Tag Archives: Rapid Release

Developers can now add form field validation to Google Workspace add-ons and Google Chat app cards

What’s changing

Starting today, Workspace add-ons and Chat app developers can add client-side input validation to Chat apps and add-ons. 

Specifically, the card UI now supports required form field validation on the date-time picker, the multi select menu, the drop down menu and text input widgets via the Action API for add-ons and Chat apps. Additionally, text inputs now support input type and format validation with input length limits via the Validation API for add-ons and Chat apps. 

As a result, developers can ensure data accuracy and improve their app's user experience by catching errors before information is submitted. 

Example of the form validating if the user has populated all the required fields before submitting a form.

Example of the form validating if the user has populated all the required fields before submitting a form.

Example of the form validating the input type for text fields. The supported types are text, integers, decimals, email and emoji.

Example of the form validating the input type for text fields. The supported types are text, integers, decimals, email and emoji.
Example of the form limiting the allowed text input length to a specified length.

Example of the form limiting the allowed text input length to a specified length.


Getting started 

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers 

Resources 

Google Meet adds more screen reader options for in-meeting reactions

What’s changing 

To improve access for users with vision disabilities, we are adding several more options for how reactions in Google Meet are experienced through screen readers. You can access and adjust the settings at any time during the meeting by pressing Shift+R or from the Settings menu (Three-dot overflow button > Settings > Reactions > Accessibility). The following settings have been added for in-meeting reactions: 
  • Don’t announce reactions: No announcements or sound when a reaction is received. 
  • Play a sound for all reactions: Play a sound when a reaction is received. 
  • Announce all reactions: Announce only the emoji when a reaction is received, for example “Thumbs up”. 
  • Announce all reactions and senders: Announce the emoji and who sent the received reaction, for example “Elisa Beckett and 2 others reacted with thumbs up”. 
Press Shift+R or go to Settings menu (Three-dot overflow button) > Settings > Reactions > Accessibility to adjust your settings.



We hope that these new settings help you configure the experience to suit your needs.

Getting started


Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available for Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts

Resources


Additional improvements to everyday actions in Google Sheets

What’s changing

Last year, we announced that we’ve doubled the calculation speed in Google Sheets, which improves the speed of actions like formulas, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and more, regardless of your file size. 

Today, we’re excited to announce additional improvements available for everyday actions in Sheets:
  • Pasting data is now up to 50% faster when you’re pasting from one spreadsheet to another
  • Filter conditions can now be set up to 50% faster than before 
  • Spreadsheets now load existing data up to 30% faster 

Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why it matters

These changes help various users work faster and more efficiently in a variety of scenarios. For example: 
  • A data analyst can paste small or large quantities of data from an existing spreadsheet to a new one in a quicker manner. 
  • A campaign manager can add filtering conditions to better understand the performance of a campaign at a certain time faster. 
  • A small business owner can quickly see their data load. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about Google Sheets.

Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts 

Resources 

Now generally available: improved syncing experience between Google Calendar and third-party calendars

What’s changing

In June of 2024, we introduced an improved email notification experience between Google Calendar and third-party calendar services, like Outlook, via beta. Beginning today, this update is now generally available. 

Specifically, this update addresses feedback we’ve heard from our customers regarding the syncing experience from Google Calendar to third-party calendars. The syncing experience is now more reliable and gives recipients an effective way to filter out Calendar emails that may have cluttered their inbox.  
  • Google Calendar will send additional emails to improve event sync accuracy when users make updates to recurring events. 
  • Email notifications purely intended to sync information will display a banner in the email body with instructions on how to create inbox filters to hide similar emails, which can help to minimize clutter in recipients’ inbox.
  • At scale, Outlook system administrators can use Microsoft’s Powershell to implement an email filter rule for these messages for all users.


Additional details

With this release, we have also updated a user invisible email header, Envelope-Sender address (also called Return-Path or bounce) to improve reliability of DMARC alignment when delivering to third-party recipients.


Getting started


Rollout pace

  • Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 3, 2024
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 12, 2025

Availability

  • Available for all Google Workspace customers

Resources


More options now available to customize digital signage on your Google Meet hardware

What’s changing 

In the coming weeks, admins will be able to use their Comeen or StratosMedia digital signage content on their Google Meet hardware devices. We know many of our customers use these tools for general digital signage needs within their organization and this update allows that content to be leveraged as screensavers across your Google Meet hardware fleet.

The Google Meet hardware ‘Screen Saver’  setting is located in the admin console under Devices > Google Meet hardware > Settings > Device settings



Additional details

  • Note that Comeen and StratosMedia are paid services and there may be additional costs associated with registering your devices on their platform. 
  • In some cases, this feature can conflict with the power-saving feature on your Meet hardware devices. To ensure that your custom screen saver is visible, be sure to set displays as active during working hours in the organizational unit you’re targeting. 
  • Screen savers are not interactive—tapping your touch controller or using the remote will cause the screen saver to be dismissed, and the device will return to displaying the agenda on the homepage. 

Getting started

  • Admins: Custom screen savers are opt-in and managed at the OU-level and apply to all devices in that organizational unit (OU). Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to display custom screen saver images.
Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers

Resources


Logitech Android devices for Google Meet can now join Webex and Zoom calls

What’s changing

We’ve been working to expand our customers’ calling networks through interoperability between Google Meet hardware devices, and other third-party video conferencing apps and devices. Beginning today, we’re expanding this interoperability to include support for Cisco Webex and Zoom on Logitech Android-based hardware devices for Google Meet. These include  Logitech Rally Bar, Rally Bar Mini, and Rally Bar Huddle appliances. These Google Meet hardware devices now have the embedded capability to call directly into Cisco Webex and Zoom calls, which allows  users to collaborate with more customers and partners outside their companies. 

This feature is already supported on ChromeOS-based Google Meet hardware devices from Logitech. 

Getting started

  • End users: 
    • When enabled by your admin, you can join a Webex or Zoom meeting from a Logitech Android-based Google Meet hardware device: 
      • Join an ad-hoc call by tapping "Find a meeting" on your touch controller and selecting Webex or Zoom from the dropdown options. 
      • Join a scheduled call by adding a room to an event with Webex or Zoom meeting details.  
        • Note: Calendar events that originate outside of Google Calendar must be duplicated and populated with room details manually.
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about Google Meet interoperability.

Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices

Resources



Better understand app access with the new Access Evaluation log event

What’s changing 

We’re introducing a new log event, Access Evaluation, which will help admins better understand how security policies affect their users' access to OAuth apps. This includes settings and policies such as API controls, endpoint management configurations, domain wide delegation and more. The log contains information on the specific policies applied, when access was granted and the reasoning. Admins can use this information to review their security policies and revise them as needed to protect the sharing of Workspace data with users' apps.

Example of an Access Evaluation log


Getting started

  • Admins: Access Evaluation are available in the audit and investigation tool (Menu > Reporting > Audit and investigation > Access Evaluation log events), and the security investigation tool (Menu > Security > Security center > Investigation tool > Data source > Access Evaluation log events)  for specific Google Workspace editions. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Access Evaluation log events. 
  • End users: There is no end user impact or action required.

Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available in the audit and investigation tool for all Google Workspace customers.
  • Available in the security investigation tool for Google Workspace:
    • Frontline Standard
    • Enterprise Standard and Plus
    • Education Standard and Plus
    • Enterprise Essentials Plus
    • Cloud Identity Premium

Resources


Use Gemini in the side panel of Workspace apps to generate images in seven additional languages

What’s changing

Following the recent announcement of being able to use Gemini in the side panel of Workspace apps in seven additional languages, we’re excited to announce that image generation is now supported in the following languages as well: 
  • French 
  • German 
  • Italian 
  • Japanese 
  • Korean 
  • Portuguese 
  • Spanish 
using gemini to generate an image of coffee in Spanish


Additional details 

  • Although Gemini is generally available in the side panel of Docs, Sheets, Drive, and Gmail in these languages, users with Gemini alpha features enabled may still see the "Alpha" badge as we continue rolling out more alpha features 
  • Image generation of people is not supported at this time in these additional languages. 
  • Gemini in the side panel of Slides is only available in English at this time. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: You can access the side panel by clicking on “Ask Gemini” (spark button) in the top right corner of Docs, Sheets, Drive, and Gmail on the web. Visit the Help Center to learn more about collaborating with Gemini in the side panel of Docs, Sheets, Drive, and Gmail. Note that for accessing other Gemini for Google Workspace features that are supported in English only, you will need to set your Google Account language to English. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

Image Generation in the side panel of Gmail only is available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Starter 
  • Enterprise Starter 

Image Generation in the side panel of Docs, Sheets, Drive, and Gmail is available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on 
  • Google One AI Premium 

Anyone who previously purchased these add-ons will also receive this feature: 
  • Gemini Business* 
  • Gemini Enterprise* 
*As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details. 


Resources 

Curate and customize the Chrome Web Store for your organization

What’s changing

Admins can now customize the Chrome Web Store experience for their users with several new options, including:

  • Branding and custom messaging: Add company logos, custom welcome banners and announcement banners.
  • Curated collections: Organize specific extensions for your users, including recommended and private extensions. We have also introduced a new collection of extensions that displays all items that are allowlisted by IT administrators.
  • Category controls: Hide specific extension categories to help streamline the browsing experience for users.

Additionally, we've enhanced the Chrome Web Store search experience. In the search results. end-users can quickly notice blocked item tags, and they can benefit from more advanced filtering such as a “Private items” filter.  

Example of a customized Chrome Web Store


Who’s impacted

Admins and end users


Why it matters 

Every Google Workspace customer has unique users with unique needs – Chrome extensions can help improve their workflows and increase productivity. However, navigating the numerous available extensions can present challenges for both admins and end users. For admins, it is often a manual and time consuming process to vet which Chrome extensions they want to allow for their users. For end users, it can be frustrating to sift through a vast catalog of extensions to find relevant and admin-approved extensions.

This update significantly improves the Chrome Web Store experience for enterprises. Admins can customize, organize, and control the Chrome Web Store experience for their users. For end users, finding work-relevant and admin approved extensions becomes significantly easier cutting down on guesswork or wasted time searching for extensions that might be blocked.


Getting started

  • Admins: Four new Apps & Extensions settings have been added to the Chrome section of the Admin console. To find the new settings, go to Menu > Chrome Browser > Apps and extensions > Navigate to the “Settings” tab > Chrome Web Store settings. Visit the Help Center to learn more about customizing the Chrome Web Store for your users.



Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available for all Google Workspace customers with access to the Admin console

Resources


Layout selection now available between Google Meet hardware and Zoom Rooms calls

What’s changing

We’re expanding interoperability support between Google Meet devices and Zoom Rooms to include support for changing the meeting layout. This gives you the flexibility to choose a layout that is best suited to improve focus and engagement during your meetings.

If you’re joining a Google Meet call from Zoom Rooms, you can change your layout by selecting the “View” option. You can select between the tiled view, speaker spotlight view, or sidebar view.

Selecting your meeting layout on a Google Meet call using Zoom Rooms hardware





If you’re joining Zoom Meetings from a Google Meet hardware device, you can change your layout from the device settings by navigating to the “Change layout” option. You can choose between the gallery or speaker view.

Selecting your meeting layout on a Zoom call using a Meet hardware device



Getting started


Rollout pace


Availability

  • Zoom interop on Google Meet hardware is available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices that have not yet reached their auto-update expiration date.

  • Meet interop on Zoom Rooms is available to all Zoom Rooms customers on a supported Zoom Rooms device or appliance. Note that your device may not fully support the feature until its manufacturer has pushed the latest Zoom Rooms software update to its devices.

  • Please refer to the Zoom Support page to see the most up-to-date list on supported devices and platforms.

Resources