This official feed from the Google Workspace team provides essential information about new features and improvements for Google Workspace customers.


We’re introducing a “Video calling” setting for Google Meet hardware, allowing you to turn video calling on or off for a device. 

New device-level controls: On each device's settings page in the Admin console, admins will find a new Video calling setting with an ON/OFF toggle. This lets admins enable or disable a device's ability to join meetings at any time. When a newly-enrolled device has video calling turned off, it will display the device’s serial number or name and a short URL on the screen. We've also moved Calendar into its own distinct setting. 


Admin console > Google Meet hardware > [Select a device] > Video calling and calendar

New default enrollment policy for secure setup: To support large-scale or third-party installations, admins can now set a Google Meet hardware customer-level setting so all newly-enrolled devices have video calling on or off. By default, devices will continue to enroll with video calling ON.


Admin console > Devices > Google Meet hardware > Settings > Service settings > New device video calling

This feature enables a two-stage process when installers provision devices in insecure environments. First, installers with only the “Enroll Google Meet hardware” privilege enroll the device with video calling turned off. Later, admins with the “Manage devices” privilege can turn on video calling when the device is in a secure environment.

Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • All Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices 

Resources 

We’re introducing data loss prevention (DLP) policies for Google Calendar in beta. Currently, DLP policies protect Calendar attachments such as Docs, Sheets, and Slides in meeting invites. To further expand our data protections, administrators can now prevent sensitive data from being shared in the event details for Calendar, including event title, location, and description. 

Key functionalities include:

  • Choice of actions: Admins can choose to audit when an event is saved with sensitive content, warn users about sensitive content in their event, or block event creation or updates if a DLP policy is violated. 
  • Event details: DLP rules scan free-text fields in the event, including the event’s title, description, and location fields. 
  • Owner-based policies: Rules are applied based on the organizational unit (OU) of the owner (event organizer on primary calendars or calendar owner on secondary calendars), consistent with other Workspace DLP configurations. 
  • User notifications: With DLP policies for Calendar, users receive immediate feedback when sensitive data is detected. On the web, users see a pop-up notification explaining the issue. Admins can also customize this message with more specific details. If a meeting update is blocked on Android, iOS, or via the Calendar API, the user will receive an automated email notification explaining the policy violation and why changes to the meeting invite were not successful. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: To participate in this beta, sign up via this form before February 27, 2026. Please note you may not see the feature in the Admin console immediately; you will be notified via email once the setting is available. The feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the OU or group level. Visit the Help Center to learn more about DLP for Calendar.
  • End users: There is no end user setting for this feature.
DLP settings in the admin console to configure policies for sensitive data, including actions and alerts when creating Calendar events 

An end user is prompted with a message asking them to remove sensitive information 

Availability 

  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Essentials 
  • Frontline Standard and PlusEducation Fundamentals, Education Standard, and Education Plus 
  • Cloud Identity Premium

Resources 

We’re introducing the ability for meeting participants to move screen shared content into a standalone window with the “Open in new window” option. 

This update gives viewers more flexibility in how they view content during a meeting. By undocking screen shared content—whether it is a presentation, a spreadsheet, or a document—you can move it to a secondary screen or resize it independently. This makes it easier to simultaneously view the screen shared content and participants in the video meeting, helping you stay connected and collaborate more easily.

GIF moving shared content in Google Meet to a separate window with the “Open in new window” new option

This feature works for all screen share content types.

Getting started

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: This feature will be ON by default. When viewing shared content in a meeting, select the "Open in new window" option to move the presentation to a new window. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

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

Resources

New built-in interoperability between Google Meet and Microsoft Teams

We’re introducing video conferencing device interoperability for Google Meet with Microsoft Teams, which will allow you to: (1) Join Microsoft Teams meetings from Chrome OS- based Google Meet hardware devices, and (2) Join Google Meet meetings from Windows-based Microsoft Teams Rooms devices. | Learn more about interoperability between Google Meet and Microsoft Teams

Select Gemini in Workspace capabilities now available to Education Plus and Teaching & Learning customers

We’re bringing generative AI capabilities in Google Workspace for Education to more educators and students around the world. Gemini in Docs, Slides, Forms, and Vids are now available to users 18 and older with a Google Workspace for Education Plus or Teaching and Learning add-on license at no additional cost. | Learn more about Gemini in Workspace features for education users.

Gemini in Chrome is coming to Chromebook Plus devices

Gemini in Chrome is rolling out now to Chromebook Plus devices in the US. This feature empowers business and education users with AI tools that integrate seamlessly into their daily browsing workflows while maintaining strict data governance. | Learn more about Gemini in Chrome for Chromebook Plus devices.

Speech translation in Google Meet now generally available for businesses

As of January 27, 2026, speech translation in Google Meet is no longer restricted to businesses in a limited alpha program; it is now available for Google Workspace customers with select plans. | Learn more about speech translation in Meet for business users.

Prepare for the JEE Main with practice tests in Gemini

We recently launched full-length practice tests in Gemini, starting with the SAT. We're now expanding practice tests to support the JEE Main. | Learn more about JEE Main practice tests in Gemini.

Google Classroom API: Student groups endpoints are now available

Last year, we announced the launch of the Google Classroom API Student Groups endpoints through the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program (DPP). Now, Student Groups endpoints are generally available, so developers no longer need to be in the Developer Preview Program (DPP) to access them. | Learn more about Google Classroom API Student Groups endpoints.

Proofread your email with Gemini in Gmail

When you draft an email, Proofread can suggest improvements beyond spelling and grammar corrections like conciseness, active voice, sentence structure, and word choice so everything is polished before you send. We recently launched this feature to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, and we’re now bringing it to additional Workspace plans. | Learn more about Proofread in Gmail for Workspace users.

Expanding access to select Google Vids features for all users

To help more users create professional-quality content, we are making three features in Vids available to all users, regardless of what Workspace edition they use. These include: Read-along teleprompter, Transcript trim, and Styled captions. | Learn more about Vids features for more users.

Get higher access to advanced AI in Google Workspace

We’re introducing AI Expanded Access, a new Workspace add-on that sits between our standard offering and our top-tier plan. It unlocks higher access to allow teams to further scale their impact. | Learn more about AI Expanded Access for Workspace.

The announcements above were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Over the past year, we've launched groundbreaking AI capabilities into our Workspace plans, such as comprehensive Deep Research reports and stunning image generation with Nano Banana Pro. These AI features come with usage limits that are sufficient for many users, but your most innovative teams may want even more.

To meet that demand, we’re introducing AI Expanded Access, a new Workspace add-on that sits between our standard offering and our top-tier plan. This gives organizations more choice in how they empower their power users with these advanced AI capabilities:

  • Business and Enterprise plans: Includes standard access in most Workspace plans at no extra cost.
  • AI Expanded Access add-on (New!): Unlocks higher access to allow teams to further scale their impact.
  • AI Ultra Access add-on (formerly Google AI Ultra for Business): Provides the highest access to help specialists push what's possible as they tackle their most ambitious creative, coding, and research projects.
Advanced AI features with higher access available through these add-ons include:

  • Advanced image generation: Create and edit more images using Nano Banana Pro in Slides, NotebookLM, and the Gemini app to find the perfect visual for every placement and audience segment.
  • Video generation: Scale video production to a daily content engine by generating more professional-grade videos using Veo 3.1 in Vids (including the use of AI avatars), Flow and the Gemini app.
  • Gemini app: Solve complex strategic problems with higher access to deep reasoning in our most capable models such as Gemini 3 Pro.
  • NotebookLM: Get instant insights from even larger source libraries and generate more high-value outputs to accelerate understanding, such as Audio Overviews, infographics, and Mind Maps.
  • Workspace Studio (rolling out now*): Execute more automations from ad-hoc tasks like labeling emails to always-on workflows that deliver pre-meeting briefs and auto-create follow-up tasks.
  • Speech translation (rolling out now*): Bridge language gaps in more meetings, automatically translating speech in real-time, while maintaining the tone and voice of the speaker.
Visit the Help Center for details on feature availability and limits. As we release new advanced AI features, your teams will also get higher access to these through the AI Expanded and AI Ultra add-ons.

*Workspace Studio is now available for Rapid Release and expected for Scheduled Release by the end of February; promotional access to higher limits of Workspace Studio in Business and Enterprise plans will remain in effect until March 31, 2026. 

**Speech translation in Google Meet is currently rolling out to Rapid Release domains and expected to start rolling out to Scheduled Release domains later in February. Promotional access to higher limits of speech translation in Business and Enterprise plans is ongoing; we’ll communicate any updates to these limits in advance of them going into effect.

What’s not changing

To ensure every customer can benefit from AI, we’ll continue to include standard access to these advanced capabilities in most Workspace Business and Enterprise plans at no additional cost.

Additionally, features like Take notes for me in Meet, Help me write in Gmail, Help me create in Docs, and more are available in our standard plans with generous limits designed to support the everyday needs of most teams. This ensures these powerful tools remain an accessible and essential part of your plan.

Getting started

  • Admins: The AI Expanded Access add-on can be purchased and assigned to specific users with eligible Business or Enterprise plans to provide more access to advanced AI capabilities.
    • Admins can review AI feature usage levels (by feature, user, and app) in the Admin console at Generative AI > Gemini reports.
  • End users: Users assigned a license will automatically get access to higher usage limits for certain AI features. Users will see an "Expanded" badge in the Gemini app, NotebookLM, and Flow, associated with their AI Expanded license.

Rollout pace

  • Starting today, the AI Expanded Access add-on is available to purchase, and will enable higher usage of AI capabilities in Workspace apps, including the Gemini app, NotebookLM, and Flow.
  • Workspace customers with Business and Enterprise plans currently have promotional access to higher usage of certain AI features in their plans, including advanced image generation with Nano Banana Pro, and video and AI avatar generation with Veo 3.1. Beginning March 1, 2026, Workspace customers will need to purchase the AI Expanded Access add-on to continue to get higher access to these advanced AI features.

Availability

Starting today, customers with the Google Workspace plans below can purchase the AI Expanded Access add-on:

  • Business Standard and Plus
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus
Visit the Help Center for more details on which AI capabilities you can start accessing with higher usage when you purchase the add-on, and how to manage access to additional services like Flow.

Resources