Google Workspace Updates: March 2021

Update design for the Admin console home page

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

Quick launch summary

A new card-based interface which includes more information and links to provide quick access to common tasks.
Expandable (or collapsible) cards for Users, Billing, and Domains, with quick links to common items in those areas.
Reordered items to make it easier to find the most used sections and complete common tasks.

We hope this design will make it quicker to navigate around the Admin console, easier to find items you need to manage, and simpler to understand how Google Workspace is deployed within your organization.

The new admin console home page

The old Admin console home page
Getting started

Admins: You’ll see the new interface when you log into the Admin console. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using the Admin console.
End users: No end user impact.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 31, 2021.

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Use your Admin console

Add and manage four new types of citations in Google Docs

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

Quick launch summaryNow you can add these four new citation source types in Google Docs:

Film
TV Series
TV Episode
Miscellaneous

This will make writing academic papers easier, since you won’t have to copy citations from other tools. The four new citation source types come in addition to the types you already have available, including books, websites, journal articles, and newspaper articles.

Adding a film as a citation source
Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: You can find and use the citations tool in the Tools menu. Visit the Help Center to learn more about citations in Google Docs.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 31, 2021.
Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting April 26, 2021.

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers.

Resources

Google Help: Add citations and a bibliography

Google Workspace Frontline is now available

Tuesday, 23 March 2021

What’s changingWe previously announced Google Workspace Frontline, our newest offering built specifically for frontline employees. Today, we’re excited to announce that Google Workspace Frontline is available for purchase through Sales and resellers, to give frontline workers secure access, on any supported device, to the information they need to be at their best.

Who’s impactedAdmins and end users
Why you’d use itGoogle Workspace Frontline can help open up communication and collaboration channels between frontline workers and corporate teams in a way that’s safe and secure, even from their own personal devices. It’s a custom solution that includes communication and collaboration apps like Gmail, Chat, Meet, Docs, Drive, and more, as well as business-grade support and security features like advanced endpoint management that help keep a company’s data secure.
Additional detailsWith Google Workspace Frontline, your employees will have access to:

Gmail
Google Calendar
Google Chat
Google Meet
Google Docs
Google Sheets
Google Slides
Google Sites

In addition, you’ll get 2GB Drive storage per user and the ability to view content in shared drives. This offer also includes business-grade support and security features like advanced endpoint management, which enables admins to require strong mobile passcodes, set up work profiles for Android devices, manage apps forAndroid and iOS devices, and wipe devices remotely if needed.
Getting started

Admins: To learn more about Google Workspace Frontline, visit the Help Center or contact our Sales team.
End users: Users will automatically get access to the features in Google Workspace Frontline after signing up.

Rollout pace

This edition is available now.

Availability

Google Workspace Frontline is available for both new and all existing customers.

Resources

Customize notification frequency with more options in Google Chat and Chat in Gmail

Monday, 22 March 2021

What’s changing We’ve added more options for notification settings in Google Chat and Chat in Gmail. The new options affect push notifications on desktop and mobile, as well as notification badges on both the Chat and Gmail apps. You can set your notification preferences to:

Notify always: You’ll receive a notification for every message and new messages will be badged.
Notify less: You’ll receive notifications and badges for direct mentions, @all mentions, and followed threads. Additionally, there is an option to be notified about new threads in threaded rooms.
Notifications off: You will receive no notifications, but you’ll see a badge if you’re directly mentioned.

For existing Rooms, the notification setting may default to a state where you receive more notifications. To review and update your notification settings, simply select the three-dot overflow menu in each room.

Who’s impacted

End users

Why you’d use it

These additional notification settings give you more control over the amount of notifications you’ll receive based on your level of engagement or involvement in specific conversations. We hope that by giving the ability you adjust your notifications as needed, you can stay on top of need-to-know conversations without being overwhelmed by notifications.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the changes outlined in these Help Center articles and let your users know about the changes they can expect:

Turn chat notifications on or off in Gmail
Turn Google Chat notifications on or off

End users:

Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning notifications on or off in Gmail and Chat.
Make sure your Gmail and Google Chat apps are updated to the latest versions of the respective apps.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 22, 2021

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers

Resources

New and improved Google Chat UI on the web

Monday, 22 March 2021

What’s changingStarting March 24, we’re making some changes to the interface of Google Chat on the web (i.e. chat.google.com) and the Progressive Web Application (PWA).

Old and new Google Chat on the web

Who’s impactedEnd usersWhy you’d use itThe new interface is similar to that of Chat in Gmail, giving users a consistent and predictable Chat experience no matter where they are. We’ve also added some new integrations to help your users be more productive. See Additional details below for more information.Additional detailsIn addition to the visual interface updates, you’ll also see the following changes on Chat on the web:

In Chat rooms, you can now access shared files and tasks via tabs at the top of the room
We’ve added the quick access side panel on the right side, like in Gmail, to provide access to apps like Calendar, Keep, Tasks, and Maps
Search for existing conversations or for people to start new conversations is now under the “+” on the left-side navigation.
You can use the search bar at the top to look for content across all rooms and direct messages (DMs). To search for content within each room or direct message, click on the search button at the top right corner of the room/DM first and then proceed to search for content in the search bar.
The “Chat” and “Rooms” sections on the left-side navigation bar are static, allowing you to scroll more easily within each section. You can readjust the height of each of the sections based on your preference.
Feature to toggle between full screen view and pop-up view for both rooms and DMs, allowing easier multi tasking between conversations.
Integration with Google Meet so you can join or start a call directly from Chat
Pinned chats and rooms are now at the top of the Chat and Rooms sections instead of in a separate Pinned section. Users can unpin any unused pinned conversations to reduce clutter in these sections.
chat.google.com will now redirect to mail.google.com/chat. However, users can continue to use chat.google.com to access Chat.

Note that these changes will only impact domains with the Gmail service turned on. We’ll launch these changes to domains with Gmail turned off in the coming months.Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for these changes.
End users: These changes will take place automatically at chat.google.com and in the Chat PWA.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 24, 2021

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers

Find files shared with you using updated search operators in Google Drive

Monday, 22 March 2021

What’s changingWe’re updating how some search operators work in Google Drive to make finding shared files easier. This includes adding new search operators and changing the behavior of some existing search operators. You’ll still be able to perform all the same searches, just the operators you’ll use for them may change. The specific changes are:

“from:” will now return files shared with you by the specified email address. Previously, it would have returned files owned by that email address.
“to:” will now return files that you have shared with the specified email address. Previously, it would have returned all files that the email address had permissions to view, comment, or edit.
“sharedwith:” is a new search operator which will return files that the specified email address owns or has permission to view, comment or edit.
“owner:” returns files owned by the specified email address. There is no change to this operator, but you can use it to return the results you would previously have used the “from:” operator for.

Use our Help Center to learn more about these and other search operators in Google Drive.
Who’s impactedEnd users, and developers
Why you’d use itWe’ve heard that finding files in Google Drive can be difficult because there are so many ways to remember a file: by its type, by its title, by who owns it, and more. We’ve added a number of features to help finding files, including an intelligent search box for Google Drive on the web, mobile search improvements, file suggestions in Chrome, and much more.
In addition, we know how important it is to be able to easily find files shared with others while collaborating in Google Workspace. Our user research suggests that this is actually one of the most memorable aspects to use when finding a file. These updates to our search operators will enable more specific searches to find files shared with you and by you, and will help you find those files more quickly using more memorable details about the file.

Additional details

Searches for from: and to: will not return files that were shared prior to February 2021.
Vault admins have been notified separately about their changes.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: The updates to search operator behavior will take place by default. Visit the Help Center to learn more about advanced search features in Google Drive.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 22, 2021

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, and G Suite Basic and Business customers.

Resources

Google Help: Find files in Google Drive

Changes to Google Drive search operators may alter your Google Vault search results

Monday, 22 March 2021

Quick launch summaryWe’ve updated Google Drive Search operators to enable better results when searching for files in Google Vault. This includes changes to the behavior of the to: and from: operators, and a new sharedwith: operator.

Starting April 27, 2021, to: and from: won't match files shared before March 2021, but will better reflect actual sharing actions compared to the current logic. See this Help Center article for more information.

Before April 27, 2021, please check your saved Drive search queries in Google Vault and, if needed, make updates to ensure you get the results you expect:

If you search for files in Vault using the to: or from: Drive search operators, you might want to change to: to sharedwith: and from: to owner: to keep the current search behavior.
If you do not search for files in Vault using the to: or from: Drive search operators, no action is required.

Note, you’ll know when the new behavior is applied to your to: or from: Drive searches within Vault as you’ll see the below notification near the Terms field:

Getting started

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: The change in search operators will take place automatically on April 27, 2021.

Availability

Available to Google Workspace Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, and Education Plus, as well as G Suite Business customers and customers with the Vault add-on license
Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, and Business Standard customers, or G Suite Basic customers

Resources

Alternate runtimes makes it easier to build Google Workspace Add-ons, now generally available

Monday, 22 March 2021

What’s changing We’re launching a new way to create Google Workspace Add-ons. With alternative runtimes, developers can write Add-ons in any language and on any infrastructure, and then publish them to the Google Workspace Marketplace. Alternate runtimes was previously available in beta.
See our developer blog post to learn more about the new feature.
Who’s impacted Admins and developers
Why it’s important Google Workspace Add-ons allow you to use third-party applications within Google Workspace. These integrations between Google Workspace and other productivity applications allow work to happen more seamlessly across platforms, helping you get work done faster without switching from one app to another.
Previously, developers had to write Add-ons in Apps Script. With this launch, developers can write them in whatever language, and on whatever infrastructure, they want. This change enables developers to use the tools and systems they’re used to, making it quicker and easier to create and publish high-quality Add-ons.
Getting started

Developers: See our developer blog post to learn more about the new feature. Use our developer documentation to learn more about Alternate Runtimes for Google Workspace Add-ons.
Admins: This launch represents a new way for developers to build and publish Add-ons through the Google Workspace Marketplace. There’s no difference to previous add-ons from a domain or user perspective. Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing Google Workspace Marketplace Apps for your organization.
End users: If allowed by your admin, you’ll be able to install Google Workspace Add-ons using the “+” button in the Google Workspace quick access side panel or via the Google Workspace Marketplace. The add-ons you install will appear in the side panel across Google Workplace apps.

Rollout pace

This feature is available now for all users.

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers

Resources

Be informed when someone subscribes to email notifications of your Calendar

Monday, 22 March 2021

Quick launch summaryWe’ll now notify you when someone subscribes to updates made to your Google Calendar.
When you share your calendar with others, they have the option to subscribe to changes you make on your calendar. In order to increase transparency to calendar owners on who can access this information, we'll inform them via email if someone subscribes to be proactively notified about upcoming events or any changes to existing and new events on their calendar.

We'll let you know when someone subscribes to any of these notifications about your calendar

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about sharing Calendar permissions.

Rollout pace

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers

Resources

Google Help: Share your calendar with someone

Additional language support for live captions in Google Meet on Android and iOS devices

Monday, 22 March 2021

Quick launch summary Users in APAC and Europe can now enable live captions in the following languages in Google Meet on mobile devices:

French
German
Portuguese
Spanish (Spain and Latin America)

Live captions can help users easily participate in meetings who may speak a different primary language, are in loud noisy environments, are deaf or hard of hearing, or have other disabilities that make listening difficult.