool. 


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.


Rapid Release Domains: 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – August 11, 2023

4 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.


Adding bulk conversion for place chips in Google Sheets
Earlier this year, we introduced a smart canvas feature that enables you to open a location directly in Google Maps and see a preview of the location or find directions when a Google Maps place chip is added to your Sheet. Starting this week, users can now convert links to place chips in bulk from the insert menu or cell menu. This time-saving update is especially helpful when formatting data in bulk for event schedules, vendor lists, trip itineraries, etc. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains at an extended pace (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility). | Learn more about inserting smart chips in your Google Sheets. 
Adding bulk conversion for place chips in Google Sheets
Easily set up dropdown chips in Google Sheets with a new pre-fill feature 
If you select a range of cells then insert a dropdown chip, manually entered cell data will convert to pre-fill the dropdown values. You can then use the dropdown sidebar to easily adjust the options or add styles to the dropdowns before accepting. | Learn more about creating a dropdown list with existing data. 
Easily set up dropdown chips in Google Sheets with a new pre-fill feature
Reorganizing the file and folder menu in Google Drive
Earlier this year, we introduced a refreshed interface for Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. Building upon this, when right-clicking a file or folder in Drive, you will now see a new menu format. While the menu functionality remains the same, we’ve reordered and renamed menu items, and also added new sub-menus. 
Reorganizing the right-click menu format in Google Drive

Updated timeline for upgrading to the in-line threaded experience in Google Chat 
Earlier this year, we announced that existing spaces organized by conversation topic will be upgraded to the new in-line threaded experience by Q4 2023. We’d like to provide an update on that timing: 
  • The upgrade will start in September 2023 and is expected to be completed by the end of Q1 2024. 
Ahead of the upgrade, Google Workspace admins, partners, and resellers will receive an email with more information about what to expect before any changes are made to their experience. For more information, please refer to our previous announcement. 


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.


Simplify lesson planning with shareable class templates and classwork with new Google Classroom beta 
We’re excited to announce a Google Classroom beta that will simplify lesson planning with others and make classroom materials more accessible. | Available to Education Plus only. | Learn more about the new Google Classroom beta. 

Updates for exporting your organization’s data 
Google Workspace customers can choose to export the data of a specific user, rather than a customer’s full set of user generated content. Additionally, you’ll notice an improved user interface for the data export tool, which provides more detailed information about exports, records a longer history of exports, and offers more features (filtered takeout). | Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade and Assured Controls customers only. | Learn more about exporting your organization’s data. 

Review suggested hints, add your own resources, and more for practice sets in Google Classroom We’ve announced an update that gives teachers more control over the resources for students in practice sets. | Available to Google Workspace for Education Plus and Google Workspace for Education Teaching and Learning Upgrade only. | Learn more about practice sets in Google Classroom. 

Expanding branding and customization capabilities in Google Slides and Google Forms 
Users now have access to a domain template with a variety of branded slides, layouts, images, colors and fonts that will appear when creating a new presentation in Slides. They also have access to a domain theme including fonts, branded colors and a header image that you can use when creating a new form or editing an existing form in Forms. | Available to Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus only. | Learn more about default templates & themes. 

Adding Gmail translation to mobile devices 
There is now a native translation integration within the Gmail mobile app that will enable you to seamlessly communicate in a wide range of languages. | Learn more about translating on mobile devices in Gmail. 

Google Keep integration with Assistant available to all Google Workspace users 
If you’re using the Google Assistant with your Google Workspace device, you can set Google Keep as the default provider for your notes and lists. You can ask Assistant to create a new list, add or delete items for an existing list, or read back all the list items to you. | Learn more about the Google Keep integration with Assistant. 

Introducing eSignature for Google Docs and Google Drive: launching to open beta for Workspace Individual subscribers, launching to beta for Google Workspace customers 
eSignature is now available as an open beta for Google Workspace Individual subscribers — no additional sign-up is required to use the feature. eSignature will be available in beta for select Google Workspace customers — see the “Additional details” section below for more information. | Eligible for beta: Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Education Plus, and Nonprofits customers only. | Learn more about eSignatures in Google Docs. 

Gallery view for Zoom interoperability on Google Meet hardware 
We’re now introducing support for Zoom’s Gallery view, which makes much better use of screen real estate and allows more participants to be seen on screen at the same time. | Available for all Google Meet hardware customers. | Learn more about Zoom interoperability for Google Meet hardware devices. 

Add annotations to your presentations in Google Slides 
There is a feature that lets you highlight or emphasize key content while you present in Google Slides. With the new pen tool, you can circle, underline, draw connections or make quick notes directly on your presentation. | Learn more about annotations in Google Slides

Set Context Aware Access policies for 1P & 3P applications to access Workspace APIs
Admins can now use context-aware access to block users' access to Workspace Applications via other Google (1st party) & non Google (3rd party) applications. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus, and Cloud Identity Premium customers. | Learn more about Context Aware Access policies.


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.


Rapid Release Domains: 

Scheduled Release Domains: 

Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains: 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – August 4, 2023

6 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.

Empty the entire trash folder of shared drives in Google Drive
In order to make it easier to manage shared drive files and eliminate the manual effort of removing items in the trash folder, we’ve added the ability to empty the entire trash folder of a shared drive. As a reminder, files and folders in Trash are deleted forever after 30 days. You can also delete files in Trash by selecting “Delete Forever”.

Linkable headings now available in Google Docs
To improve shareability of documents, especially longer ones, we’re adding the ability to copy links to headings in Google Docs. Simply, open a Google Doc on web > add a heading (type some content and set to “Heading 1”) > right-click the heading > click the “Copy heading link” button > paste the contents. 
Linkable headings now available in Google Docs
People chips in Google Sheets now available on mobile devices 
In 2021, we introduced people chips in Google Sheets. These chips allow you to quickly view more information about colleagues or contacts, including their location, job title, and contact information. We’re excited to announce that these smart chips are now available on iOS and Android devices. | Learn more about inserting smart chips in your Google Sheets. 
People chips in Google Sheets now available on mobile devices
Adding drag & drop to Google Drive multi-instance support on large screen Android devices
Earlier this year, we added the option for a single user to have two instances of the Google Drive app open side-by-side on a single device, which shows content from two different Google Accounts. Starting this week, you can now drag and drop between two instances of the Drive app, enabling you to quickly share files and folders between two different accounts. | Learn more about using Google Drive. 
Adding drag & drop to multi-instance support on the Google Drive Android app

Insert emojis into Google Sites 
You can now create more engaging content on Google Sites with the new option to insert emojis directly into text boxes and headings. Simply, create or open a Site > click any textbox and the emoji button will be visible in the toolbar > select the emoji button > choose an emoji. 
Insert emojis into Google Sites

Paste HTML into document on iOS 
Last month, we announced the ability to paste copied HTML elements into a document on Android. We’re excited to announce that this functionality is now available on iOS 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.

Bringing Collaborations in Canvas to Google Assignments 
We’re introducing a new feature exclusively for Canvas that allows users to create a Drive item and collaborate on it with other users in the course. | Available to Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade only. | Learn more about the collaborative power of Google Workspace for Education to Canvas. 

Import and convert sensitive Excel files into client-side encrypted Google Sheets 
Launching in open beta, you can now import and convert sensitive Excel files into Google Sheets with client-side encryption. Your encrypted Excel file won’t be changed, even as you change the encrypted Sheets file. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more about client-side encrypted Google Sheets. 

Google Classroom now supports grade export to Skyward Qmlativ 
Google Classroom teachers can now export their grades to Skyward Qmlativ, a third-party Student Information System (SIS) that helps education teams simplify student and business data management, and complete administrative tasks faster. | Available to Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade only. | Learn more about grade export to Skyward Qmlativ. 

Q&A moderation now available for Google Meet 
Meeting hosts can now enable Q&A moderation, which will allow hosts to review and approve questions before they’re shared with meeting attendees. Question moderation can be used for meetings and in-domain live streams, on web and mobile devices. | Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits customers only. | Learn more about Q&A moderation for Google Meet. 

More granular control for Google Forms 
We’re introducing a new toggle in the Admin console that adds controls for who can access Google Forms features and services. When disabled, end users cannot create, edit or respond to Google Forms. | Learn more about Google Forms controls.


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.


Rapid Release Domains: 

Scheduled Release Domains: 

Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains: 

Import and convert sensitive Excel files into client-side encrypted Google Sheets

What’s changing 

Launching in open beta, you can now import and convert sensitive Excel files into Google Sheets with client-side encryption. Your encrypted Excel file won’t be changed, even as you change the encrypted Sheets file. 


In Google Sheets, navigate to File > Import.




Additional details 

With this release: 
  • You can only import encrypted .xslx Excel file types. 
  • Additional Excel and tabular file types are not supported. 
  • During import, unsupported Excel features in Sheets will be ignored. 
  • The maximum file size is 20MB. 
  • The maximum number of cells that can be imported is 5 million. 

Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus customers 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – July 14, 2023

4 New updates 

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are fully launched or in the process of rolling out (rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete), launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time (if not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete), and available to all Google Workspace and G Suite customers. 


Improved media viewing on Android devices in Google Chat 
We’re introducing a new media viewer in Google Chat on Android devices that significantly improves the media browsing experience. Now, media thumbnails open faster in full screen, repeat playback is quicker, and you can swipe between all of the media in the conversation. We've also added a shared media option that allows users to quickly browse through all media shared in a Chat conversation, which is accessible from the conversation as well as from the full-screen view of every media item. | Learn more about sending & sharing files in Google Chat messages.




Extending long running queries within Connected Sheets
Currently, we timeout any queries that take longer than 5 minutes for Connected Sheets. This week, we extended the timeout time from 5 minutes to 10 minutes for BigQuery and Looker. This means Connected Sheets users will be able to analyze data from queries that scan even larger data sets in Sheets.  


Filter by measures and value in a pivot table with Connected Sheets for Looker
Previously, Connected Sheets users could filter by dimensions in pivot tables, but not measures. Now, Looker users are able to filter by measures in a pivot table, which allows for even more targeted analysis on Connected Sheets. Additionally, Looker users will be able to filter by value in a pivot table on Connected Sheets. | Learn more about measure types on Looker and creating & using pivot tables. 




Add emojis in Google Sheets
Emojis are a great way for people to express themselves across Google Workspace. We’re excited to announce that you can now insert emojis into a Google Sheet by:
  • Typing “@” > “Emoji” > select the desired emoji
  • Going to “Insert” > “Emoji” > select the desired emoji

Scale meetings to 1,000 attendees, with 500 attendees being viewers, now available for Google Workspace Education Plus
In June 2023, we announced viewer mode for Google Meet. For certain Google Workspace editions, viewer mode can be used to scale their meetings to 1,000 attendees, with 500 attendees being viewers. We’re now expanding this functionality to Google Workspace Education Plus customers. | Learn more about scaling meetings with viewer mode.


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.


Add hyperlinks to text in Google Chat
You can now hyperlink text on web and Android when composing or editing a message in Google Chat. This update also includes the ability to copy over hyperlinks from other places like Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Slides. | Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts. | Learn more about adding hyperlinks to text in Chat.


Paid appointment bookings now available in Google Calendar
To improve upon the current capabilities of appointment scheduling, the Google Calendar feature that allows users to share their availability via a booking page, we're now integrating paid appointment bookings into Google Calendar. | Available to Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Nonprofits and Workspace Individual only. | Learn more about paid appointment bookings in Google Calendar.


Negotiate time directly in Gmail to schedule meetings faster
We’re adding a feature into Gmail that helps you find convenient 1:1 meeting times with others much quicker. This is especially useful when scheduling time with customers, partners or people in your organization whose Google Calendars are not visible to you. | Learn more about scheduling meetings in Gmail.


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.


Rapid Release Domains:

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – July 7, 2023

2 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 customers.



Easily convert email addresses and links into smart chips using the tab key in Google Sheets 
You will now have the option to insert a link and press the tab key to convert the link into a smart chip in Google Sheets. Access this feature when you copy and paste email addresses or links to Google Drive files, Google Maps places, or Youtube videos into a Sheet. | Learn more about inserting smart chips in your Google Sheets. 
Easily convert email addresses and links into smart chips using the tab key in Google Sheets

Revamping the "First Open Experience" in Docs on Android devices 
Last week, we announced a more creation-focused experience when first opening the Sheets and Slides apps on Android devices. We’re extending this to the Docs app, which will now start in edit mode. Additionally, the formatting toolbar will be more visible, you will see an I-beam cursor, and tapping once exposes an on-screen keyboard unless a physical keyboard is attached.
Revamping the "First Open Experience" in Docs on 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.


Pin links to the top of the navigation bar in the Admin console 
Admins can now pin up to five links to the top of the left-hand navigation menu. This is particularly helpful if there are areas of the admin console you navigate to more than others, helping to save clicks and navigate to relevant pages faster. | Learn more about the top of the navigation bar in the Admin console. 

Customize error messages for Google Chat data loss prevention rules, available in open beta 
For new and existing data protection rules for Google Chat, you can now customize the message shown to users when a message is blocked or intercepted. Previously, the message would be a standard warning, shared for all cases. Now, you can provide more context for users, including what they can do to unblock themselves or links to additional resources. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade, and Frontline Standard customers only. | Learn more about customized error messages for Google Chat data loss prevention rules.

Client-side encryption for Google Calendar is now generally available on mobile 
Earlier this year, we expanded the client-side encryption beta to Google Calendar on mobile to help customers strengthen the confidentiality of their data while helping address a broad range of data sovereignty and compliance requirements. Today, we’re happy to announce that client-side encryption for Google Calendar is now generally available on Android and iOS devices for eligible Workspace editions. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more about client-side encryption for Google Calendar on mobile. 

Adding more flexibility to working locations in Google Calendar 
We’re introducing the option to set working locations in Calendar that indicate where you’re working for specific portions of the day. This will help you more accurately reflect your availability based on the physical location you set, which can change throughout the day. | 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 only. | Learn more about adding your working location for part of a day.

Completed rollouts

The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog post for additional details.


Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – June 30, 2023

3 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 customers.


Revamping the "First Open Experience" in Sheets and Slides on Android devices 
In addition to the recent announcement that documents on tablet and foldables will now be in paginated mode upon first open, there will now be a more creation-focused experience when first opening the Sheets and Slides apps on Android devices. For example:

In the Sheets app, there will be larger tap targets and tapping once exposes the formula bar, tab bar, and a contextual formatting toolbar. 
Revamping the "First Open Experience" in Sheets
In the Slides app, you will now see the filmstrip on the left-hand side and selecting an object exposes the contextual toolbar and an on-screen keyboard. 
Revamping the "First Open Experience" in Slides on Android devices

Paste HTML into document on Android 
In continuing our mission to provide a top-class user experience on large screen devices, we’re introducing the ability for users to paste copied HTML elements into a document on Android. You can now copy HTML elements to clipboard and paste the elements into a Doc, all while maintaining the formatting elements. 


Easily duplicate groups and objects in Google Sites 
Currently, Google Site editors can duplicate a section of their Site, and the duplicated section appears directly below the section it was duplicated from. Starting this week, we’re extending the duplicate feature by enabling you to easily duplicate objects (images, buttons, text boxes) and groups when editing a Site. | Learn more about adding or editing text & images in Google Sites. 
Easily duplicate groups and objects in Google Sites


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.


Quickly access more features during meetings, available for Google Meet on the web 
We’ve introduced a new quick action to access popular features in Google Meet. By hovering the mouse on top of your own video feed, you can access video effects such as immersive backgrounds or fun filters to bring more fun to your meetings and a reframing option to improve your visibility. | Learn more about features in Google Meet. 

Apply background blur when joining a call using a virtual desktop 
If you’re using a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to join a Google Meet meeting, you can now use background blur and light adjustment. Background blur will intelligently separate you from the background, blurring your surroundings while keeping you clear and in focus. | Available to Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, and Individual customers only. | Learn more about background blur in Google Meet. 

Google Sheets now integrated with mail merge in Gmail 
Mail merge will support Google Sheets in the web version of Gmail. This integration will allow you to link a Sheet with up to 1,500 recipients and use any data column from your Sheet as a mail merge tag. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus customers and Nonprofits only. | Learn more about mail merge with Sheets in Gmail. 

Simplified access controls coming to Google Meet beginning July 17, 2023 
We’re introducing simplified controls for meeting access in Google Meet. These will replace the existing Quick access meeting settings and the admin setting to turn Quick access on or off by default will be removed. This update will begin rolling out on July 17, 2023. | Learn more about access controls coming to Google Meet. 

Use polls or Q&As during Google Meet live streams 
If you’re live streaming a video meeting, meeting hosts can now enable the Q&A and poll features, which previously were only offered in traditional Meet meetings. Expanding these features to live streamed meetings will help take your meetings to the next level with a more feature-rich, collaborative experience. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Essentials Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Plus, Enterprise Standard, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning upgrade customers. | Learn more about polls and Q&As during Google Meet live streams. 

Making focus time more productive with new Google Calendar setting 
To increase concentration and bridge the gap between do not disturb and focus time, you can now mute notifications for the duration of your focus time directly in Calendar. | Available to Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Business Standard, Business Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus, and Nonprofits only. | Learn more about the new Google Calendar setting. 

See read receipts for messages in Google Chat group direct messages 
We’re introducing read receipts in group direct messages. With this feature, you can now quickly identify if other members of a group have read your latest message within a Chat stream. | Learn more about read receipts in Google Chat.

Improvements for client-side encryption in Gmail 
We’ve introduced two new features for client-side encryption in Gmail which will help you quickly identify ineligible recipients and any attachments that may be blocked. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Education Standard customers. | Learn more about client-side encryption in Gmail.


Completed rollouts

The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog post for additional details.