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Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – July 1, 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 G Suite customers. 


Drag out from Keep 
You can now effortlessly insert images saved in your Keep notes into other apps by dragging them out from the image carousel on Android devices. | Learn more. 
Drag out from Keep


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.

Offline syncing available for opened Microsoft Office documents 
You can now work offline with Microsoft Office files on your desktop. | Learn more. 


Rich text formatting in Google Forms titles and descriptions 
In addition to new options for styling fonts, rich text formatting is now available in Google Forms, enabling you to customize and add emphasis to your forms. | Learn more. 


Start meetings more efficiently with the Calendar guest list in Google Meet 
In Google Meet, you can now see participants who were invited to the meeting but have yet to join the call. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade, Education Plus, Non profit customers, and legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers only. | Learn more. 


Updated timeline for the new integrated view for Gmail 
We’ve rolled out the opt-out experience to a segment of Gmail users. This means that select users will see the new Gmail experience by default, but they will still have the option to revert to classic Gmail via the settings menu. | Learn more. 


New security alerts for highly sensitive changes to Google Workspace configurations 
In the Alert Center, admins will now be notified of select critical and sensitive changes made to their Google Workspace configurations. | Learn more. 


Synchronize client-side encrypted files with Google Drive for Desktop on Windows and Mac OS 
Admins can update their client-side encryption configurations to include Drive for Desktop. When enabled, users can synchronize their Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides files with Drive for Desktop on Windows & Mac OS devices. | Encrypt and upload local files is available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more. 


Easily share profile links via Contacts 
Every contact with a Workspace email now has a new profile link that is easy to copy, share, and send within an organization. | Learn more. 


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 – June 24, 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. 


Frictionless sharing across Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides 
In the effort to make collaboration simpler for users, we've introduced a new sharing experience in Workspace. Now, when you click the "Share" button in the top-right corner of your file, you'll see a streamlined design that makes it easier to share files with others and/or specific groups of people in your organizations, control whether your file is searchable to groups with access, and to copy the file link. | Learn more. 

new-sharing-experience

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. 



Data Loss Prevention for Drive helps protect sensitive data when users upload files to external Google Forms, now generally available 
Users can now respond to external forms that contain file upload questions, while also helping to prevent the leak of sensitive and confidential information. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, and Education Plus customers. | Learn more. 


New options for styling fonts in Google Forms 
We’ve added additional font style and sizing options, and the ability to customize header, subheader, and body text separately in Google Forms. | Learn more. 


Adjust spacing between content in Sites using new density theme setting 
Site editors can now adjust the spacing between the content on their site with a custom theme setting that offers Compact, Cozy, or Comfortable spacing options. | Learn more. 


Easily print your Tasks List 
You can now print personal and Chat spaces Task lists on web, making it easier for you to track assigned items offline or plan with pen and paper if that’s your preference. | Learn more. 


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 – June 17, 2022

New updates

There are no new updates to share this week. Please see below for a recap of published announcements. 

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 email notifications for Google Calendar invites 
We’ve refreshed the layout of emails sent by Google Calendar to make key event details more accessible and useful. | Learn more. 

De-reverberation available for Google Meet 
Google Meet will now remove reverberations from sound recorded by your microphone. This automatically filters out echos created by spaces with hard surfaces, such as a basement or a kitchen, helping to ensure optimal audio quality. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning upgrade, and Frontline customers only. | Learn more. 

VirusTotal integration with the security investigation tool provides deeper insight into Chrome events 
You can now use VirusTotal to view deeper insights on Chrome log events in the Security Investigation Tool. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more. 

Manage Google Voice call recording options for your organization 
Admins can set Google Voice call recording options (automatic or manual) for any organizational unit or group in their organization. | Automatic voice recording is available to all Google Voice Premier customers. On-demand voice recording is available to all Google Voice Premier and Standard customers. | Learn more. 

Improved experience for removing participants from Google Meet calls 
We’ve updated the user experience for removing participants from a meeting in Google Meet. When a host or co-host removes a participant from a call, they are prompted with additional actions: remove the user from the call, fill out an additional abuse report, and/or block the user from rejoining. | Learn more. 

Export search results to .CSV files from the security investigation tool 
Admins can now download log event data from the security investigation tool as a .CSV file. This will allow admins to further analyze data outside of the tool. | Learn more. 

Picture-in-Picture and multi-pinning available for Google Meet in Chrome 
We’re bringing picture-in-picture to Google Meet to Chrome browsers on the web. You’ll be able to see up to four video tiles of meeting attendees in a floating window on top of other applications. | Learn more.  


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 – June 10, 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. 

Find and insert GIFs faster on Google Chat on iOS Devices 
You can now easily browse, select and insert GIFs while using the Chat iOS mobile app. When enabled by your admin, select the “GIF” icon in the Google Chat compose bar. We hope this makes it easier for you to express yourself when interacting with your colleagues. | Learn more. 


Set a custom duration for "Do Not Disturb" in Google Chat on web and iOS devices 
You can now set the duration of your "Do Not Disturb" status to a specific date and time. We hope this feature gives you the flexibility to mute notifications the way it best suits you. This feature is now available on web, Android and iOS devices. | 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.


New admin controls for access to discoverable spaces in Google Chat 
We’ve added the ability for Admins to set the default for newly created spaces and enable sharing scoped to specific audiences. | Learn more. 

Available to Google Workspace Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Education Standard customers. 


Context-Aware Access remediator provides more context for access denials 
Admins using Context-Aware Access can now provide more information to end users when their access is blocked using the user remediation feature. | Learn more.

Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Cloud Identity Premium customers. 


Mark your important tasks with a star in Google Tasks 
You can now mark important tasks with a star in Google Tasks. Additionally, you’ll be able to view or sort your starred items across various tasks lists in the new starred view. | Learn more. 
 
For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).

Bringing Google Meet features to Google Duo for a single, integrated video solution

What’s changing 

To support the millions of users who rely on our technology for video calls and meetings, we’ve made deep investments in both Google Duo and Google Meet. For those using Duo as their cross-platform video calling appservice, we’ve introduced new features like group calls for up to 32 people, the addition of doodles, masks, and fun effects with family mode, and video calling on tablets, foldables, smart devices, and TVs. 


And for those using Google Meet, we’ve introduced more than 100 features and improvements since we made Meet available to everyone in 2020. This included a more intuitive interface, virtual backgrounds and effects, live captions and features that help people feel seen and heard, like auto-light adjustments and noise cancelation. We’ve also made quality and reliability improvements as well as introducing new moderation controls to help keep meetings safe and productive. Outside of video conferencing for work, we continue to see millions of people around the globe use video meetings to host game nights, parent-teacher conferences, and gatherings of their community groups. 


In the coming weeks, we’re adding all the Google Meet features to the Duo app, so users can easily schedule a video meeting at a time that works for everyone or continue using video calling to instantly connect with a person or group. Later this year, we’ll rename the Duo app to Google Meet, our single video communications service across Google that is available to everyone at no-cost. 


There is no need to download a new app, if you are a Duo user, simply ensure you have the latest version of Duo installed on your device. 


See more information below.


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

As part of our continued investment in helping people stay connected, and to adapt to evolving users needs, we’re upgrading the Duo experience to include all Google Meet features. This integrated experience will provide users with a single solution service for both video calling and meetings with people across their lives. 


We’re committed to making the transition from Duo to Meet as smooth as possible. Admins will receive an email detailing the impact to their organization. For more information, please see the Cloud Blog and our Help Center. 


Important Note: For Google Workspace users, Meet can continue to be used on the web or mobile, as long as the Meet service is ON in the admin console.





Additional details 

Beginning this month, we’ll add the following features to the Duo mobile app: Customize virtual backgrounds in calls and meetings 
  • Schedule meetings so everyone can join at a time that’s convenient for them 
  • In-meeting chat for deeper engagement 
  • Live share content to enable interaction with all participants on the call 
  • Get real-time closed captions to better support accessibility and boost participation Increase size of video calls from a current limit of 32 to 100 participants 
  • Integrate with other tools, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Assistant, Messages and more 

Visit the Cloud Blog for more information on the upcoming changes to Google Duo.

Getting started 

  • Admins: As the admin, you can: 
    • Manage Duo video calling access features by turning off the Additional Google services control. If you turn OFF the Additional Google Services control for your users, you’ll also disrupt any apps without individual ON/OFF switches. Note: This applies to Duo video calling features only, this will not impact Meet functionality. 
    • Control Google Meet access using the Admin console. To prevent your users from losing access, we recommend keeping Google Meet ON for your organization. 
      • If you do turn Meet OFF for your organization, users who have a Duo account and are registered with your organization account will lose access to Duo when Duo updates to Meet. 
      • Visit the Help Center to learn more about how Duo is being upgraded. 

  • Education Admins: 
    • Users under 18: Duo is currently restricted for users under 18. Admins do not need to change any settings to ensure that under 18 users will continue to not have access to Duo calling features when the Duo app is updated. 
    • Users over 18: If you have the Additional Google services control enabled, users over 18 will continue to have access to Duo calling features. 
      • If you do not want over 18 users to have access to Duo calling features, turn the Additional Google services control off which will prevent users from using all Additional Services that do not have an individual ON/OFF control. 

  • End Users: Make sure you have the latest version of Duo: 

Availability 

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

Resources 

Google for Education transformation reports window open, available worldwide

What’s changing 

Google for Education transformation reports are available for K-12 Google Workspace for Education customers worldwide, at no cost. Note: transformation reports are only available in English at this time. 


The reporting window is open from June 1, 2022 through July 26, 2022. Returning users will notice the following improvements: 

  • Immediate access: Google Workspace for Education super admins can log in today and immediately view their custom report. (The former three-week-long survey window has been removed.) 
  • Realtime customization: You can now adjust settings in realtime, including your two 12 week product data reporting windows and the numbers of teachers / students in your organization. (The report will be locked for editing after July 26, 2022.) 
  • Optional Survey: Taking the Transformation Survey is no longer a prerequisite to generate a report. The survey remains available for interested users to take through July 26, 2022. 
See below for more information on generating your custom transformation report. 
 

Who’s impacted 

Admins 


Why you’d use it 

The transformation report is a free tool designed to help quantify your organization’s Google for Education implementation across our products and programs. Semester-based reports track usage trends over time and make it easy to understand how your organization is using Google Workspace for Education, Chromebooks, and progressing through Certification programs. Additionally, each report includes links to resources aimed to help accelerate the impact of your Google implementation. 


An optional survey is also available for admins to take and share with their leadership teams to get feedback on how the organization is progressing across seven key areas of transformation (Vision, Culture, Learning Approach, Professional Development, Community Engagement, Technology, Funding & Sustainability). 


See here for more information about Google for Education transformation reports, and review frequently asked questions. 


Getting started 

    • Update their student enrollment and faculty count. 
    • Customize the product reporting windows — choose the two 12 week periods of time (current and previous) that make the most sense for your organization. Graphs in the report will display data comparing usage across these two windows. 
    • Click “View Report” 
    • [Optional] Take and share Transformation Survey: 
      • Survey participation is optional, but we encourage you and your leadership team to complete the survey at least once a year. Those who choose to participate in the survey will have a final version of their report available on July 29, 2022. 
      • See FAQs for recommendations on who to share the survey with and use this email template to communicate the value of the survey with your team. 
  • End users: No action required. 

Rollout pace 

  • Transformation reports are available now for all users

Availability 

  • Available to K-12 Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade customers 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – May 27, 2022

New updates 

There are no new updates to share this week. Please see below for a recap of published announcements. 


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.


Send group membership information in outbound SAML responses 
Admins can now configure and send group membership information as part of SAML responses. | Learn more. 


Add personal tasks from Google Chat 
In Google Chat, you can now create personal tasks from individual or group messages. | Learn more. 


Take action on multiple text selections in Google Docs 
Using Google Docs, you can now make multiple text selections at once, and apply actions such as delete, copy, paste, or format to all selections. | Learn more. 


Add shared drives to specific organizational units 
Admins can now place shared drives into sub organizational units (OUs), enabling them to configure sharing policies, data regions, access management, and more at a granular level. | Learn more.

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


Embed content as a full page in new Google
Sites Site editors using new Google Sites can now add content as a full page from the following sources: custom code, other websites, and Google apps, such as Maps and Docs. | Learn more. 


Copy your client-side encrypted Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files 
If you have client-side encryption enabled for Docs, Sheets and Slides, you can now make a copy of an existing encrypted document, spreadsheet or presentation. | Learn more. 

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


Cut, copy and paste files using keyboard shortcuts in Google Drive Web 
You can now use familiar keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + C (or ⌘ + C on Mac), Ctrl + X and Ctrl + V to copy, cut and paste Google Drive files in your Chrome browser. | Learn more. 


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 – May 20, 2022

New updates 


There are no new updates to share this week. Please see below for a recap of published announcements. 


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.



Migrate your classic Google Sites before December 1, 2022 
We’re extending the previously announced timeline to give Google Workspace customers more time to migrate from classic Google Sites to new Google Sites: 
  • Starting December 1, 2022 (previously June 1, 2022), you will no longer be able to edit any remaining classic Sites in your domain. 
  • Starting January 1, 2023 (previously July 1, 2022), Classic Sites will no longer be viewable unless they are converted to new Google Sites. 
Learn more here and here. 


New and updated third-party DevOps integrations for Google Chat, including PagerDuty 
There are now a variety of additional DevOps integrations that allow you to act on common workflows directly in Google Chat. | Learn more. 


Export log data in near-real time to BigQuery
Exported log data streams are now in near-real time (under 10 minutes), improving upon the previous process which returned log data that could be up to three days old. | Learn more here and here. 


AppSheet Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus available as add-ons to Google Workspace editions
Google Workspace customers can now purchase AppSheet Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus as add-ons by contacting their Google Cloud sales representative or through the Google Workspace Partner network. | Learn more. 


Use Connected Sheets with VPC-SC protected data, improved Cloud Audit Logs for Connected Sheets events 
BigQuery datasets that are behind a perimeter created by VPC Service Controls can now be accessed using Connected Sheets. We’ve also made improvements to the Connected Sheets logging in the Cloud Audit Logs. | Learn more. 


New banners in Google Chat protect against malicious links 
In Google Chat, you can now see banners warning against potential phishing and malware messages coming from users with personal Google Accounts to help protect users against malicious actors, keeping data safe. | Learn more. 


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

AppSheet Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus available as add-ons to Google Workspace editions

Quick summary 

Google Workspace customers can now purchase AppSheet Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus as add-ons by contacting their Google Cloud sales representative or through the Google Workspace Partner network. 


AppSheet allows users to maximize Google Workspace by building custom applications on top of Google Workspace and other services in their environment, all without writing any code. With AppSheet Enterprise, customers can enable advanced scenarios, adding advanced connectivity, more scale, and strengthened governance.


Getting started



Availability

  • Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers.

Resources

Migrate your classic Google Sites before December 1, 2022

Quick summary 

We’re extending the previously announced timeline to give Google Workspace customers more time to migrate from classic Google Sites to new Google Sites. The new timeline is: 
  • Starting December 1, 2022 (previously June 1, 2022): You will no longer be able to edit any remaining classic Sites in your domain. 
  • Starting January 1, 2023 (previously July 1, 2022): Classic Sites will no longer be viewable unless they are converted to new Google Sites. 

To ensure a smooth transition and access to new Sites functionalities, end users and admins are encouraged to use the Classic Sites Manager to complete migration and convert individual classic Sites to new Google Sites before December 1, 2022. 


After January 1, 2023, we will replace each remaining classic Site with a Takeout archive and will attempt to convert each classic Site to a new Site. Review your domain’s settings prior to January 1, 2023 to ensure a successful migration. 


You will be notified once all the sites on your domain have been migrated. This may take multiple months for your domain, depending on the number and complexity of your sites. In the meantime, you can check the status of your sites in the Classic Sites Manager. After migration, your classic Sites will no longer be available.

Getting started



  • To ensure a smooth transition, we recommend the following best practices when migrating your sites:
  • Note that the timeline for this transition is different for users with personal Google accounts — see this article in the Help Center for more information. There are no changes to the timeline for users with personal Google accounts.