Tag Archives: Other

“Hey Google, join my meeting”: G Suite meetings now supported on Nest Hub Max in beta

Quick launch summary

We just announced the availability of Google Meet on Nest Hub Max. Over the next few weeks this feature will be rolling out to G Suite domains enrolled in the G Suite with Google Assistant beta program.

Once in the beta program, people can seamlessly join work meetings with their G Suite account. Users can say, “Hey Google, join my meeting” to call into the next meeting on their calendar, enter a specific meeting code or start a new Meet call directly from Nest Hub Max.

The flexibility of connecting to Meet this integration with Google Assistant helps your users to easily connect as a group from their own personal Nest Hub Max.


This beta program launched November 2019 and also allows G Suite users to use Google Assistant for certain Google Calendar and Gmail functions, such as:

  • Let you know when your next meeting is
  • Create, cancel or reschedule a Calendar event
  • Dial into a meeting on your mobile device
  • Send a note to event attendees via email on your mobile device
  • Send an email on your mobile device

Getting started

Admins: Apply to the beta for your organization. If your organization is already in the G Suite with Google Assistant Beta program, you will have access to this feature in the coming weeks.

End users: Once your domain is enrolled in the beta, connect your G Suite account to your Nest Hub Max to access these features. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Availability


  • All G Suite Editions are welcome to apply to this beta program

Resources




Coming soon: manage Google Chat and classic Hangouts chat settings from one place in the Admin console

What’s changing

You'll soon be able to manage all Google Chat and classic Hangouts chat-related settings from a single page in the Admin console. This follows the update we made last year to combine several settings for Google Chat and classic Hangouts.

On July 6, 2020, we’ll start mapping your existing service status (e.g. Google Chat on, classic Hangouts on, Chat preferred off) to the new setting that matches your current user experience. You don’t need to take any action.

Most end users will not see any change. In domains where Google Chat is turned ON but classic Hangouts and Chat preferred are turned OFF, however, users will begin seeing Chat in Gmail over the next few weeks.

Visit the Help Center to learn more about the different settings options for chat.
New chat service settings in the Admin console


Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it matters

With all your chat settings in one place, including on / off controls for different chat services, you can now view your organization's chat configuration holistically and more easily tailor it to your needs.

Additional details

We recommend the “Chat preferred” setting for admins who would like to transition their entire organization from classic Hangouts to Google Chat. With this launch, Chat preferred is now configurable at the organizational unit (OU) level.

While these changes are rolling out, admins may temporarily see the "Chat clients" tab as well as the new service page. They should only change the new service status page to make changes for their domain.

Please note that while the experience for most end users will not change with these new settings, in the coming weeks we’ll launch Chat in Gmail to domains that have the “Chat only” setting selected. This means that any user in a domain where Chat is turned ON and Classic Hangouts and Chat Preferred are turned OFF will start seeing Chat in Gmail. This feature was previously only available to domains with the Chat preferred setting selected. End users will have the option to turn Chat in Gmail off at the individual level.

Getting started

Admins: No action is required, as we’ll automatically align your existing settings to the new setting that matches your current user experience. Visit the Help Center to learn more about choosing a chat service for your organization.
New combined service on / off setting row in the Admin console
End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to turn Chat in Gmail on or off for your account.

Rollout pace

New chat settings and page


Chat in Gmail to “Chat only” domains


Availability


  • Available to all G Suite customers

Resources




Currents to become generally available on July 6, 2020, replacing Google+ for G Suite

What’s changing

At Google Cloud Next in 2019, we launched Currents in beta. On July 6, 2020, we’ll make it generally available to G Suite customers.

If your domain is currently participating in the Currents beta, your experience will remain the same. If your domain uses Google+, you’ll be automatically upgraded to Currents, which has an updated look and feel and provides additional features for users and administrators.

Please note that starting on July 6, users will not be able to opt out of Currents or revert back to Google+.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it’s important

Currents offers a more streamlined experience that makes it easy for employees to have meaningful discussions across an organization and to view suggestions for useful and timely content. It provides users access to new features, including custom streams and tags. In addition, Currents allows super admins to enable content moderation and administrative privileges for specific users in their organization.

Additional details

If you’re currently participating in the Currents beta, your experience will remain the same. If your organization uses Google+, however, you can expect the following as you transition to Currents:

  • Starting July 6, 2020, your users and all of your organization’s existing Google+ content will be automatically transitioned to Currents. Your users will have no option to revert back to Google+.
  • The Currents Android and iOS apps will replace the Google+ Android and iOS apps, which will no longer be supported. Users will be prompted to upgrade to the new Currents app to continue to use the service on mobile; those who have auto-update enabled will be automatically upgraded.
  • All existing links to plus.google.com will continue to work—users will automatically be redirected to currents.google.com.
  • In the days prior to the switch, users may see a banner in Google+ notifying them of the launch and providing links to relevant Help Center content.


Getting started




Rollout pace




Availability


  • Available to all G Suite customers


Resources




Roadmap


Coming soon: Google Meet in Gmail on mobile

What’s changing

As announced, we’re bringing Meet in Gmail to mobile. In early July 2020, we’ll launch this change to G Suite users by introducing a dedicated Meet tab in the Gmail iOS and Android mobile apps. This means users can join secure video meetings directly in Gmail without needing to open another app on their phone.

We’ll let you know on the G Suite Updates blog when this change starts rolling out.


Who’s impacted

End users

Why you’d use it

Meet in Gmail will allow users to start a new meeting, join a meeting by entering the meeting code, or join upcoming meetings scheduled in Google Calendar without leaving the Gmail app.

Additional details

Meet in Gmail is already available on the web. This launch introduces the same functionality, and more new features, in the Gmail mobile apps. Note that as we get closer to the launch, your users may notice the following when they try to join meetings from their phones:

  • When they click on a Meet link from their Android or iOS device, they’ll be directed to the Gmail app to join the meeting.
  • The look and feel of the Meet app will be updated but the functionality will still be intuitive.



Note that if you click on a link in the Meet app, you will still stay in Meet and not be redirected to the Gmail app.These changes will roll out over the next few weeks.

Please note, during this rollout the experience for iOS users may differ. iOS users may see the Gmail app launch briefly and then close when they click on a Meet link. They’ll then be redirected to join the meeting in the Meet app. Joining meetings in the Meet app will only happen during the rollout phase and IOS users will eventually be able to join the meeting directly in Gmail.



Users with the Meet service turned off and EDU users who have video call creation turned off will not be able to see the Meet tab in Gmail or join meetings in Gmail app.

Getting started

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
  • End users: Meet in Gmail on mobile will be ON by default when users update their Gmail app. Users can hide the Meet tab inside of the Gmail app in their Gmail settings by deselecting “Show the Meet tab for video calling” under “Meet.”


Rollout pace




Availability

  • Available to all G Suite customers with the Meet service turned on
  • Users with a G Suite for Education account that is enabled to create Meet video meetings will have the Meet tab enabled in Gmail. EDU accounts that are not able to create Meet video meetings will not see the Meet tab in Gmail and should use the Meet mobile app on Android or iOS instead.

Resources




Google Voice Improvements: Use in Gmail and transfer calls

Quick launch summary

Google Voice is now available in Gmail when using Chrome or Firefox browsers on your computer. This allows you to make and receive calls without switching tabs. Google Voice in Gmail looks similar to the call panel in the Voice web application, allowing you to answer calls, make new outbound calls, and easily transfer calls.


In addition, you can now transfer calls using the Google Voice mobile and web apps. In a few simple steps, you can send a call to the appropriate person, whether that’s an intelligently-suggested contact, searching in your directory or a manually entered phone number.


Call transferring is available in Voice on Android, iOS, and the web.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.

End users: These features will be available to Voice customers by default. Visit the Help Center to learn more about transferring calls or using Google Voice in Gmail.

Rollout pace

Google Voice call transfer


Google Voice in Gmail


Availability


  • Available to all G Suite customers with Google Voice licenses

Resources



Roadmap




Google Voice Improvements: Use in Gmail and transfer calls

Quick launch summary

Google Voice is now available in Gmail when using Chrome or Firefox browsers on your computer. This allows you to make and receive calls without switching tabs. Google Voice in Gmail looks similar to the call panel in the Voice web application, allowing you to answer calls, make new outbound calls, and easily transfer calls.


In addition, you can now transfer calls using the Google Voice mobile and web apps. In a few simple steps, you can send a call to the appropriate person, whether that’s an intelligently-suggested contact, searching in your directory or a manually entered phone number.


Call transferring is available in Voice on Android, iOS, and the web.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.

End users: These features will be available to Voice customers by default. Visit the Help Center to learn more about transferring calls or using Google Voice in Gmail.

Rollout pace

Google Voice call transfer


Google Voice in Gmail


Availability


  • Available to all G Suite customers with Google Voice licenses

Resources



Roadmap




Share folders in shared drives with a new beta

What’s changing 

We’re launching a new beta program that allows you to share folders in shared drives. Learn more and express interest in the beta here.

Who’s impacted 

Admins, end users, and developers

Why you’d use it 

Shared drives are a powerful way to empower teams and organizations to store, access, and collaborate on files. Until now, all permissions were set at the shared drive level or the individual file level, and it wasn’t possible to share specific folders within a shared drive.

With this beta, you can share a specific folder with other users, or upgrade member access to provide users with additional permissions on specific folders within shared drives. Examples of how you can use this include:

  • For a marketing department, you can have a shared drive accessible by all internal employees, with a specific folder for advertising materials that’s also accessible to an external agency. 
  • For a sales department organized by region, you can have a shared drive that enables team managers and directors to see all activity, with regional teams only able to see the information relevant to their specific area of focus in a shared folder. 
  • For a shared drive used to prepare for a specific event, you can give all members view access to all files, while providing each specific team with edit access to the documents relevant to their part of the event. 

Share a folder with non-members and give members upgraded access on folders 




Additional details 


Manager access level needed to share folders 
Folders in a shared drive can only be shared by managers of that shared drive. Other shared drive access levels (e.g. content manager and commenter) are not eligible to share folders, because they are not allowed to control broad access to content. Folders in shared drives have the same access levels as the shared drives themselves, with the exception of the manager.

These access levels include: Content manager (default), Contributor, Commenter, and Viewer. Note that a Contributor on a folder is an Editor on a file in that folder.

See more details on shared drive access levels.


Folder roles in shared drives 


Folder access levels can only be expanded, not reduced, from the shared drive level
Access levels assigned at the shared drive level represent the minimum level of access users will have to all files and folders within that shared drive. This ensures transparency, predictability, and scalability. As a result, the access level of a user for a folder within a shared drive can only ever be greater than the access level of that user for the shared drive itself; it can’t be more restrictive.

For example, a Commenter on a shared drive cannot be just a Viewer of a folder within that shared drive. However, a Viewer on a shared drive can have their access level expanded to Commenter or Contributor for specific files and subfolders within that shared drive. Therefore, if permission on a file or folder is downgraded, the action will take place on one or more parent folders where the permission was inherited from.

An example of the dialog if access level is reduced for a sub-folder in a shared drive 


What happens with file and folder moves 
When shared files or folders are moved in, within, or between shared drives, inherited access to content will be updated accordingly, and direct access will be preserved. The same is true when shared files or folders are moved from a shared drive to a user’s My Drive.

For example, imagine a document was originally in the Sales team shared drive. All members of the Sales team have Viewer access to the shared drive and so have Viewer access to the document. Additionally, five individual Sales team members have Editor access to the specific document. If that file was moved out of the Sales team drive, the Sales team would lose their inherited Viewer access, but the five individual users would still have Editor permissions.

As these (shared) folder moves can make broad changes to content access, folders moved into or between shared drives are only allowed for users who are managers on both the original as well as the target location.

Note: We will start to enforce the manager requirement with this beta program, and on September 1, 2020, for all G Suite customers. Going forward, it will no longer be possible for Contributors or Content managers on the target destination to move folders in or between shared drives.

Getting started 

Admins: Express interest in the folder sharing beta here. We’ll begin accepting domains into the program in the coming weeks.

End users: Once this feature is enabled for your domain, to share a folder: Select a folder in a shared drive of which you are a manager and click on share in the folder menu (toolbar) to open the share dialog. From there, you can share the folder.

    Availability 


    • Available to G Suite Business, G Suite Enterprise, G Suite for Education, G Suite Enterprise for Education, and G Suite for Nonprofits customers 
    • Not available to G Suite Basic customers and users with personal Google Accounts 

    Resources 



    Roadmap 


    New ASUS Google Meet Hardware starter kit and updated Meet compute system

    What’s changing

    We’re introducing a new ASUS starter kit for Google Meet Hardware, helpful for those who take frequent video conferences from home or from smaller-sized rooms. The starter kit includes the Huddly camera, speakermic, compute system, and remote control (versus touch controller). It requires less space and is a more affordable way to keep colleagues, partners and customers around the world connected, face-to-face.

    New ASUS starter kit for Google Meet Hardware
    We’re also refreshing existing ASUS kits with the new ASUS Google Meet compute system (formerly Chromebox). This new Meet compute system is slimmer and easier to deploy than previous versions, with a longer device lifespan of five years.

    We'll be launching a Meet compute system with Logitech in partnership with CTL, coming soon. Stay tuned to the G Suite Updates blog for more information.

    For those returning to shared meeting spaces, we have made voice controls available in beta to make it easier to host touch-free meetings. Customers who wish to sign up for the beta can do so here. Voice controls will be generally available in the coming months.

    Who’s impacted

    Admins

    Why you’d use it

    ASUS Google Meet starter kit

    • Remote control with built-in keyboard saves space over having a dedicated touch display
    • More affordably deliver meeting experiences to the home or office

    Meet compute system

    • Fast: Ultra-fast boot up and automatic synchronization with existing Chrome services
    • Compact: At less than eight inches around, fits any size workspace or mounting application
    • Powerful: Intel i7 processor upgraded with 128GB SSD
    • Lasting: Five years end-of-life (EOL) support, enterprise grade manufacturing and testing, two-year warranty
    • Innovative: Designed for easy installation with screwless and magnetic mounting
    • Efficient: Single-sided ports for precise cable management and easy access

    Meet compute system

    Availability



    Resources




    Google Voice now generally available in Canada

    Quick launch summary

    Google Voice is now available in Canada. This means that:
    • G Suite customers based in Canada can now sign up for Google Voice.
    • Google Voice customers in Canada, as well as international customers with Google Voice Premier edition, can assign numbers with Canada country codes (+1) to users.
    • Soon, customers will be able to port existing +1 numbers in Canada to Google Voice. Follow the G Suite Updates blog to see when this becomes available.
    With this launch, Voice is now available in these 11 countries.

    Google Voice is a cloud-based phone system that’s optimized for businesses of all sizes. Customers can use it to deploy and manage phone numbers at scale with the intelligence and security of Google Cloud. Google Voice offers:
    • Smart cloud telephony for end users
    • Simple provisioning and management for admins
    • Easy adoption and migration at scale

    Getting started

    Admins: G Suite customers based in Canada can now sign up for Google Voice. Find more information about Google Voice availability and pricing.

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

    Availability

    Google Voice is available to all G Suite customers in supported countries through an additional license.

    Resources

    Roadmap


    Context-Aware Access for SAML apps available in beta

    What’s changing 

    We’re enhancing Context-Aware Access (CAA) with a beta that enables admins to use it to control SAML apps. This gives admins the ability to control access to SAML apps based on the user, the device, and the context they are in when they are trying to access an app.

    CAA for SAML apps will work for customers that use Google as the primary identity provider (IdP) to enable access to third party apps from pre-integrated SAML apps or custom SAML apps. It’s available to G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Enterprise for Education, Cloud Identity Premium, and Drive Enterprise customers only. See our post on the Cloud Blog to learn how this and other launches can help G Suite customers stay secure.

    Who’s impacted 

    Admins only

    Why you’d use it 

    Using Context-Aware Access, you can create granular access control policies to apps based on attributes including the user, location, device security status, and IP address. This can improve your security posture by reducing the chances that there’s unintended access to specific apps and the data in them. Some ways you could use CAA for SAML include:

    • Only allow access to your CRM app when the user is on the corporate network. 
    • Only allow access to a cloud storage app if the user has an up to date operating system and an encrypted device. 
    • Only permit IT admins to access certain tools from a remote location. 
    • Only permit users in a specific country to access certain apps. 


    Additional details 


    Builds on the CAA for G Suite infrastructure 
    Controlling CAA for SAML apps will use the same infrastructure and admin console interface as CAA for G Suite. That means you can use any pre-configured access levels, user groups, and end-user messaging for CAA to SAML. Use our Help Center to find out more about managing context aware access in G Suite.

    CAA for SAML only enforced at time of sign-in 
    CAA for SAML apps is only enforced at the time of sign-in. This is different from CAA for G Suite applications, which offers a higher level of control. G Suite applications are built by Google and CAA controls are enabled for continuous evaluation of context (IP, device attribute, etc) during use. As SAML apps are non-Google applications using Google sign-in, we’re only able to evaluate context at the point where a user signs into these applications using Google sign-in. After that sign-in, the context is not evaluated again until the session is terminated and users try to sign-in again with Google.

    Getting started 


    • Admins: This is an open beta, so the controls will automatically become available to you if you are a G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Enterprise for Education, Cloud Identity Premium, or Drive Enterprise customer. 
    • End users: No end-user impact until turned on by the admin. 

    Availability 


    • Available to G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Enterprise for Education, Cloud Identity Premium, and Drive Enterprise customers. 
    • Not available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G Suite for Education, G Suite for Nonprofits, and Cloud Identity Free customers. 

    Resources