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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.

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – May 13, 2022

New updates 

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


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





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



Previous announcements


The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.


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

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


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


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


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


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

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


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

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


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


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

Create Spaces and Add Members with the Google Chat API, available in Developer Preview

What’s changing

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

Google Workspace administrators can also use the API controls in Admin Console if they would also like to restrict access to Google Chat data.


Who’s impacted

Admins and Developers

Why you’d use it 

While it’s easy to create new Spaces and add members directly in Google Chat, there are cases where Spaces can be filled with many topics and side conversations, making it difficult to keep track of important information. Using the new API functionality, you can set up new spaces that focus on a specific topic, team, or project. For example, an on-call app can automatically create a space when an outage has been detected.

Getting started


Availability

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


Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – May 6, 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.


Space descriptions and guidelines in Google Chat rolling out now
Earlier this year, we announced the ability for space managers to add descriptions and guidelines for their spaces. This feature is now available on mobile and will be gradually rolling out for web. | Learn more here and here.


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.


Use new table templates and dropdown chips in Google Docs to create highly collaborative documents
We’re introducing two new enhancements for our flexible, smart canvas for collaboration: dropdown chips and table templates in Google Docs. | Learn more. 


Share your video feed when using Companion mode in Google Meet
When using Companion mode in Google Meet, you can now turn your camera on and share your video feed with all other participants. | Learn more.


Set recurring task end options directly in Google Tasks
You can set the end option for a recurring task (never, on a certain date, or after X occurrences) directly in Google Tasks. | Learn more.


Space managers can now delete messages in Google Chat
This feature will allow Space managers to easily moderate their spaces and remove any content that is irrelevant or inappropriate in the space. | 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 – April 29, 2022

New updates 

Updated rollout schedule for additional Calendar statuses in Google Chat 
We’d like to provide updated rollout information for additional Calendar statuses in Google Chat, previously announced on March 14, 2022: 
  • Rollout for Rapid release domains will be complete on Wednesday, May 5, 2022. 
  • Rollout for Scheduled release domains will begin on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 and is expected to be complete by Tuesday, May 24, 2022. 


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. 



Easily manage storage related activity and policies through new storage management tools in the Admin console 
In the Admin console, storage related activities can now be accessed and managed from a single source. | Learn more. 



Quick access to additional actions when composing a message in Google Chat on iOS 
When using Google Chat on iOS, you can now easily take additional actions by hovering over the plus (“+”) icon next to the compose bar. You’ll see a variety of options such as: 
  • Sharing a Google Meet link 
  • Creating a meeting in Calendar 
  • Accessing Google Drive Text formatting options and more. 




Enhanced menus in Google Docs improves findability of key features on desktop 
We’re updating the menus in Google Docs to make it easier to locate the most commonly-used features. In this update you’ll notice: 
  • Shortened menus for better navigation 
  • Reorganization for more intuitive feature location 
  • Prominent icons for faster recognition 



Warning banners alert users of suspicious Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides files on web 
Previously, we announced warning banners for potentially malicious or dangerous files in Google Drive. We’re extending these warnings at the file-level — going forward, if you open a Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file on the web, you’ll see these warnings. | Learn more. 


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

Refreshed ASUS Google Meet Hardware kits available now

What’s changing 

Asus have refreshed their Google Meet hardware kits to give you powerful, easy to deploy solutions suited for hybrid work. 



Who’s impacted 

Admins 

Why it matters 


New hardware elements improve in-room experience
Debuting with the Asus hardware kits is the newly designed Google Speaker Mic for Google Meet (2nd gen). It provides excellent audio performance for your rooms with a sleek 30% smaller industrial design. It also comes with a magnetic table mount for easy installation.




Another part of the Asus hardware kits for Google Meet is “Myst Capture,” the new touch controller from Mimo. The Mimo Myst Capture features a refreshed industrial design which will give your conference rooms a more modern look. The new controller features standard HDMI and USB-C connectors and a USB-A connector for the speaker mic. Together with the included five-meter USB A-C cable, the new kit offers faster, simpler, and more reliable installations. 



Getting started 


Availability 

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

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – April 15, 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.


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


Update to message ID in Google Chat audit logs
In order to make it easier for admins to quickly identify unique messages to take action on in the Security investigation tool, and chat audit logs.  The “Message Id” field will now contain the Space ID and the topic ID. | Available to  Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education plus customers. | Learn more here.


Smart reply in Google Slides
In 2021, we introduced Smart Reply in Docs to save you time by suggesting quick responses to your comments, Now, Smart Reply in Google Slides saves you time replying to comments in Slides by suggesting relevant replies. Smart Reply suggestions appear below the reply box on comment threads in English. | 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 beta for data loss prevention helps protect sensitive data when users upload files to external Google Forms
Previously, users in organizational units (OUs) or groups with active Drive Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies couldn’t respond to external forms with File Upload questions. Now, we’re launching a new beta that will allow users to 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 and apply for the beta here.


Use context-aware access to help protect Admin console access
You can now apply contextual access rules to the Admin console. This enables you to control access to the Admin console based on user and device context. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus, and Cloud Identity Premium customers. | Learn more.


Additional one-click recommended actions in the Alert Center
In the Alert Center, Admins will see new “device wipeout” and “email quarantine” as additional one-click recommended actions.| Available to [list limited number of editions] only. | Learn more.


Join a Google Meet call from Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
You can now join a Google Meet call from Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. In addition to the present to Meet option, you can select “Join the call” to quickly join and present a document, spreadsheet, or presentation to all attendees, allowing everyone in the meeting to collaborate while having a conversation. | Learn more.

Additional functionality for the Apps Script Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Script Editor
We’re now adding several new features to the IDE to help achieve functional parity with the legacy IDE experience. These features are: 

  • Script Properties 
  • Add-on Testing 
  • Time Zone Setting 
  • Rhino Debugging

Learn more here.

Build custom, integrated solutions across Google Workspace with the new AppSheet Apps Script connector
We’re introducing a new AppSheet and Apps Script connector which allows you to extend custom, no-code apps to integrate and automate workflows across Google Workspace. | Learn more. 

New port for Google Meet media and TLS support for Meet on mobile
Google Meet now supports SRTP in TLS on mobile, which increases overall compatibility and helps ensure a higher quality video meetings with Google Meet. In addition, Meet is introducing support to UDP port 3478 to deliver media (note that existing ports 19302–19309 deliver media as well). | Learn more.

Intelligent corrections for formulas in Google Sheets
These intelligent, context-aware corrections help you improve and troubleshoot many different kinds of formulas. Some examples include: 

  • VLOOKUP errors 
  • Missing cells in range input 
  • Locking ranges when applying formulas across cells 

Learn more here.

Specify which Google Chat notifications from Chat and Gmail to receive when your iOS device is in Focus mode
You can now specify which Google Chat and Gmail contacts you still want notifications from when your iOS device is in Focus mode. | Learn more.


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


New port for Google Meet media and TLS support for Meet on mobile

Quick launch summary 

Google Meet now supports SRTP in TLS on mobile, which increases overall compatibility and helps ensure a higher quality video meetings with Google Meet. 


In addition, Meet is introducing support to UDP port 3478 to deliver media (note that existing ports 19302–19309 deliver media as well). 


Getting started 

  • Admins: If you already use Meet today, configure your network to support Meet on port 3478. Note: If the port is blocked, Meet will fallback to port 19302​–19309. If you use DPI technology on port 443, add the corresponding user SNIs to the allowlist: 
    • Google Workspace admins: Meet traffic over TLS and port 3478 will use the same fixed IP range dedicated for Google Meet in Google Workspace domains. 
    • Non-Google Workspace admins: Meet traffic over TLS and port 3478 will use the fixed IP range dedicated for non-Google Workspace users. 
  • End users: No end-user impact. 

Rollout pace 

Meet traffic over TLS 
  • This feature is available now. 

Meet traffic over port 3478: 

Availability 

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

Resources 

Create more interactive assignments with practice sets for Google Classroom, launching in beta soon

What’s changing

We’re announcing a new tool for Google Classroom called practice sets, which enables educators to transform new and existing content into engaging and interactive assignments. With autograding built in, teachers can receive performance insights and snapshots into student progress and use those insights to help inform future lesson plans. 

If they get stuck and need support, students will see automated hints and video suggestions, along with real time feedback on their answers. Assignments can be completed with a variety of tools for annotation, such as a mouse, stylus, touchpad, or math keyboard depending on how students work best.

When available, the beta will be globally available (note: in English only) for Google Workspace for Education Plus and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade. Education leaders can use this form to express interest in the beta.


Who’s impacted

End users


Why you’d use it 

Every student learns in their own way, though practice and specific feedback helps us all learn more effectively. In large classes, it can be challenging for teachers to support their students' individual journeys. Based on feedback we heard from our users, we’re introducing practice sets for Google Classroom. 


Educators can easily transform their own teaching content into interactive assignments.  Students get real-time feedback as they complete practice sets, so they know whether they’re on the right track. When they’re struggling to solve a problem, they can get hints through visual explainers and videos. 


With practice sets, educators can more easily get insight into which concepts need more instruction time and who could use extra support, giving them quick performance insights to shape future lesson plans. Visit the Keyword Blog to learn more about practice sets.




Availability

  • When available, practice sets will be available to Google Workspace Education Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education) 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, Education Fundamentals, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers

Resources


Expanded Access Management Controls help support your information governance goals

What’s changing 

Google Workspace Assured Controls enables customers to meet strict regulatory information governance requirements. With Access Management, customers can limit the Google staff who can take support actions related to their data. 

Customers can now use Access Management to set policies that support compliance to the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) standard and the IRS' Publication 1075 (IRS 1075) by restricting access to CJIS-authorized and IRS-1075-authorized personnel within Google. Visit the Help Center to learn more. 

We’ve also extended existing coverage so customers can now apply Access Management Controls to the following applications: 

  • Google Chat 
  • Google Meet 
  • Google Forms 
  • Google Sites 

Visit the Help Center to learn more. 

Finally, we’re adding new information to Access Transparency logs to help you better understand support actions relating to your data. Customers with Access Management policies will see a new field “Access Management Policy” that denotes the validated policy at the time of access. All Access Transparency customers will now see a new “On Behalf Of” field that describes the target user of an access. Visit the Help Center to learn more. 

For more information on this and other Google Workspace Security launches, see our Cloud Blog post.

Who’s impacted 

Admins 

Why you’d use it 

Some customers in regulated industries, particularly the public sector, have compliance requirements related to cloud service provider access to data. Since Assured Controls is available on Google Workspace’s native platform, you don’t need to move to a separate GovCloud environment for access to these capabilities. This can help reduce costs and complexity, while allowing your organization to benefit from the full set of advanced features that Google Workspace offers. 

Additional Details 

Note that we do not access customer data for any reason other than those necessary to provide support services and fulfill our contractual and legal obligations. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: 
    •  Once you’ve purchased the Assured Controls add-on, you can assign licenses and manage the feature at Admin Console > Access Management. Users assigned the policy will have any data owned by them restricted to designated selected personnel within our support teams. 
    • Access Management is surfaced for logging in the Access Transparency logs. 
    • Access Management can also be used to support CJIS and IRIS-1075 requirements. 
  • End users: There is no end user impact 

Rollout pace 

These changes will be rolling out by the end of March 

  • Existing Assured Controls customers will automatically have controls applied to the newly available products on any active Access Management policies 
  • New customers should contact your Google account representative to learn more about availability and timing 

Availability 

  • Google Workspace Assured Controls is available as an add-on to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Education Fundamentals, and Education Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, and Nonprofits customers 

Resources