Tag Archives: Rapid Release

More AI-powered features in Google Meet and Google Chat are coming to Google Workspace Business and Enterprise editions

What’s changing 

Earlier this year, we announced that we’re including the best of Google AI in Workspace Business and Enterprise plans without the need to purchase a separate Gemini add-on. Beginning today, additional AI-powered features are available for Business and Enterprise editions: 


For Google Meet: 
  • Generated background images: With Gemini in Meet, you can generate unique and bespoke meeting backgrounds. Meeting backgrounds can help obscure your surroundings during a meeting or they can enhance the meeting itself. Users will also benefit from our latest model upgrade for background generation, as well as additional style options, like a professional office, library, or home office to help refine their custom backgrounds. 
  • Studio look: Gemini in Meet uses machine learning to detect and enhance (if necessary) the quality of your portrait by reducing noise and increasing sharpness, bringing you into focus so you can look your best in meetings. 
  • Studio lighting: Using machine learning, Gemini in Meet will simulate studio-quality lighting and adjust light position and brightness in your video feed, so you're perfectly lit for your meeting. Note: Studio lighting is only available on devices that meet certain browser and processor requirements. Visit the Help Center to learn more about device requirements for studio lighting. 
  • Studio sound: Gemini in Meet will automatically recreate and balance missing or distorted frequencies helping to make your voice come through crisp and clear. This can be especially useful when dialing in via phone or using bluetooth headsets for example. 

For Google Chat: 
  • Translate for me: Chat will automatically detect and translate over 120 languages to a user’s preferred language while keeping the original message available for review. Instead of navigating outside of Chat to translate a message, this reduces friction and improves collaboration with colleagues, partners and customers in other parts of the world. 

For Google Drawings: 
  • Background image removal: Gemini’s image background removal functionality (also available in Slides and Vids) is now available in Google Drawings.

Getting started

Rollout pace

Availability

Available for Google Workspace:
  • Business Standard and Plus
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus

These features are already available to Gemini for Workspace add-on customers. Note that as of January 15, 2025, Gemini Business, Gemini Enterprise, AI Meetings & Messaging, and AI Security add-ons are no longer available for purchase. Please refer to this announcement for more details.



Use Gemini in the side panel of Workspace apps in four more languages

What’s changing

Beginning today, Gemini in the side panel of Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive, and Gmail can be used in four additional languages: 
  • Greek 
  • Catalan 
  • Indonesian 
  • Malay 

With Gemini in the side panel of your Workspace apps, you can get help summarizing, brainstorming, and generating content by utilizing insights gathered from your emails, documents, and more—all without switching applications or tabs. Check out our original announcements for Gemini in the side panel of Docs, Sheets, and Drive, and Gmail for even more information. Image generation is supported in these languages as well. 


Additional details 

  • Users may see the “Alpha” badge as we bring more features into Gemini in the side panel of Google Workspace.
  • Image generation of people is not supported in these additional languages at this time.

Getting started 


Rollout pace


Availability 

Gemini in the side panel of Docs, Sheets, Drive is available to Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on 
  • Customers with the Gemini Business or Gemini Enterprise add-on* 
Gemini in the side panel of Gmail is available to Google Workspace:
  • Business Starter, Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on 
  • Customers with the Gemini Business or Gemini Enterprise add-on* 
*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 

View invited meeting participants on Google Meet hardware

What’s changing

You can now see participants who were invited to the meeting but have yet to join the call right on Google Meet hardware. These participants can be found under the “Also invited” heading. Additionally, you’ll also be able to see the RSVP status of everyone on the invite, including “optional” attendees. This feature makes it easier for you to start meetings more efficiently by quickly determining who has not joined or who has declined.

Viewing the guest list in the people panel on a Series One Desk 27 device


Viewing the guest list on a Meet hardware touch controller





Additional Details

  • Guest lists are hidden for events with more than 50 guests.
  • Invited groups and their participants are not displayed on guest lists.

Getting Started

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: On Google Meet hardware devices for eligible Google Workspace editions, this feature will be available by default for Meet calls with a Calendar event. Visit the Help Center to learn more about viewing the Calendar guest list in Google Meet.


Rollout pace

  • Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 10, 2025
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 17, 2025

Availability 

Available on Google Meet hardware devices for Google Workspace:
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus
  • Business Starter, Standard, and Plus
  • Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus and the Teaching & Learning add-on
  • Nonprofits

Resources


Create files and folders using Gemini in the side panel of Google Drive

What’s changing 

Since rolling out Gemini in the side panel of Google Drive, users have been able to summarize one or multiple documents, get quick facts about a project, interact with the Gemini side panel while viewing PDFs, and we most recently added folder support. 

Today, we’re excited to expand Gemini in Drive capabilities by introducing the ability to create new Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and folders in your Drive. As part of this update, we’re introducing support for two new types of prompts using Gemini in the side panel.
  • “Create a new folder” (with or without specifying what to name it) 
  • “Create a new Google Doc, Sheet or Slide” (with or without specifying what to name it) 
create new Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and folders in your Drive using Gemini


Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why you’d use it 

This new capability will help you streamline your file and folder creation journeys without needing to leave the side panel to create new Docs, Sheets, Slides and folders. By typing in one of the supported prompts, Gemini will create the new, titled file or folder and provide you with a link. 


Getting started 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

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 

Quickly add events to Google Calendar based on your emails with Gemini in Gmail

What’s changing

In addition to asking Gemini in Gmail to perform calendar related actions or answer questions about your calendar, you can now add an event to your calendar directly from an email. 

With this update, Gemini will automatically detect calendar related content in your email and an “Add to calendar” button will appear. Upon clicking this option, the side panel in Gmail will open to confirm the event has been added to your calendar. 

"Add to Calendar" button in Gmail



Getting started

  • Admins: To access Gemini in the side panel of Workspace apps, users need to have smart features and personalization turned on. Admins can turn on default personalization setting for their users in the Admin console. 
  • End users: 
    • This feature is only available in English and on web at this time. 
    •  The "Add to calendar" button will not appear for emails with already extracted events (like restaurants, flights, etc.). 
    • A calendar event created via the “Add to calendar” button will not include other guests. 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about collaborating with Gemini in Gmail. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Starter, Standard, and Plus 
  • Enterprise Starter, 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 

Enhancements for custom and AI-generated backgrounds in Google Meet

What’s changing

We’re introducing two improvements for creating custom background images with Gemini in Google Meet:

  • First, we’ve upgraded the image generation model, which will significantly improve the visual appeal and quality of generated backgrounds, while also better representing user requests.
  • Next, we’ve added several new preset styles to help you get started creating your own backgrounds. Specifically, you’ll see options for the following:
    • Professional office
    • Bookshelf
    • Stylish living room
    • Cozy living room
    • Tropical beach
    • Fantasy castle
    • Sci-fi spaceship


Getting started


Rollout pace

Availability

Available for Google Workspace:
  • Business Standard and Plus
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus
  • Also available with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on

Anyone who previously purchased these add-ons will also receive this feature:
  • Gemini Business*
  • Gemini Enterprise*
  • AI Meetings and Messages*

*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

Use Gemini in the side panel of Google Slides in seven new languages

What’s changing

Beginning today, you can use Gemini in the side panel of Google Slides, which includes the ability to generate images, in the following seven new languages: 
  • French 
  • German 
  • Italian 
  • Japanese 
  • Korean 
  • Portuguese 
  • Spanish 
With Gemini in the side panel of your Workspace apps, you can get help summarizing, brainstorming, and generating content by utilizing insights gathered from your emails, documents, and more—all without switching applications or tabs. Check out our original announcements for Gemini in the side panel of Slides, Docs, Sheets, and Drive, and Gmail for even more information. 


Additional details 

  • Users may see the “Alpha” badge as we bring more features into Gemini in the side panel of Google Workspace. 
  • Image generation of people is not supported in these additional languages at this time. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: The default setting for Gemini features in Workspace services is on. See how you can manage access to AI features in Workspace services. 
  • End users: 
    • Gemini in the side panel will work according to the language you set in your Google account (myaccount.google.com/language). If you’re accessing other Gemini for Google Workspace features that are supported in English only, you will need to set your Google Account language to English. 
    • You can access the side panel by clicking on “Ask Gemini” (spark button) in the top right corner of Slides on the web. Visit the Help Center to learn more about collaborating with Gemini in the side panel of Slides. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

Available to Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on 
  • Customers with the Gemini Business or Gemini Enterprise add-on* 
*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

Introducing the Salesforce for Gemini extension in Gmail

What’s changing

Previously, we announced third party extensions for Salesforce and AI in Workspace. Beginning today, you can install the Salesforce extension for Gemini in Google Workspace, which will allow you to get information from Salesforce and create leads and contacts directly from Gemini in the side panel of Gmail. 

You can ask Gemini for help with Salesforce tasks directly from an email or your inbox. This includes things like “Create a lead in Salesforce”, “Create a contact in Salesforce” or “Show me the [Name] account in Salesforce” and more. 

You can also take more complex actions, like “Research a lead’s company” which will return a relevant summary of information. Or you can pull information directly from Salesforce into Gmail by using the “Take action on this sales inquiry” to generate a sales brief based on an email message or thread. 

tracking a salesforce lead using gemini in gmail

Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 

Why you’d use it 

The Salesforce extension for Gemini in Google Workspace enhances CRM interaction by connecting you directly to Salesforce data without the need to switch between Gmail and Salesforce. You can ask questions and receive immediate answers, and generate valuable insights, helping to uncover potential opportunities. Further, features like email summarization, quick actions to add leads, and suggested responses let you focus more on selling and less on searching for information and more time building stronger customer relationships. 


Additional details 

The extension is currently only available in English and when using Gmail in a browser. 


Getting started

Rollout pace 

Availability 

Available to Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on 
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 

Improving Google Calendar’s interoperability with Microsoft Outlook

What’s changing

We recently announced an improved syncing experience from Google Calendar to third-party calendars, like Microsoft Outlook, that allows event guests to enjoy a more reliable syncing experience with less calendar emails in their inbox. 


Building upon this, we’re excited to announce that Calendar now reliably processes calendaring emails sent using the Microsoft-specific format for rich text emails called Transport Neutral Encapsulation Format (TNEF). As a result, Calendar users and organizations that routinely collaborate with internal and external Outlook users will now benefit from a more reliable experience when receiving invitations and RSVPs from Outlook users. 


Getting started 

  • Admins and end users: There is no admin controls or end user setting for this feature. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

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

Resources 

Google Vids is expanding its AI voiceovers with new options

What’s changing

Since bringing Google Vids—our AI-powered video creation app for work—to general availability last year, users have engaged with Gemini features in Vids like AI voiceovers. Today, we’re excited to announce that users can now choose from a wider range of AI voices for their videos with the introduction of new options: 
  • Narrator (Default) - Smooth, medium pitch 
  • Educator - Friendly, higher pitch 
  • Teacher - Clear, low pitch 
  • Persuader - Engaging, low pitch 
  • Explainer - Lively, low pitch 
  • Coach - Lively, higher pitch 
  • Motivator - Energetic, medium pitch
These high-quality voices offer more natural and expressive voiceovers that dynamically adjust pitch and tone to match your script, whether you wrote it yourself or used the Gemini-powered 'Help me create' to generate your script. 


new ai voiceover options in vids


Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why you’d use it 

Using AI voiceovers makes it easier to get started creating or updating video content in just a few clicks. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Vids in your organization.
  • End users: 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating scripts & voiceovers in Google Vids. 
    • You can use Vids on your computer with the two most recent versions of these browsers: 
    • You can access our always-on resources in the Google Workspace Learning Center to learn what you can do with Google Vids. 
    • Vids is available in the user's local language, but some AI features (including AI voiceovers) are currently only available in English. 
    • Note: View and collaborate access is available to anyone with a Google Workspace account, while create and copy access is available for select editions of Google Workspace customers. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Essentials, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus 
  • Education Plus* 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education* or Gemini Education Premium* add-on 
  • Customers with the Gemini Business* or Gemini Enterprise* add-on 
 *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. 

*Please refer to the following Workspace Updates Blog to learn more about Vids availability for Google Workspace for Education customers. 

Resources