Google Workspace Updates: december 2015

Clean up of ‘Additional Google services’ section in Google Apps Admin console

2015. december 17., csütörtök

When signing up for Google Apps, customers are provided with access to several additional free services, including YouTube, Blogger, Google Analytics, and many more. Admins can turn these services On or Off for their users in the Admin console by looking in Apps > Additional Google services.

Starting today, we’ll be cleaning up the list of services that are available and removing any services that have been shut down by Google in the last couple of years. These changes will have no impact on current On/Off service settings.

Check out the Help Center for more information on accessing additional Google services.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility) to be completed in early January

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Introducing the new Calendar Resource API

2015. december 15., kedd

Originally Posted on Google Apps Developers blog

Posted by Muzammil Esmail, Product Manager, Google for Work and Wesley Chun, Developer Advocate, Google Apps

Over the years, we’ve been updating our APIs with new versions across Drive and Calendar, as well as those used for managing Google Apps for Work domains. These new services offer developers improvements over previous functionality and introduces new features that help Apps administrators better manage their domains.

To deliver even more granular control, today we are announcing the new Calendar Resource API as part of the Admin SDK’s Directory API that enables Google for Work customers to manage their physical resources, like conference rooms, printers, nap pods, tennis courts, walkstations, etc. These physical resources can be added to meetings by end users as needed. The API released today replaces the GDATA Calendar Resource API, so we encourage developers to begin moving their applications and tools to the new API. Please note that we will begin deprecation in January 2016 and sunset the existing API in January 2017. Stay tuned for a formal deprecation announcement with details.

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Use templates to create files in the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides mobile apps

2015. december 15., kedd

Templates allow you to quickly and easily create files with specific purposes—for instance, you can pull together a project proposal in Google Docs, an invoice in Google Sheets, or a case study in Google Slides without spending unnecessary time or resources on formatting. In September, we launched templates in Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web; today, we’re rolling out that same functionality for their corresponding Android and iOS apps.

Starting now, when you go to create a new document, spreadsheet, or presentation on your Android or iOS device (by clicking the red “+” button in the bottom right corner of your screen), you’ll be given the option to choose a template. These templates will be the same as those available to you in Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web, including a meeting agenda, pitch deck, expense report, and more.

Focus on your content, not your formatting. Check out the Help Center article below for more information on getting started with templates.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Simplified email routing settings in the Google Apps Admin console

2015. december 15., kedd

The email routing settings in the Admin console allow Google Apps admins to set up default mail routing options across their domain, or for specific organizational units. For example, you may want to route certain incoming mail to different server locations or recipients based on the nature of its content, or require that outbound mail pass through a gateway before being sent for greater security.

These settings provide admins with a high level of granular control, but we realized that they can be complicated to find and use in their current structure in the Admin console. That’s why with today’s launch, we’re taking the first step towards significantly simplifying the experience for email routing settings by adding a new section called Routing under Gmail > Advanced settings > General settings.

This new Routing section will consolidate the following existing settings into one location, making them easier to manage: Sending routing, Receiving routing, Outbound gateway, Default routing, and Email routing. The new Routing settings will coexist with your existing routing settings for the short term, and any routing policies previously set will not be impacted.

In the future, we’ll further improve the email routing experience by migrating and consolidating additional existing settings into the new centralized location. Stay tuned for more information on these plans.

Admins creating new email routing policies are encouraged to use the new Routing settings for enhanced functionality. In addition to being easier to use, the new Routing settings will apply to SMTP-relayed messages as well as messages sent to email groups. These features are not available using the previous settings.

Check out the Help Center for more details on the new Routing settings.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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View functions in Google Sheets in your preferred language

2015. december 14., hétfő

Employees across the world use Google Sheets. Starting today, any user whose preferred language is set to English or one of 21 additional, supported languages will see functions in Sheets on the web and mobile in that preferred language. (Please note that some specific functions will continue to appear in English only—even if the user’s preferred language is supported.)
Localized Functions.png

Following this launch, new Sheets users will see functions in their preferred language if that language is supported. Any existing Sheets user whose preferred language is supported will be given an option in Sheets on the web to keep their functions in English or to show them in their preferred language. If they choose the latter, they can switch back to English at any time by selecting Always use English function names under Spreadsheet settings in the File menu.
Localized Functions 2.png

Check out the Change a spreadsheet's locale, time zone, recalculation, and language Help Center article for a list of supported languages, as well as the additional articles below for more information.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming on January 11th, 2016

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Change a spreadsheet's locale, time zone, recalculation, and language
Help Center: Change language in My Account
Help Center: Functions and formulas in Sheets

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Certificate Enrollment for Chrome OS

2015. december 14., hétfő

Today we are announcing the Certificate Enrollment for Chrome OS extension, providing an out-of-the-box certificate enrollment experience for Chromebooks in enterprises with a deployment of Microsoft Public Key Infrastructure based off of Active Directory.

This new extension allows users to easily request a certificate for their managed Chromebooks to access enterprise-protected networks and resources. It also allows admins to scale their Chromebook rollouts by automating the Active Directory certificate enrollment process via Google's Admin console.

Check out the Help Center for minimum requirements and deployment guidelines.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Easier account syncing with the latest version of the Google Calendar app for Android

2015. december 10., csütörtök

When you’re on the go, you need your calendar events to be up to date. Now, the latest version of the Google Calendar app for Android makes it easy for you to see whether your accounts are properly syncing, and quickly fix them if they aren't.

If sync is turned off for any of your accounts, you'll see the message “Enable sync” in the left side Menu. When you see this message, click on your account's email address to turn sync back on.

If you're still having problems syncing your events, check out the sync troubleshooting help page.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center
Get the Google Calendar Android app on Google Play

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Update: Increased account security via OAuth2 token revocation

2015. december 9., szerda

Last week, we announced that a recent change has been made to our security policy, whereby OAuth2 tokens issued for access to certain products will now be revoked when a user's password is changed.

We’ve received questions from Apps customers on the implications of this policy change for which we’d like to provide thoughtful responses in advance of the full rollout. As a result, and given the approaching holiday season, we have decided to delay the full rollout of this policy change until early 2016.

Please monitor the launch release calendar for the new launch date* and stay tuned for additional communication and answers to frequently asked questions.

*Note: this launch was cancelled for Google Apps customers in Feb 2016. A revised launch was announced on Sept 21, 2016.

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Better search experience in Google Drive

2015. december 9., szerda

When you store important files in Google Drive they’re not only safe, they’re accessible from any device. Finding these files again from any device should be super easy, so we’re rolling out a new search experience to get you better results — even faster.

Drive lets you search across all your files, regardless of the device they came from. To make that easier, you can use these new ways to find your files:

Narrow your search to a file type from the search box on Android, iOS, and the web.
Open advanced search instantly from the search box.
Access recent files or search Drive from the home screen using 3D Touch on iOS.
Search Drive using the iOS search bar without opening the Drive app.

Several behind-the-scenes improvements give your search queries even better results than they did before. And to get more specific results, anyone can now do the following:

Search for shared files by file owner using their name or email address.
Use advanced search options like the date a file was modified, words it contains, or who it was shared with.

This is all part of an ongoing effort to make Drive the easiest place to find your files. See below for the specific rollout details.

Launch Details
Release track:
- Android and iOS features launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release
- Web changes launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in early January (monitor the launch calendar for specific date)

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Keeping data secure with Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Gmail

2015. december 9., szerda

Every company has data that it must keep secure — whether that data is about confidential innovations, strategic plans, or sensitive HR issues. Keeping all of this data safe from inadvertent or purposeful leaks needs to be simple, quick, and reliable. Google for Work already helps admins manage information security with tools such as encryption, sharing controls, mobile device management, and two-factor authentication. However, sometimes user actions compromise the best of all of these controls; for example, a user might hit “Reply all” when meaning to send a private message with sensitive content.

Starting today, if you’re a Google Apps Unlimited customer, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Gmail will add another layer of protection to prevent sensitive information from being revealed to those who shouldn’t have it.

How Gmail DLP works
Organizations may have a policy that the Sales department should not share customer credit cards externally. To keep this information safe, admins can now easily set up a DLP policy by selecting “Credit Card Numbers” from a library of predefined content detectors. Gmail DLP will automatically check all outgoing emails from the Sales department and take action based on what the admin has specified: either quarantine the email for review, tell users to modify the information, or block the email from being sent and notify the sender.

These checks don’t just apply to email text, but also to content inside common attachment types―such as documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. Admins can also create custom rules with keywords and regular expressions. So if there’s a confidential new product your company is building codenamed Lochness, admins can create custom checks for lochness, confidential, and other keywords to help deter any leaks.

Check out the DLP whitepaper for more information, including the full list of predefined content creators, and get started. Gmail DLP is the first step in a long term investment to bring rule-based security across Google Apps. We’re working on bringing DLP to Google Drive early next year, along with other rule-based security systems.

Note: this feature is available for Google Apps for Work Unlimited customers only.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

Add to-dos to Google Calendar using Reminders

2015. december 7., hétfő

Calendars are great for keeping track of what's next and to-dos are great for keeping track of what needs to get done. But we often manage them separately, so it's hard to see everything that’s going on and prioritize what's important.

Starting today, people using the Google Calendar Android and iOS apps can now create Reminders to keep track of their to-dos alongside their events. Here’s how it works:

Reminders help with the details
Reminders can be created the same way as an eventㅡby tapping the red Create icon (“+”) in the bottom right corner of the screen. Calendar can then add things like phone numbers and addresses automaticallyㅡusing information from your contacts, as well as Google's knowledge graph, to provide a bit of extra help.

Reminders stick around
While events come and go, Reminders stick with you over time so you can track them until they are actually done. If a Reminder isn't completed, it will appear at the top of your Calendar the next day. And all it takes is a quick swipe when you're done.

Reminders work across Google
In addition to Calendar, you can add and view Reminders from a variety of Google apps: Inbox by Gmail (for any Apps customers in the early adopter program), Google Keep and Google Now. This makes it easy to add a Reminder to your Calendar when you're checking your email or only have time to create a quick note.

People can start creating Reminders today with the latest versions of Calendar on Google Play and the App Store. And don't worry, we're working on bringing Reminders to the web too.

Check out the Help Center for more information.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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What’s new with Chromebox for meetings?

2015. december 3., csütörtök

Chromebox for meetings brings high-quality video conferencing to any room. To help Google Apps customers who use Chromebox for meetings devices stay on top of new feature releases and improvements, starting today we’ll provide a regular recap of recent and upcoming launches. Today’s update coincides with the release of Chrome OS 47 stable, and we will continue to post updates moving forward following the Chrome OS six week release cycle.

Guest Access
Google Hangouts now supports meeting participants who do not have Google accounts.

Various Performance Optimizations

Improved WebRTC to reduce audio echoing and optimize performance on Hangouts.
Faster HD resolution, smoother video rendering, and OPUS codec for improved audio quality on CfM.
Screenshare improvements for faster updates for complex on-screen changes.

Admin Email Notifications
We recently launched the ability for domain administrators to be notified when a Chromebox for meetings device goes offline, either by email or SMS. There is a known issue on being notified after scheduled reboots, and we are actively working on resolving it.

On-screen Volume Control
In addition to using the buttons on the speaker/mic, it is now possible to adjust the volume using on-screen controls that have been added to the user interface of Chromebox for meetings.

Launch Details
Release track:
All features launched to both Rapid release and Scheduled release; Performance optimization improvements require an upgrade to Chrome 47. Chrome 47 will roll out automatically over the next week for customers who have auto updates turned on.

Impact:
All end users, plus the admin-only email notification feature

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

Increased account security via OAuth2 token revocation

2015. december 2., szerda

In an effort to further increase account security for Google Apps users, a recent change has been made to our security policy, whereby OAuth2 tokens issued for access to certain products will now be revoked when a user's password is changed. For example, if a user loses their device, and changes their Google password, their mail and other data will stop syncing to that device when the password is reset.

Token revocation itself is not a new feature, as users have always had the ability to revoke access to applications in Security Checkup, and admins have always had this ability in the Google Apps Admin console. This change in our security policy will simply automate the token revocation process.

What products are impacted?
Some applications that use the OAuth2 authentication method will stop accessing data upon password reset until a new OAuth2 token has been granted by the user by re-authenticating with their Google account username and password. This includes Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GASMO), and applications that use certain Google APIs.

For a list of impacted data endpoints and scopes, and any known products that may not sync properly following the policy change, please check out the Help Center.

In the future, we plan to expand the list of Google products and scopes for which tokens will be revoked upon password change, and will provide more details as they become available.

How will this impact Google Apps users?
If you have a corporate policy that requires your end users to change their passwords periodically, we recommend letting them know that they will also have to re-authenticate on their mobile devices, or any applications that they may be using to access Google Apps.

All password changes, such as an end user changing a password, or an admin changing the password on behalf of the end user―or even using tools such as Google Apps Password Sync or other Directory API client applications―will result in OAuth2 tokens being revoked.

Launch Details
*Note: this launch was cancelled for Google Apps customers in Feb 2016. A revised launch was announced on Sept 21, 2016.

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Easier user management in the Google Admin mobile app for Android

2015. december 1., kedd

The Google Admin mobile app allows Apps super admins to easily manage users and groups, contact support, view audit logs and perform other common administrative tasks all from their mobile devices.

Today’s update to the Google Admin mobile app for Android makes managing users and groups even easier with the following new features:

Add users from contact list
When adding a new user, Apps super admins can now simply import a contact from their contact list and have all of their information pre-populated in the ‘Add user’ form. The information can then be edited as needed, and the user can be quickly created.

Quickly change roles and remove members
When viewing member information inside of a group, it’s now possible for super admins to quickly change a member’s role or remove them from the group altogether.

Check out the Help Center links below for more information on the Google Admin app for Android.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Manage Google Apps from an Android device
Help Center: Add a new user from your contacts
Help Center: Manage groups from an Android device
Get the Google Admin app on Google Play

What's New in Google Apps newsletter - November 2015

2015. december 1., kedd

Check out the latest "What's New in Google Apps" newsletter [pdf] for a roundup of all Apps launches from November 2015.

Newsletter Archive & Translated Versions (coming soon for November issue)

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Useful Links

Join the official community for Google Workspace administrators

In the Google Cloud Community, connect with Googlers and other Google Workspace admins like yourself. Participate in product discussions, check out the Community Articles, and learn tips and tricks that will make your work and life easier. Be the first to know what's happening with Google Workspace.

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Learn about more Google Workspace launches

On the “What’s new in Google Workspace?” Help Center page, learn about new products and features launching in Google Workspace, including smaller changes that haven’t been announced on the Google Workspace Updates blog.

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Updates

Clean up of ‘Additional Google services’ section in Google Apps Admin console

Introducing the new Calendar Resource API

Use templates to create files in the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides mobile apps

Simplified email routing settings in the Google Apps Admin console

View functions in Google Sheets in your preferred language

Certificate Enrollment for Chrome OS

Easier account syncing with the latest version of the Google Calendar app for Android

Update: Increased account security via OAuth2 token revocation

Better search experience in Google Drive

Keeping data secure with Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Gmail

Add to-dos to Google Calendar using Reminders

What’s new with Chromebox for meetings?

Increased account security via OAuth2 token revocation

Easier user management in the Google Admin mobile app for Android

What's New in Google Apps newsletter - November 2015

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