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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).

Enhanced desktop security for Windows is now available for Google Workspace Business Plus customers

Quick launch summary

Google Workspace Business Plus customers can now manage and secure Windows devices through the Admin console, just as you do for Android, iOS, Chrome, and Jamboard devices. Now, Business Plus Admins can:

  • Set Windows policies in the admin console which will ensure that all Windows 10 devices used to access Workspace are updated, secure, and within compliance of organizational policies. 
  • Perform admin actions, such as wiping a device and pushing device configuration updates, to Windows 10 devices from the cloud without connecting to corp network.

See our previous announcement for more details on the Windows 10 management features and benefits and the Help Center to learn more about enhanced desktop security for Windows.

Getting started 


Rollout pace

  • This feature is available now.


Resources


Improving email security with BIMI

What’s changing 

In July 2020, we announced a pilot for Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) in Gmail. Starting today, Gmail announces general availability of BIMI support across Gmail. 

BIMI aims to increase the adoption of strong authentication in the email ecosystem for those who have implemented Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC). For senders that have adopted DMARC and have validated their imagery, Gmail will display the validated logos in the avatar slots, increasing confidence in the source of emails for recipients. 



Before and after BIMI: Validated logos display on authenticated emails.



See below for more information, as well as the Cloud Blog for more information on BIMI for Gmail. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins 



Why it matters 

BIMI promotes another layer of security to Gmail by requiring strong authentication and verification of logos before they’re displayed in the Gmail avatar slot. Strong authentication increases confidence in the source of emails and provides recipients with a more immersive experience. Further, this helps email security systems filter spoofed, phishing emails from legitimate messages. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: 
    • To learn more about BIMI and see the latest news, visit the working group’s website. 
    • To take advantage of BIMI for your outgoing emails to Gmail and other platforms, ensure that your organization has adopted DMARC, and that you have validated your logo with a VMC, issued by a Certification Authority such as Entrust or DigiCert. 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about setting up BIMI. 
  • End users: No action required. 

Availability

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

Resources 

Backup and Sync users should begin transitioning to Drive for desktop

What’s changing 

Earlier this year, we announced that we were working towards unifying our two existing Google Drive sync clients – Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream – into a single sync client called Drive for desktop. By doing this, we’re creating a powerful and unified sync client with the best and most used features from both Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream. 

We also mentioned in this announcement that Google Workspace customers with Backup and Sync users would need to transition these users to Drive for desktop. Now, we want to provide a more detailed timeline for this transition: 

  • Starting July 19, 2021: Backup and Sync will support a guided flow to help users transition onto Drive for desktop. 
  • Starting August 18, 2021: Any users still on Backup and Sync will start to receive in-product notifications prompting them to transition to Drive for desktop. 
  • Starting October 1, 2021: Any users still on Backup and Sync after that point will no longer be able to sign in to Backup and Sync. To continue syncing with Drive and/or Google Photos, users will need to transition to Drive for desktop. 


Users can easily see which files and folders are synced using Drive for desktop 

Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

Drive for desktop is a unified sync client that provides a consistent experience for anyone who uses Drive, whether for business, education or personal purposes. It enables you to quickly sync and access content directly from Mac or PC, which can save you time by helping you access files and folders in a familiar location. Drive for desktop also automatically syncs local files to the cloud in the background, which minimizes the time you need to spend waiting for files to sync while also freeing up your disk space and saving network bandwidth 


Getting started 

Rollout pace 

  • Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: 
    • Starting July 19, 2021: Backup and Sync will support a guided flow to help users transition onto Drive for desktop. 
    • Starting August 18, 2021: Any users still on Backup and Sync will start to receive in-product notifications prompting them to transition to Drive for desktop. 
    • Starting October 1, 2021: Any users still on Backup and Sync after that point will no longer be able to sign in to Backup and Sync. To continue syncing with Drive and/or Google Photos, users will need to transition to Drive for desktop. 

Applicability 

  • Applicable to Backup & Sync users at all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers. This is also applicable to users with personal Google Accounts, and these users can learn more in this Keyword blog post. 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – July 9, 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.

Add a background image to Google Keep notes on mobile
You can now customize your Google Keep notes on Android and iOS by choosing a background from a set of designer-created images — simply open a note, select the palette icon, and select a background. | Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts. | Learn more.

Allow Users to receive shared calendars on mobile
Users can now share their calendar with another user on their mobile device without fear of spam attacks. Once a user shares a calendar with a recipient, the recipient receives an email notification with a link “Add this calendar.” The recipient must explicitly click on the link to add the calendar to their account. 


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.

Indicate whether you’ll join a meeting virtually or in person on Google Calendar
To make Google Calendar more flexible in the hybrid workplace, we're introducing new RSVP options for Calendar invitations. With this update, you can indicate how you plan to join a meeting - in the meeting room, or virtually. | Learn more.


Scheduled refresh improvements for Connected Sheets now generally available
Today, several improvements for scheduled refresh are now available: hourly refreshes, specific start dates, and frequency options such as every five days, every two months, etc. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Education Standard customers. | 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 – July 2, 2021

New updates 

Spelling autocorrect is now available when you write comments in Sheets, Slides, and Drawings 
Autocorrect helps you compose documents quickly and with confidence. Misspelled words will automatically be corrected while typing and denoted with a grey dashed underline. This feature is already available in Docs.


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. 


Google Chat will automatically suggest group chats based on your Google Calendar 
We previously announced that Google Chat will automatically suggest 1:1 chats based on your meetings in Google Calendar. Now, you’ll also get suggestions for group chats when you’re meeting with multiple people. | Learn more. 



Expanding Google Meet visual refresh to Meet hardware portfolio 
We’re expanding the rollout of the refreshed Google Meet web experience to Meet hardware devices. Users joining Meet calls with a Chromebase for meetings all-in-one touchscreen device will notice improvements for video feeds, the viewing and presenting experience, and the bottom bar. | Learn more. 



Admins can view more information about apps in the Google Workspace Marketplace before deploying to their users 
In the Google Workspace Marketplace, you’ll now see more information about apps available in the Marketplace. Specifically, you’ll see the following information regarding the app developer, their privacy policy, terms of service, app permissions, and more. | Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, and Nonprofits, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers only. | Learn more. 



Enhancing live streams in Google Meet with captions and cross-domain live streams 
We’re improving live streams for Google Meet with two new features: cross-domain livestreams and captions in live streams.| Available to Google Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more.



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

Launching a new online community for Google Workspace admins

What’s changing 

We’re launching a new community for Google Workspace admins. The new Google Cloud Community will replace the old Cloud Connect Community (CCC). Alongside all the communities you used on the CCC, you’ll also be able to use it to participate in: 
  • Workspace Discussion Forums: Join peer-to-peer discussions with other Workspace experts 
  • Ideation and UX Research: Help drive product enhancements by contributing feature ideas and finding research participation opportunities
  • Community Events: Virtual and in-person meetups and events which will enable you to engage directly with Product Managers and experts 
  • Community Blogs: Read and react to thought leadership and technical content from Google Cloud teams and customers. 
See below for instructions on how to migrate your existing profile, and set up notifications for the communities you want to follow. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins 


Why it’s important 

Specifically compared to the old Cloud Connect Community, we hope you’ll notice 
  • Improved navigation and user experience which makes it easier to find and consume content 
  • Improved communities, including feature ideas, which makes it easier to contribute to the discussion 
  • More content, including community blogs & events 
  • Rich user profiles to learn more about fellow Google Workspace admins 


Getting started 

  • Admins: To sign up for a new Google Cloud Community account, go to googlecloudcommunity.com and click on Workspace for Admins Community link. You can use Single Sign-On (SSO) with your Google Workspace credentials. 
    • As part of the transition process, you can migrate your user profile, access to private areas (like Feature Ideas) and your feature ideas posted after July 15, 2020 from the original Community to the new site. To migrate your profile: 
      1. Go googlecloudcommunity.com and click Login to Ask A Question. Follow the instructions on the next page. 
      2. Add [email protected] to your list of approved senders 
      3. If you have trouble claiming your migrated account, please contact [email protected] 
  • End Users: No end user impact 

Additional details 

Set up notifications in the new CCC Note that notifications are not on by default in the new CCC, even if you had them on in the old platform. To re-establish community notifications, after you migrate your profile: 
  1. Go to the area of the community you want to get notifications from. 
  2. Optionally, you can also filter for a specific label such as ‘Drive’ or ‘Google Meet’ (depending on which area of the community you’re in)
  3. Click Topic Options at the top right on the page, then click Subscribe. 
  4. You’ll then get email notifications when there’s new activity in the topic or label


Resources 

Update to some Google Drive file links, admin decision recommended before July 23, 2021

What’s changing 

We’re releasing a security update which will apply to some Drive files. This will make Google Drive files more secure by updating their links and may lead to some new file access requests. While we recommend that you apply the update, Google Workspace admins can choose how this update is applied in your organization. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

This security update is being applied to some files in Google Drive to make sharing links more secure. The update will add a resource key to sharing links. Once the update has been applied to a file, users who haven't viewed the file before will have to use a URL containing the resource key to gain access, and those who have viewed the file before or have direct access will not need the resource key to access the file. Learn more about resource keys and how they might impact your files. 


Getting started 

Admins: You can use the Alert Center to see how many users, folders, shared drives, and files are affected in your organization. Look for an alert with the subject “Security update for Drive.” Before July 23, 2021, Admins should choose how the security update is applied for their organization. Use our Help Center to learn more about this update and how to manage it for your organization. 


End users: Unless the admin chooses to opt their organization out of the security update, end users who own or manage impacted files will receive an email notification starting July 26, 2021 with their impacted files. End users will have until September 13 to determine how the update is applied to their files, if permitted by their admin. Use our Help Center to learn more about how this update will impact end users. 


Users with personal accounts: Users who are not part of a Google Workspace domain will receive a notification from Google Drive to inform them of their impacted files starting July 26, 2021 and will have the option to remove the security update. These users will have until September 13, 2021 to determine how the update is applied to their files. Use our Help Center to learn more about how this update will impact end users. 


Developers: Items that have a Drive API permission with type=domain or type=anyone, where withLink=true (v2) or allowFileDiscovery=false (v3), will be affected. In addition to the item ID, your application may now also need a resource key to access these items. Use our Developer resource to learn more about how this update will impact your projects. 

Admins will see how many users, folders, shared drives, and files are affected in their organization in the Alert center 

Admins can choose how the security update is applied for their organization at Admin Console Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > Sharing settings > Security update for links. 

End users who own or manage impacted files will receive an email notification starting July 26, 2021 with their impacted files. Depending on the settings chosen by their admin, they may have the option to remove the security update from their impacted files. 


Rollout pace 

  • Before July 23, 2021: Admins can choose how the update is applied in their organization. 
    • For non-education customers, by default the update will be applied and impacted end users will be notified, with the option to exclude their files from the update. 
    • For education customers, by default the update will be applied and impacted end users will be notified, without the option to exclude their files from the update. 
  • Starting July 26, 2021: Depending on admin settings, impacted end users will get notified about impacted files and the choices they can make. 
  • Starting September 13, 2021: Enforcement of the admin and user options will be made to selected files if settings have not been changed in advance. 

Applicability 

  • Applicable to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers. Also applicable to users with personal Google accounts. 

Resources 


Google is rolling out a security update to YouTube and Drive. More details on YouTube update here.

Important changes to how the Google Calendar API manages and limits queries

What’s changing 

There has been a change to how the Google Calendar API manages usage. Previously, Calendar API queries were monitored and limited daily. These queries are now monitored and limited on a per-minute basis. 

See below for more information. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and developers 



Why it’s important 

This change introduces better behavior when a quota is exceeded, as requests will be rate-limited until the quota is available rather than falling all requests for the rest of the day. Additionally, this will help developers identify issues around quota enforcements faster. 

More information regarding your usage and quota limits can be found in the Google API console. 



Additional details 

To ensure you’re working efficiently with your quota, we recommend: 
  • Using push notifications instead of polling. 
  • Randomized timing to ensure user requests are spread out evenly, rather than bursts of requests. 
  • Using incremental synchronization with sync tokens for all collections instead of repeatedly retrieving all the entries. 
  • Increasing page size to retrieve more data at once by using the max results parameter. 
  • Updating events when they change to avoid recreating all the events on every sync. 
  • Using exponential backoff for error retries to make rate-limiting work properly. 



Getting started 

  • Admins and Developers: Use this guide to learn more about how to view your API usage and limits.
  • End users: There is no end user impact for this feature. 

Availability 

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

Resources 

Stronger data security and privacy with Google Workspace Client-side encryption beta

What’s changing 

Today we announced the beta for Google Workspace Client-side encryption, which is available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and Google Workspace Education Plus customers. The beta will be available for Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, with support for all file types in Drive including Office files, PDFs, and more. We’re committed to a roadmap that enables Client-side encryption across Google Workspace, including Gmail, Meet, and Calendar. Support for Google Meet is coming in the fall. Follow the Google Workspace Updates blog to learn when that’s available. 

The beta will start rolling out in the next few weeks, but eligible customers can now apply for the beta here. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins 


Why it’s important 

Google Workspace already uses the latest cryptographic standards to encrypt all data at rest and in transit between our facilities. But with Client-side encryption, we’re taking this a step further by giving customers direct control of encryption keys and the identity provider used to access those keys. This can help you strengthen the confidentiality of your data while helping to address a broad range of data sovereignty and compliance needs. 

When using Client-side encryption, customer data is indecipherable to Google. Customers can create a fundamentally stronger privacy posture, whether that’s to comply with regulations like ITAR and CJIS or simply to better protect the privacy of their confidential data 



Additional details 

To enable Client-side encryption, you’ll choose a key access service partner: Flowcrypt, Futurex, Thales, or Virtru. Each of these partners have built tools in accordance with Google’s specifications and provide both key management and access control capabilities. Your partner of choice holds the key to decode encrypted Google Workspace files, and Google cannot access or decipher these files without this key. If you prefer to build or integrate your own in-house key services, we will be publishing the key access service API specifications that can be used with Client-side encryption later this year. 



Getting started 

Rollout pace 

  • The beta will start rolling out in the next few weeks, but eligible customers can now apply for the beta here. You’ll get more details via email a few weeks after registering your interest in the beta via the form. 

Availability 

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

Resources