Tag Archives: Other

Transformation reports from Google for Education are now generally available

Update (September 23, 2019): We’re working to resolve an issue that’s preventing some users from logging in. We’ll advise here once the issue is resolved.

Quick launch summary 

Earlier this year we pre-announced Google for Education transformation reports. As of today, September 23, 2019, transformation reports are available for G Suite for Education and G Suite Enterprise for Education Super Admins in K-12 districts and schools in the US, Canada, and Mexico—free of charge. Note that at launch, the reports are available in US-English only.

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

G Suite for Education and G Suite Enterprise for Education Super Admins must login to here between September 23rd-October 9th to generate their Fall 2019 report. After logging in:

  • Click “Start Survey” to begin the Transformation Survey (15 mins) 
  • Use the “share survey link” to gather feedback from key stakeholders on how your organization is doing in 7 key areas. 
  • On October 14th, login to https://edutransformationreport.withgoogle.com/app to access and download your custom transformation report. 

When the Spring 2019 transformation report window opens, admins who have used the tool in the past or expressed interest in the tool will be notified via email.

Note: if you login to g.co/edutransformationreport between now and October 9th but don’t take or share the survey, you can still receive a report; it will simply lack a valuable section of data, recommended next steps, and resources.

Availability 

Rollout details 
G Suite editions 
  • G Suite editions: Available to K-12 G Suite for Education and G Suite Enterprise for Education in the US, Canada, and Mexico only 
  • Not available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Business, and G Suite for Nonprofits 
On/off by default? 


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Migrate your apps to the latest Sheets API by March 2020

Quick launch summary 

We’re retiring the Sheets v3 API on March 3, 2020. To ensure that projects that were originally built on the v3 API continue to work, migrate your apps to the Sheets v4 API before that date. To learn more about this change, see our post on the Cloud blog. For information on transitioning your apps, check out our migration guide.

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New Android management client for devices registered after September 16, 2019

What’s changing 

On September 16, 2019, we’ll begin gradually rolling out a new Android management system called “Android Management API.” Apps managed through the new system will also use a new on-device management client, Android Device Policy, which will replace the existing Google Apps Device Policy client.

While the new client has mostly similar features, there are some differences in management and usage that will impact G Suite admins and end users. The changes will make it easier for admins and users to set up and manage Android devices for work.

You will receive an email notification before it impacts your domain 
The rollout will be conducted in stages, and could take several months to reach all domains. We will email your organization’s primary admin around 3 weeks before it will reach your domain with more specific dates for deployment.

See below for more details about the changes.

Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users

Why you’d use it 

The new client will have closer ties to the Android infrastructure, allowing us to quickly add new features and more easily develop updates for increased security. It will also provide a more seamless experience for end users, with fewer apps to manage and more integrated functionality.

How to get started 


  • Admins: Familiarize yourself with the changes outlined in this post, including the additional details section below. Let your users know about the changes they can expect. 
  • End users: No action needed. 


Additional details 

Devices that will use the new Android management client 
Once this change has been deployed to your domain, newly registered devices that meet the following requirements will be automatically managed using the Android Management API:

  • The device is using Android M or above. 
  • The device supports a work profile and company-owned (fully managed) device mode. 
  • The user account is under advanced mobile device management. 

This will not impact previously enrolled devices; they will still be managed through the legacy Android management client.

How managing devices is different with the new client 
In the Admin console, most of the functionality will remain the same. All devices will be displayed and managed through the same interface at Admin console > Device management.

There will be some changes, however, for devices managed through the new client.

The following features will not be supported:
  • Device admin mode
  • Option to disable Work Profile setup (If you don’t want to use Work Profiles in your organization, you can instruct your users to set up devices without enabling the feature) 
  • Wipe Account for company-owned devices or devices in fully managed device (device owner) mode (Wipe Device will still be available) 


The following new features will be available:


The following features will change:
  • If you manually choose to Wipe Device, you’ll have a new option to either retain the factory reset protection settings or clear them along with the complete wipe. 
  • The Auto account wipe setting will perform Wipe Device for devices in fully managed device (device owner) mode. In addition to being applied when devices fall out of sync, Auto account wipe will be triggered when devices fall out of some policies (for instance, when a more restrictive passcode policy has been enforced by the admin). In both cases, the user will be given a grace period and notifications to correct the issue prior to the wipe taking place. 
  • Device management rules will initiate a device wipe instead of an account wipe for devices in fully managed device (device owner) mode. 


You can see which client is managing a device in the Admin console at Security details > User agent. Devices using the legacy client will have a version of Google Apps Device Policy, while devices using the new client will have a version of Android Device Policy. Use our Help Center to learn how to view mobile device details.

How using a device is different with the new client 
The main end-user visible changes include the following:

  • Users will have an updated enrollment experience. 
  • After the new version is deployed, users will no longer see a Device Policy app in their app drawer. The new management system and Android Device Policy app will be integrated with Android for a more seamless experience. 
  • Users won’t be able to use My Devices to manage their device (for the time being, they can use Find My Device). 
  • If your organization enforces a strong password, the password will require a symbol in addition to the letter and number previously required. 


Users will experience a slightly different setup flow when registering new devices. 


Migrating from the legacy system to the Android Management API 
Once this change has been deployed to your domain, you can manually migrate users and devices to the new Android Management API in the following ways:

  • Factory reset and re-register any eligible device. 
  • Provide a new device and register it. 

In the future, we’ll add options and tools to help you migrate existing devices to use the Android Management API. Check out the G Suite Updates blog for the latest changes and migration updates. 

Availability 

Rollout details 
  • All domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 16, 2019. The rollout will be conducted in stages, and could take several months to reach all domains. 
  • Primary admins will be notified by email around 3 weeks before it will reach your domain. 

G Suite editions 
  • Available to all G Suite editions 

On/off by default? 
  • This feature will be ON by default for new devices that meet the requirements above.


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Form Notifications add-on now available in the G Suite Marketplace

Quick launch summary 

The Form Notifications add-on is now available on the G Suite Marketplace. You can use the add-on to receive an email notification once your Google Form has received a set number of responses, or you can use it to send an automated follow-up email to any user who completes your form. To learn more, see this article in our Help Center.


Availability 

Rollout details 
  • This add-on is available now in the G Suite Marketplace. 

G Suite editions 
  • Available to all G Suite editions

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What’s New in G Suite – August 2019


Check out the latest "What's New in G Suite" launch recap (pdf) for a roundup of all G Suite launches from August 2019.

Archive and translated versions (coming soon for August issue)


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Professional Collaboration Engineer certification for G Suite admins

Quick launch summary

We recently introduced the Professional Collaboration Engineer certification, which assesses an individual’s ability to deploy, configure, support, manage, and monitor G Suite administrative operations, and demonstrates their ability to increase operational efficiency by implementing solutions across the platform. Visit the Cloud blog to learn more.

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Updates to Hangouts Chat migration timelines

What’s changing

Earlier this year, we announced that we will be transitioning classic Hangouts users in G Suite domains to Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. At that time, we provided a timeline of changes and said that in October 2019 we would start retiring classic Hangouts for G Suite customers.

Since then, we’ve heard feedback from many of you that you’d like more time to migrate your organizations from classic Hangouts to Hangouts Chat.

As a result, we’re officially postponing the final transition date (i.e. phase 4 in this timeline) to no sooner than June 2020.

In the interim, we’ll continue to improve the transition experience of classic Hangouts group conversations, as well as add new Chat features like Read receipts. We’ll also provide advance notice once we have a more definitive date, so please monitor the G Suite Updates blog for updates. We’ll also have a detailed breakdown of the transition timeline in the Help Center.

Migrate sooner with the Accelerated Transition Program
Admins who prefer to fully migrate to Chat sooner can still request an invitation to the Accelerated Transition Program, which disables classic Hangouts and migrates all users to Hangouts Chat, while providing early access to new Chat features.

This program is great for domains that:

  • Want to simplify communications and get all users on the same chat experience
  • Are new G Suite customers or haven’t used classic Hangouts before


Migration by organizational unit is not available at this time, and classic Hangouts group conversations will need to be recreated in Chat. Please review the Deployment Guide and Known Limitations to determine if this migration experience is right for you.

For admins who have already signed up for early access through the Accelerated Transition Program, we are adding domains to this program on a rolling basis.

How to get started

Helpful links

Availability

  • G Suite editions All G Suite editions can apply.

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Create shortcuts in Drive with a new beta

What’s changing 

We’re launching a new beta that allows you to create shortcuts in Drive, making it easy to reference and organize files and folders outside of a given shared drive.

To learn more and express an interest in this beta, see here. We’ll begin accepting domains into this program in the coming weeks.


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users


Why you’d use it 

Shortcuts are pointers to files that are stored in another folder or in another drive—like a shared drive or another user’s drive—that make it easy to surface content without creating copies of files.

For example, if Paul in marketing shares a document from his team’s shared drive with the entire sales team, Greta in sales can create a shortcut to that document in her own team’s shared drive. Previously, because documents can’t be owned by two shared drives, Greta would need to create a copy of the document for her team’s shared drive, which could then quickly become out of date. 



Additionally, the existing “Add to My Drive” option will be replaced with “Add shortcut to Drive”. Note that files currently living in two locations in My Drive will continue to do so at this time (e.g. those that you’ve added to your My Drive previously).

How to get started 


  • Admins: Admins can express interest in the Google Drive shortcuts 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 create a shortcut: 
    • In Docs, Sheets, and Slides files, you’ll see a new “Add a shortcut to this file in Drive” button next to the “Star” button at the top. 
    • From there, you can select where in your Drive you want the shortcut to appear. From Google Drive, you can right click on a file and select “Add shortcut to Drive” or drag and drop an item into a folder in My Drive. 

Additional details 

You can create a shortcut for the following content types:

  • Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets files 
  • JPGs, PDFs, and Microsoft Office files 
  • Folders 

Shortcuts are visible to everyone who has access to the folder or drive containing the shortcut. Note that creating a shortcut does not mean sharing access to a file or folder.

Helpful links 



Availability 

G Suite editions 

  • Available to all G Suite editions


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Use the collaborative tools of G Suite alongside your LMS with the Assignments Beta

What’s changing

We’re announcing Google Assignments, which will be initially available in beta. Assignments is a relaunch of Course Kit and includes new features that improve assignment and grading workflows for instructors, like originality reports and rubrics. Overall, it delivers an improved, expanded, and more user-end focused experience.

End users can now use Assignments as a standalone companion that does not require an admin to turn on. Or, it can be used as an LTI tool within an LMS, which requires admin action. See more details below.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why you’d use it

Assignments lets you quickly and securely create, analyze, and grade coursework, while empowering students to learn more effectively using the collaborative tools of G Suite for Education.

If you currently use Classroom, you already have access to the features and capabilities of Assignments, including our new originality reports. For all other users, Assignments gives you access to these features as a compliment to your school’s LMS.

How to get started

There are two ways to access Assignments: as a standalone companion to your LMS, with minimal set up required; or, as an LTI tool integrated with your LMS.
  • Admins:
    • G Suite for Education admins can express interest in the Assignments Beta here.
    • Assignments is available as an LTI tool which can be used within your LMS.
    • Assignments is an improved and expanded version of Course Kit, so if you’re already in the Course Kit Beta, you’ll automatically have access to Assignments.
  • End users:
    • End users can express interest in the Assignments Beta here, no additional setup is required. 
    • You can start using Assignments from your Google app menu or at assignments.google.com. Visit our Help Center for detailed instructions on getting started with Assignments. 

Additional details

Assignments is built to Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standards, making it compatible with any LMS that supports LTI version 1.1 or higher. This allows for instructors to share links to student work directly from Assignments through their LMS and export grades to Google Sheets or as a CSV file for input into their LMS.

Helpful links

Availability

G Suite editions
  • Available to G Suite for Education and G Suite Enterprise for Education
  • Not available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Enterprise, G Suite Business, and G Suite for Nonprofits
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