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Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – December 17, 2020

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.

Set as away available on Android
You can now set your status to "away" in Chat in Gmail on Android. This was previously available on iOS and the web. | Available to Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers only. | 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.

Improved Google Meet experience on the Nest Hub Max
We’re making several updates to improve the experience of using Meet on the Nest Hub Max smart display, available in beta. | Learn more.

New endpoint details view in Meet Quality Tool
We’ve added a new drill-down view in Meet Quality Tool in the Admin console that shows additional details on connection endpoint level. | Learn more.

Additional language support for live captions in Google Meet
We’re expanding live captions in Google Meet to French, German, Portuguese and Spanish (Spain and Latin America) speakers. They were previously only available in English. | Learn more.

Turn Google Meet Quick access on or off from Google Calendar
Meeting organizers in G Suite for Education and Enterprise for Education domains can turn Quick access on or off for a meeting from the event in Google Calendar. | Learn more.

Adding more data sources and new OU controls to the security investigation tool
We’re enhancing the security investigation tool with new Google Chat, Google Meet, Google Groups, Google Voice, and Google Calendar logs and organizational unit (OU) filters so queries can be limited to specific OUs. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and G Suite Enterprise for Education customers only. | Learn more.

 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – December 11, 2020

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.


Share a Google Meet video call link in classic Hangouts
You can now join or share a link to Google Meet video calls in classic Hangouts directly from the conversation view. | Learn more.


Office editing mode now default from Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides home screens
Last month, we made Office editing mode the default editing mode for Office files in Drive on the web. Now, it's also the default for Office files opened from docs.google.com, sheets.google.com, and slides.google.com. | Rolling out to Rapid Release now; launch to Scheduled Release planned for December 14, 2020. | Learn more here and here.


Google Meet hardware Series One now available
The next generation of meeting room hardware—Series One room kits for Google Meet—is now available for purchase. | Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits only. | Learn more. Purchase.


Take actions on unmanaged users in bulk using the unmanaged user transfer tool
You can now download a list of unmanaged users as a CSV file, then upload the same file with an action indicated for each entry (e.g. send/resend the invite, cancel the invite). | 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.


Use the new Apps Script Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Script Editor
We’ve redesigned the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Google Apps Script. | Learn more.


Vault for Google Voice now generally available
Google Vault now supports Google Voice. | Learn more.


Ending support for IE11 for all Google Workspace apps
Microsoft recently announced that they will stop supporting Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11). As a result, we recommend our own users switch to a different browser as soon as possible, to avoid any possible disruptions in service such as degraded performance or security vulnerabilities. | Learn more.


Increasing shared external contact limit to 200,000 contacts
Shared external contacts are users outside of your domain who you add to your company directory. Previously, there was a limit of 50,000 external contacts. Now that limit is 200,000. | Learn more.


Some Google Meet settings now “sticky” for Education users
Based on your feedback, we’re changing the behavior of some Google Meet settings for G Suite for Education and Enterprise for Education customers. Specifically, certain settings are now “sticky.” | Available to G Suite Education and Enterprise for Education only. | Learn more.


Improving search in Google Drive on Android and iOS
We’re launching new features for the Google Drive mobile apps that will help you search more quickly and efficiently. | Learn more.


Use Secure LDAP to log into macOS with Google credentials
You can now use Secure LDAP on macOS devices. | Available to Google Workspace Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, G Suite Education and Enterprise for Education, and Cloud Identity premium only. | Learn more.


Use Macro Converter add-on to convert Microsoft Excel files with macros to Google Sheets
We’ve launched Macro Converter for Google Sheets. This Google Workspace add-on will help convert Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code used in Microsoft Excel macros to Apps Script code that works in Google Sheets. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and G Suite Enterprise for Education only. | Learn more.


Open Office attachments from Gmail in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides with one click
We’re making it easier to view, edit, and collaborate on Microsoft Office files sent and received in Gmail using Docs, Sheets, and Slides. | Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits only. | Learn more.


Create and work with documents that contain multiple page orientations in Google Docs
We’ve made it easier to create and work with documents that require multiple page orientations in Google Docs. | Learn more.

Ending support for IE11 for all Google Workspace apps

Microsoft recently announced that they will stop supporting Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11). As a result, we recommend our own users switch to a different browser as soon as possible, to avoid any possible disruptions in service such as degraded performance or security vulnerabilities. Google Workspace will officially stop supporting IE 11 on March 15, 2021.


Over the next few weeks we’ll start showing a banner to all Google Workspace users still using IE 11 that informs them of the need to upgrade their browser by March 15, 2021.


We’ll publish an additional reminder on the Google Workspace Updates blog as we approach the end of support for IE 11.


Check out the Help Center for more information on supported browsers for Google Workspace.

Getting started

  • Admins: We recommend you encourage IE 11 users in your organization to switch to a supported browser as soon as possible.
  • End users: To prepare for this change, we recommend using a supported browser with Google Workspace.

Availability

  • Impacts Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers

Resources

Control access to AppSheet with a new Admin console setting

What’s changing 

On December 14, 2020, Google Workspace admins will begin seeing a new control for AppSheet in the Additional Google services section of the Admin console. 

AppSheet is available to all Google Workspace customers; this new setting simply gives admins the ability to enable or disable user access to AppSheet at the domain, organizational unit (OU), group, or level. 

Who’s impacted 

Admins 

Why you’d use it 

AppSheet allows users to maximize the power of Google Workspace by building custom applications on top of Workspace applications and other services and applications in their environment, all without writing any code. 


Additional Details 

Disabling AppSheet 
If your users are already using AppSheet, turning the additional service off will disable access for all app creators and users, and will stop applications from running. 

To find out who in your organization is using AppSheet, use the Token Audit Log in the Admin console at Reports > Audit Log > Token. Select “+ Add a filter” and choose “Application name,” then enter “AppSheet”. You’ll then see a list of users in your organization who have used AppSheet. 


Getting started 


  • Admins: In the Admin console, go to Apps > Additional Google services > Settings for AppSheet. There, you can enable or disable AppSheet for your entire organization or specific OUs, groups, or users. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning AppSheet on or off for your organization. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers 

Resources 



New comment interface for Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides rolling out to more devices

Quick Summary 

We’re updating the user interface for comments and action items in the Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps for iOS. These improvements include: 
  • Larger, clearer interface to make it easier to see comments and their context in a document. 
  • Shortcuts and gestures to help you quickly scroll through and respond to multiple comments. 
  • Quick access button to reply, “@” mention someone, and assign action items. 


These updates were previously made available on the Docs, Sheets, and Slides Android apps; they’re now rolling out to the Drive Android app and the Docs, Sheets, and Slides iOS apps. 

They’ll be made available on the Drive iOS app in the future. See below for more details on the rollout.

Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: This feature will be automatically available. To get started, tap on a comment when using the Docs, Sheets, or Slides app on an iOS device. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using comments and action items on iOS devices. 


Rollout pace 

Docs, Sheets, and Slides on iOS 

Drive Android app

Drive iOS app
  • Stay tuned to the Workspace Updates blog for information on when this will launch to iOS devices. 

Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers 

Resources 

Changes to Google Chat group conversations and classic Hangouts coming December 3, 2020

What’s changing

Starting December 3, 2020, we’ll make three changes to how group conversations work in Google Chat:
  • Add and change members. You’ll be able to add and change members of new group conversations.
  • Different Google Vault retention policy. If you have a Vault retention policy set, the updated group conversations will respect a different retention policy.
  • Compatibility with classic Hangouts. Group conversations in Hangouts will begin to appear in Google Chat over the coming weeks.
See below for more information on each of these updates.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why you’d use it

As we announced earlier this year, starting in the first half of 2021, everyone can begin upgrading from Hangouts to Chat. To ensure a smooth transition, we will help automatically migrate your Hangouts conversations and saved history. These changes further ensure compatibility between classic Hangouts and Chat to make migrating your users as seamless as possible.

Additional details

Updated group conversations
When a new member is added to a group conversation, all members will see a message announcing the new member. The new member will be able to see the entire conversation, even messages sent before they entered, allowing them to catch up easily.



If you have a group conversation created before December 3, you can easily create an updated conversation with the same people using the “Start a new chat” option in the conversation settings menu.


History and retention settings
While end users can toggle history on and off at the conversation level, admins can control whether to keep chat history for users in their organization. They can set the default and also let users change their history setting for each conversation.

Note that these updated group conversations will also respect a different retention policy in Vault. If you set custom Chat retention rules in Google Vault, the scope of coverage will change. Rules set for “All Chat Spaces” (previously known as “All Rooms”) will apply to existing chat rooms, plus updated group messages and group messages that synchronize between Chat and Hangouts. Visit the Help Center for more details.

Compatibility with classic Hangouts
Group conversations in Hangouts—beginning with conversations, followed by message history—will begin to appear in Google Chat over the coming weeks. This will allow your users to move from Hangouts to Chat without losing context. In addition, 1:1 messages, updated group conversations, and unthreaded rooms from Chat will begin to appear in Hangouts (Note: this change will only be available for users with Hangouts enabled).

Getting started

  • Admins: We recommend you review your existing retention rules and evaluate if you need to change them to retain only the message data you want. You can also visit the Help Center to learn more about turning history in Chat on or off for your organization.
  • End users: Membership in these updated group conversations will be editable by default starting December 3, 2020.

Rollout pace

Updated group conversations
Compatibility with classic Hangouts

Availability

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

Resources

Changes to Google Workspace storage policies starting June 1, 2021

What’s changing

In 2021, we’ll make some changes to the way we store Google Photos, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard content that may impact your domain. Please see below for more details.

Google Photos
Starting June 1, 2021, any new photos or videos uploaded to Google Photos or Google Drive in High quality will count toward the storage limits for users in your domain. Currently, only photos and videos uploaded in Original quality count toward storage quotas. Please note that any photos or videos uploaded in High quality prior to June 1, 2021, will not be impacted by this change and will not count toward storage limits.

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard
Starting June 1, 2021, any newly created Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard files will also count toward the storage limits for users in your domain. Existing files within these products will not count toward storage, unless they’re modified on or after June 1, 2021.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users. Storage limits differ across Google Workspace and G Suite editions, but we estimate that the majority of users will not be affected by these changes. See “Getting Started” below for more information on determining how much storage each user in your organization is allotted.

Why it’s important

Over the past decade, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos have helped billions of people securely store and manage their emails, documents, photos, videos and more. Today, people are uploading more content than ever before—in fact, more than 4.3 million GB are added across Gmail, Drive, and Photos every day. These changes to our storage policy are necessary to provide our users with a great experience and to keep pace with the growing demand.

Getting started


Rollout pace


Availability 

  • These changes will apply to all customers with Google Workspace and G Suite licenses. 

Resources

 

Rooms in Google Chat to be unthreaded by default starting November 16

Quick launch summary

Starting November 16, 2020, new rooms created in Google Chat will be unthreaded by default.

Today, conversations in rooms must be grouped into threads. This change introduces a simpler type of conversation, without threads—giving you greater flexibility in your discussions.

With the change later this month, when you create a new room, conversations will not use threads unless you turn on threading. (Note that you cannot change whether a room is threaded or unthreaded after it’s created.)




Additionally, unlike in threaded rooms, in unthreaded rooms you can toggle history on and off. A room history setting is available in the Admin console that allows admins to decide the default history setting for rooms within their organization that support the toggle.

Your existing rooms won't change—you can continue to participate in threaded rooms and create more.

Getting started

  • Admins: This feature will be available by default. Admins can set a room history setting for unthreaded rooms.
  • End users: Unthreaded rooms will now be the default. You can turn on threaded replies when creating the room.

Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available to Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers,

Resources

Google for Education transformation reports window open, availability expanded worldwide

What’s changing 

Google for Education transformation reports are now available for K-12 G Suite for Education and G Suite Enterprise for Education customers worldwide, at no additional cost. Note that transformation reports are only available in English at this time. 

The next reporting window will open on November 2, 2020. See below for more information on generating your transformation report. 


Who’s impacted

Admins 


Why you’d use it

The transformation report is a free tool designed to help quantify an 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 G Suite, Chromebooks, and progressing through Certification and Transformation programs. 

Based on survey responses and usage information, you’ll receive tailored recommendations and resources from Google for Education to help you drive more impact across your organization. 

To learn more about Google for Education transformation reports, see here. For a list of frequently asked questions, see here. 


Additional details 

November 2020 survey window 
G Suite for Education and G Suite Enterprise for Education super admins must log in to the transformation report tool between November 2nd and November 20th to generate their report. 

If you log in within that time frame, but don’t take or share the survey, you’ll still receive a report—it will simply lack a valuable section of survey data, recommended next steps, and resources. 



Gather additional feedback from your users 
Super admins can share the transformation survey with key members of their leadership team to gather feedback on how their organization is doing in seven key areas. 

We created this email template for you to copy and paste when sharing the survey link with your team (see “Who should fill out the survey?” and “How can I communicate the value of the survey to my team?”). 


Getting started 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to K-12 Education and Enterprise for Education customers 
  • Not available to Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, and Nonprofits customers 

Resources 

Enhanced Support for Google Workspace now available

What’s changing 

We recently announced that G Suite is now Google Workspace: everything you need to get anything done, all in one place. 


As part of our effort to tailor offerings to meet distinct customer needs, we’re expanding our Customer Care portfolio to include a new level of service: Enhanced Support. Designed for customers who need fast, advanced, and complete support, it offers accelerated response times, advanced product knowledge and Third-Party Technology Support. Enhanced Support is included with Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus editions. 


Customers can contact their sales representative or customer support for more details on purchasing Enhanced Support separately. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins 


Why you’d use it 

Enhanced Support offers: 
  • An accelerated Support experience, available 24/7. For Priority 1 cases, customers can expect a first meaningful response within one hour; for Priority 2 cases, they can expect a response in four hours. 
  • Intelligent triaging. This ensures that cases are routed directly to technical experts who have advanced product knowledge and training, as well as additional tools to provide complete support. 
  • Third-Party Technology Support: Enhanced Support can help customers leverage the many third-party integrations available on Google Workspace. This includes, assistance with application set-up, configuration, and troubleshooting. 


Additional details 

There are now three levels of service available to customers. Each has a different combination of speed and services based on business needs: 
  • Standard Support: Included with Business Starter, Business Standard, and Business Plus editions, Standard Support offers 24/7 technical support, with a four-hour response time for the highest priority cases. 
  • Enhanced Support: Our new offering, Enhanced Support comes with faster support (a one-hour response time), intelligent triaging, and Third-Party Technology Support. 
  • Premium Support: Launched earlier this year, Premium Support offers the fastest response time, 15 minutes for P1 cases, a named Technical Account Manager, and additional support functions. 
To learn more about our Support offerings, see our Customer Care portfolio. 

Coming in 2021, a support API will be available for Enhanced and Premium Support customers. With the API, you’ll be able to create and manage support cases on a single platform. Stay tuned to the Google Workspace Updates blog for information when this launches.


Getting started 


Availability 

  • Included with Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus editions 
  • Available as an upgrade for Business Standard and Business Plus editions. 


 Resources