Tag Archives: Google Sites

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – October 29, 2021

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. 


Updating Gmail "Compose" button for Chat in Gmail users on the web 
Earlier this year, we updated the "Compose" button to a smaller, icon-only button for all users of Chat in Gmail on the web. We've heard from you that the original, larger version of the button is more intuitive and will be going back to that option starting November 3, 2021. | Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts.




New navigation menus in Google Sites
Site editors can now organize page and external links under new navigation menus. Simply select "New Menu" and add or move pages to allow more flexibility in structuring navigation within your sites. | Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts.


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.


Enhanced menus in Google Sheets improves findability of key features
We’re updating the menus in Google Sheets to make it easier to locate the most commonly-used features. | Learn more.


Manage and share private iOS apps through Google Endpoint Management
Admins can now upload, manage, and distribute private iOS applications to advanced managed devices. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus, and Cloud Identity Premium customers. | Learn more.


VirusTotal integration with the security investigation tool provides deeper insight into Gmail events
Admins can use the Security  Investigation tool to view VirusTotal reports to gain richer information regarding Gmail event logs and use that information to make more informed decisions on protecting their users and data. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus customers. | Learn more.


Improved and updated security menu in the Admin Console
We have updated the “Security” category within the left-hand navigation of the Admin console by adding navigation access to security features previously only accessible from the security settings page, introducing subcategories, and more. | Learn more.


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

Reminder: Editing in classic Google Sites will no longer be available starting December 1, 2021 and classic Sites will no longer be viewable beginning January 1, 2021

What’s changing 

As previously announced, we are replacing classic Google Sites with new Google Sites. To avoid disruption, please make sure all of your existing classic Sites are migrated by December 31, 2021. 


We’d like to remind you that: 
  • Starting December 1, 2021: you will no longer be able to edit any remaining classic Google Sites in your domain. 
  • Starting January 1, 2022: classic Google Sites will no longer be viewable unless they are converted to new Google Sites. Any remaining classic Sites will automatically be: 
    • Downloaded as an archive and saved to the website owner’s Google Drive. 
    • Replaced with a draft in the new Google Sites for site owners to review and publish. 

See below for more information.


Who’s impacted

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important

To ensure your organization’s classic Sites content continues to be viewable without interruption, make sure all your existing classic Sites are migrated by December 31, 2021. If you haven’t already done so, enable new Sites creation for your organization.


We anticipate the transition process for all remaining classic Sites that starts on January 1, 2022 will take up to three months to complete. Admins will receive an email notification once this is completed for their domain. During the transition period, you and your users will still be able to migrate remaining classic Sites that have not already been auto-migrated.


If you don’t take any action, the changes outlined in the transition timeline above will automatically be applied to your domain. Use our Help Center to learn more about the transition from classic Sites to new Sites.

Additional details

Some sites may not be automatically replaced with a draft in new Google Sites due to page count limits or other factors. Please see this Help Center article for more information and to determine if your site is impacted and action is needed before December 31, 2021.


Getting started

  • Admins: 
    • Use the Classic Sites Manager to help your users make the transition. Using this console, admins can: 
      • View all classic Sites in your domain with the option to export to Google Sites for project management. 
      • Convert, archive, restore, or delete your websites, individually or in bulk. 
      • Bulk update ownership of sites.

Design your own custom themes in new Google Sites

What’s changing 

You can now create highly customized themes in new Google Sites that align with your organization’s brand guidelines or your own personal style. 




Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why you’d use it 

Currently, there are six pre-created themes with limited customization options, which are helpful for quickly creating a consistent look and feel for sites. With the addition of custom themes, you have greater control over things like: 
  • Fonts and text style, 
  • Colors, 
  • Brand images, 
  • Navigation settings, 
  • Style of components such as buttons, and more. 

We hope that custom themes and custom templates allow you to create and share sites that best match your brand guidelines or specific style. 


Getting started 


Rollout pace 

  • Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility starting on September 16, 2021 
  • Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on October 6, 2021 

Availability 

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

Resources 

Restore a page via version history in new Google Sites

Quick launch summary 

In new Google Sites, you can now restore a specific page from version history. Previously, you could only restore an entire site. This additional functionality makes it easier to restore, edit, and re-publish specific pages that may have changed by mistake or been deleted. 



Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

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

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – July 23, 2021

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.

Gmail now displays the latest emojis
Now you can see all the latest emojis in Gmail, with emojis now rendered in the latest Unicode standard 13.1.

Improved Tabular Data Handling for Gmail DLP
We are improving the way we handle Tabular data files like .csv or .xlsx to best account for the structure of these files. This will result in more accurate content scans. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise, Education Fundamentals, Standard, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Plus customers. | 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.

Updates to Google Workspace Public Status Dashboard and service status alerts
We're introducing a new Public Status Dashboard experience for Google Workspace. As part of this update, we’re enhancing the functionality of the existing Apps outage alert system-defined rule, which provides email notifications regarding service disruptions or outages via the Public Status Dashboard. | Learn more.


Hangouts to Google Chat upgrade beginning August 16th, with option to opt-out
Beginning August 16, 2021, we will start upgrading users who have the “Chat and classic Hangouts” setting selected to “Chat preferred,” unless you explicitly opt out. Additionally, the “Chat and classic Hangouts'' setting will also be removed for all users in your domain unless you opt out of the upgrade. | Learn more.


Fundamental data regions now available to more Google Workspace customers
Data regions give you the ability to choose where covered data for select Google Workspace apps is stored at rest. We’re introducing a more limited version of data regions, known as Fundamental data regions, which will be available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Business Plus, Business Standard and Frontline customers. | Learn more.


Bulk convert Classic Sites to new Sites using the Classic Sites Manager
Beginning today, you can now bulk convert Classic Sites to new Sites using the Classic Sites Manager. | Learn more.


Block shares from another user in Google Drive
We’re adding the ability to block another user in Google Drive. If blocked, the user will not be able to share any Drive items with you, and items owned by the user will not be able to be shared with you or be shown when you’re browsing Google Drive. In addition, your files will not be available to the user you’ve blocked, even if you’ve previously shared items with them.  | Learn more.



Select multiple tabs in Google Sheets and perform basic actions on the selection
Now you can select multiple tabs in Google Sheets and perform basic actions on the selection (such as moving the tabs together, deleting, duplicating, copying, coloring, or hiding). | Learn more.



Image placeholders make it easy to work as a team with images in Slides themes and layouts
Now when you create a theme in Slides, you can add image placeholders to your layouts. | Learn more. 



Easily collaborate and share Slide presentations with side-by-side viewing in Google Chat
In Google Chat, you can now open and edit a Slide presentation in a side-by-side view. | Learn more. 



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

Bulk convert Classic Sites to new Sites using the Classic Sites Manager

Quick summary 

In 2017, we announced that we would replace classic Sites with new Sites, and in 2019 we announced that domains will have until the end of 2021 to complete the transition. 


To help manage the transition, Admins and end users can use the Classic Sites Manager to: 

Beginning today, you can now bulk convert Classic Sites to new Sites using the Classic Sites Manager. We hope this highly-requested feature will make it easier to prepare your organization for the migration completion. 

Using the classic sites manager, you can bulk convert classic sites to new sites.


Additional details

The user who initiates the bulk conversion will become the owner of all converted sites—they can reassign site ownership using the Classic Sites Manager once the conversion is complete.


If sites cannot be converted, they will be skipped and the converter will be notified via email.

Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

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

Resources 

Use custom templates in new Google Sites for consistent structure and design for your sites

Quick launch summary 

In addition to the ten existing site templates built for common site uses, you can now distribute custom site templates across your organization. You can create and share templates that work best for how you display and share information within your organization. Additionally, your co-workers can easily access custom templates, allowing them to quickly adapt and use them as needed. This reduces time spent on formatting and structuring your sites, giving you more time to focus on turning ideas into impact. 



Additional details

Share a preview of your templates with co-workers Template previews are a quick and easy way to share templated sites with your team, without necessarily submitting a site to your domain’s template gallery. Simply add “/template/preview” after the site ID in the URL. This will allow any user with read or edit permissions to view the draft site or make a copy of the site. Note that users with published viewer permissions cannot preview a template.


Expanded language support for existing Site templates
In addition to the sixteen languages currently supported, you can now use existing site templates in the following additional languages:
  • Australian English
  • Filipino
  • Hindi
  • Indonesian
  • Korean
  • Polish
  • Simplified Chinese
  • Turkish
  • Vietnamese

Getting started


Rollout pace


Availability

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

Resources


Roadmap

Use the Classic Sites Manager to download archived backups and control editing of sites in bulk

Quick launch summary 

In 2017, we announced that we would replace classic Sites with new Sites, and in 2019 we announced that domains will have until the end of 2021 to complete the transition. 

To help Admins and end users manage the transition to new Sites, we introduced the Classic Sites Manager in 2020. In May 2021, we added the ability to bulk delete, restore, and update ownership of sites. Today, we’re adding additional new features to the Classic Sites Manager for Admins: 
  • Bulk download an archive of a selection of sites via Takeout, 
  • Bulk disable and/or re-enable the ability for users to edit a selection of sites. 



We hope the ability to take these actions in bulk will help our customers migrate from classic Sites to new Sites more easily. 

Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

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

Resources 

Additional tools for managing the transition from classic to new Google Sites

What’s changing 

In 2017, we announced that we would replace classic Sites with new Sites, and in 2019 we announced that domains will have until the end of 2021 to complete the transition. Important note: Starting May 15, 2021, website creation in classic Google Sites will no longer be available. Visit the Help Center for more details on the Classic Sites migration. 


To help Admins and end users manage the transition to new Sites, we introduced the Classic Sites Manager in 2020. Recently, we’ve added several new options to the Classic Sites Manager to help you and your users manage the transition from classic Sites: 
  • Super Admins can now delegate admin-level Classic Sites Manager access to other users in their organization via a new assignable privilege, allowing them to do things like assign site owners or convert websites to the new Google Sites experience on behalf of their end users 
  • Admins and site owners can now bulk delete and restore sites within the Classic Sites Manager 
  • Admins can now bulk update ownership of sites from within the Classic Sites Manager 


See below for more information. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

We hope these new options help admins and their end users navigate the transition from classic Sites to new Sites. 


Admins can delegate admin-level access to the Classic Sites Manager to the right people within their organization, allowing them to view all classic Sites and determine which migration actions need to be taken (convert, delete, assign site owners, etc.). 


With the addition of the delete bulk action in the Classic Sites Manager, admins (or delegated admins) can quickly remove any sites that are no longer relevant within their domain. End users will be able to remove any sites they own. Once a site is deleted, a user or admin has 30 days to restore it before it is permanently deleted. 


For sites that have no owners, admins (or delegated admins) can now use the update owners action to assign ownership of sites to a point of contact in your organization who can best advise on whether the site should be deleted or converted to new Sites. 


Additionally, sites can be converted to the new Sites experience using the Classic Sites Manager, with the option to export a filtered view from the Classic Sites Manager to Google Sheets for record keeping or further analysis. 

The Classic Sites Manager can be used to convert, delete, restore, and assign ownership of sites within your domain.




Getting started 



Rollout pace 

Availability 

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


Resources 

Google Vault now supports Google Sites

What’s changing

Google Vault now supports new Google Sites. You can use Google Vault to set retention policies for Google Sites, perform searches of Google Sites data, and export Google Sites content. If you already use Vault to hold Google Drive files, sites files will now be covered by those holds. You can set Sites-specific retention rules if you want to manage sites retention.

Who’s impacted

Admins

Why it matters

This provides you with expanded control over your organization’s data, and can help you meet regulatory or legal obligations for your Google Sites data.

If you have Drive retention rules set to purge data after a retention period, sites will be purged according to those rules.

Getting started

  • End users: There is no end user setting for this feature.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 27.

Availability

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

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Supported services and data types
Google Help: Google Vault Help