Google Workspace Updates: September 2024

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - September 27, 2024

Friday, September 27, 2024

We’re excited to announce that users can now generate structured tables with Gemini in the side panel of Google Sheets. Prior to this update, tables were output as plain text ranges without set column types or structure. Now, Gemini can help you simplify and accelerate spreadsheet building by bringing format and structure to unorganized ranges through table generation. | Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for October 17, 2024. | Available for Google Workspace customers with Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium add-ons and users with the Google One AI Premium subscription. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about using tables in Google Sheets.

Use Gemini in Google Sheets to generate structured tables

Refreshed illustrations in the Google Calendar app on Android and iOS devices

We’re introducing more modern illustrations for Google Calendar events like coffee, lunch or doctors appointments on Android and iOS. You’ll also notice updated monthly illustrations for background images in the schedule view on your mobile device or tablet. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.

New “Gemini Advanced” branding for Gemini for Google Workspace add-on users

The Gemini app (gemini.google.com) will now display a "Gemini Advanced" label for users with a Gemini Enterprise, Business, Education, Education Premium add-on. This will better indicate to users the advanced capabilities of the app included in these plans. We're also updating this branding across our Help Center to better indicate which features and settings are specific to these add-ons. | Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about Gemini for Google Workspace.

Previous announcements

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Kickstart ideas, brainstorm activities, and differentiate content with the help of Gemini in Google Classroom

This week, we officially introduced a new Gemini Education tab in Classroom that grants quick access to numerous AI tools. | Learn more about Gemini in Classroom.

Introducing security advisor, a new set of tools and insights to help small businesses protect their organization against cyber attacks

To help small businesses, we’re introducing security advisor, a set of new insights and tools designed to enhance security for small businesses – including threat defense, account security, and data protection capabilities. | Learn more about security advisor.

Customize your Google Docs with polished cover images

We’re making it easy for you to personalize and differentiate documents with full-bleed cover images that extend from one edge of your document to the other. | Learn more about cover images.

Preview and test upcoming features on Google Meet hardware devices

Using the new “Feature preview” setting, specific Google Meet hardware devices can be configured to test upcoming features prior to general availability. | Learn more about testing Meet hardware features.

Gmail allows more senders to protect their brand using BIMI Common Mark Certificates

We introduced two additional updates for BIMI that will continue to keep inboxes safe: Gmail now supports Common Mark Certificates (CMC) and BIMI verified check marks are now displayed on Android and iOS. | Learn more about BIMI Common Mark Certificates.

Google Sheets tables are now integrated with conditional notifications

There is a new integration between conditional notifications and tables in Sheets. | Learn more about tables and conditional notifications.

Gemini in Gmail will now provide contextual Smart Replies

We’re excited to announce a new Gemini in Gmail feature, contextual Smart Replies, that will offer more detailed responses to fully capture the intent of your message. | Learn more about contextual Smart Replies.

Completed rollouts

The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog posts for additional details.

Rapid Release Domains:

Scheduled Release Domains:

View and structure Google Form data as a table in Google Sheets

Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains:

Additional data protection in Gemini (gemini.google.com) when using a school account is now available (Admin control)
Access and sort shared files more easily in Google Chat conversations (Android)
New advancements in Connected Sheets for Looker
Additional iOS data exfiltration enhancement: account level data sharing between Google Workspace apps and non-Google Workspace apps on or off
Introducing Dual Screen on Meet
Kickstart ideas, brainstorm activities, and differentiate content with the help of Gemini in Google Classroom

For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).

Gemini in Gmail will now provide contextual Smart Replies

Thursday, September 26, 2024

What’s changingIn 2017, we introduced Smart Reply in Gmail, a feature that utilizes machine learning to suggest three quick responses to emails based on the email's content. Thanks to this feature, users have saved time, especially when on the go, by easily responding to emails with minimal effort.
However, we realize there are scenarios in which users would like to respond with more than a simple “Sounds good to me!” or a “Yes, I’m working on it”. As a result, we’re excited to announce a new Gemini in Gmail feature, contextual Smart Replies, that will offer more detailed responses to fully capture the intent of your message.
After initiating an email reply, users will see a few response options at the bottom of their screen that take the full content of the email thread into consideration. Hover over each response to get a quick preview of the text, select the one that feels right for the situation, and edit it as you see fit or send the response immediately.

Get reply suggestions with Gemini in Gmail

Who’s impacted End users

Why it’s important The contextual Smart Reply feature saves time and makes inbox management easier.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: Make sure “Smart features and personalization” is enabled in Gmail to access this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about smart features & controls and contextual Smart Reply in Gmail.

Rollout pace Android, iOS, and web:

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 26, 2024

Availability Available for Google Workspace customers with these add-ons:

Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium
Google One AI Premium

Resources

Google Sheets tables are now integrated with conditional notifications

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

What’s changing Earlier this year, we introduced tables in Google Sheets, a feature that accelerates spreadsheet building by formatting and organizing your data into a polished design with column types, filters, color coding, dropdown menus and more. A month later, we added conditional notifications to provide you with greater visibility into spreadsheet changes most relevant to your workflow via email notifications.

To bring these features closer together, we’re excited to announce a new integration between conditional notifications and tables in Sheets.

As a result:

Conditional notification rules can now be directly applied to tables and will recognize table column names.
All tables now come with a new, easy entry point to conditional notifications in the controls header.
Common conditional notifications will now be built-in to pre-built tables by default and can be enabled with a single click.

setting up conditional notifications in table in sheets

Notified users will receive a detailed email that shows changes made to a Sheet:

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users:

If you own or have edit-access to a Sheet, you can add or view conditional notifications on your table by clicking on the lightning bolt icon on the table header. From here, you can view and choose to enable, disable, delete, or edit any existing rules.

Up to 10 rules can be added to a spreadsheet.
The rules are assigned default names automatically. However, you can update the name of the rule by utilizing the text editor.

Please note: we group notifications for a better experience and they may take up to 30 minutes to send.
Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to use conditional notifications and tables in Sheets.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 25, 2024
Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 16, 2024

Availability

Available for Google Workspace:

Business Standard, Plus
Enterprise Starter, Standard, Plus
Education Plus
Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus

Resources

Google Help: Use conditional notifications
Google Help: Use tables in Google Sheets

Gmail allows more senders to protect their brand using BIMI Common Mark Certificates

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

What’s changingSince 2021, Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) has been critical in building trust between email senders and email recipients. To qualify for BIMI, senders must adopt best practices and have their domains and brand logos verified by a third party. Together, this helps foster trust among recipients, allowing them to easily identify emails for legitimate sources. Today, we’re pleased to announce two additional updates for BIMI that will continue to keep inboxes safe:

Gmail now supports Common Mark Certificates (CMC), a new type of BIMI certificate being issued by Certificate Authorities (CA). CMCs allow a broader range of senders to utilize BIMI, who might not have the registered trademark required for a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). With a CMC, the sender's brand avatar will be displayed without the Gmail verified checkmark that's displayed for VMCs.

BIMI verified check marks are now displayed on Android and iOS. Currently, Gmail on the web will display a verified checkmark for senders who have adopted BIMI with a registered trademark (VMC). Over the next few weeks, users will also see those verified checkmark icons while using the Gmail application on Android and iOS (Apple Mail or other mail applications are not supported). Note that this update is applicable for VMCs only.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it’s important

BIMI promotes another layer of security to Gmail by requiring strong authentication and verification of logos before they’re displayed in Gmail as avatars. Strong email authentication helps users and email security systems identify and stop spam, and also enables senders to leverage their brand trust. This increases confidence in email sources and gives readers an immersive experience, creating a better email ecosystem for everyone.

Getting started

Admins:

End users: Users will see verified brand logos, and sometimes a checkmark icon, for senders who have adopted BIMI.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 24, 2024

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts

Resources

Preview and test upcoming features on Google Meet hardware devices

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

What’s changing Using the new “Feature preview” setting, specific Google Meet hardware devices can be configured to test upcoming features prior to general availability. This is especially beneficial for testing purposes, gathering user feedback, creating training materials, and raising awareness before the feature is released broadly to your users.

Menu > Devices > Google Meet hardware > Settings > Feature preview

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why you’d use it

Prior to the launch of the “Feature preview” setting, there was no way for admins to preview upcoming features before they roll out to hardware devices, which can be potentially confusing to end users when they see new features unexpectedly. Now, customers have the opportunity to preview changes in advance, which gives them time to inform and educate their users about upcoming changes, prepare their IT help desks, and more. Overall, this update aims to increase awareness and adoption of helpful meeting features while reducing the risk of end user confusion.

Getting started

Admins: The “Feature preview” setting is configured to “General availability” by default. When “Early preview” is selected, devices will receive new features when they are released to the “preview” stage. Visit the Help Center to learn more about trying features early on your devices. We recommend that 10% or less of your fleet adopts “Early preview” to try new experiences in conference rooms before they roll out to General availability.

End users: Depending on your organization’s configuration, you may be able to preview new features on select Google Meet hardware devices.

When enabled, the device screen displays a "Preview" banner indicating the device is currently in "Early preview" mode

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 30, 2024

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Try features early on your devices

Customize your Google Docs with polished cover images

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

What’s changing We’re making it easy for you to personalize and differentiate documents with full-bleed cover images that extend from one edge of your document to the other.

Whether you’re customizing a document for a customer with industry themes, personalizing an onboarding document for a new employee or building a virtual brochure for your company’s products, cover images help set the tone for a document by adding relevant visuals.

You can add cover images from our curated gallery or upload your own image. To insert, you can either:

Additional details Cover images can only be added to documents set to pageless mode, allowing the image to span the entire width of the document. To set up the more immersive experience of pageless mode, go to File > Page setup > Pageless or Format > Switch to Pageless format.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about adding a cover image to your document.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 24, 2024

Availability

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

Resources

Google Help: Insert or delete images & videos

Introducing security advisor, a new set of tools and insights to help small businesses protect their organization against cyber attacks

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

What’s changingThe cyber threat landscape is evolving and there's been an increase in the sophistication and volume of malicious threats. Small businesses frequently lack the time, resources, and expertise that larger organizations have to implement robust security measures. As a result, threat actors often perceive these organizations as easier targets.To help small businesses, we’re introducing security advisor, a set of new insights and tools designed to enhance security for small businesses – including threat defense, account security, and data protection capabilities. Security advisor offers tailored security insights, actionable guidance in the admin console, and simplified data protection controls — all to help businesses keep their customer data safe.With security advisor, applying security settings is easier than before and the recommended settings can be easily adopted and customized to meet the specific needs of each organization in just a few steps. This helps organizations elevate their security posture, helps their IT team be more efficient by simplifying admin work, and helps reduce the risk of misconfigured security settings with a guided, in-app experience in the Admin console.In addition to security insights in the Admin console, the security advisor feature set includes the following:

Chrome Enhanced Safe Browsing

Gmail Enhanced Safe Browsing

Gmail Security Sandbox

Data protection

App access protection

Admin console > Security > Security advisor

Getting started

Admins: In the Admin console, navigate to Security > Security advisor. Visit the Help Center to learn more about security advisor and turning on recommended settings.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 24, 2024

Availability

Available for Google Workspace Business Starter, Standard, and Plus

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Security advisor: Turn on recommended settings

Kickstart ideas, brainstorm activities, and differentiate content with the help of Gemini in Google Classroom

Monday, September 23, 2024

What’s changingEarlier this year, we introduced the Gemini Education and Gemini Education Premium add-ons to give education customers new and powerful ways of working, teaching and learning with Gemini for Google Workspace. We also piloted Gemini in Google Classroom with new lesson planning features that are informed by LearnLM, our new family of models fine-tuned for learning, based on Gemini and grounded in educational research.

Today, we’re excited to officially introduce a new Gemini Education tab in Classroom that grants quick access to the following AI tools:

Outline a lesson plan: Use a scaffolded experience to generate lesson plan ideas based on what you’d like students to be able to demonstrate
Craft a compelling hook: Spark curiosity and engage your students with a compelling start for your class
Generate a quiz: Generate a quiz and export to Forms based on target grade level, length, and the types of questions you want to include
Re-level text: Generate a new version of your text based on target grade level

We are working closely with schools and educators globally to develop additional helpful tools. If you’re interested in joining the pilot program, learn more here.

Who’s impacted Admins and end users

Why it’s important Gemini in Google Classroom provides educators with a suite of generative AI tools that can generate new and unique content and make learning more personal and engaging for students.

Additional details Gemini in Classroom is only available in English for education users over the age of 18.

Getting started

Admins: Learn more about available pricing and discounts for the Gemini Education add-ons or contact your existing Google Workspace for Education reseller or a Google for Education sales specialist.

Note that Education customers who have already purchased Gemini Enterprise will have the choice to transition to either Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium.

End users:

If your admin has assigned you a Gemini Education license, navigate to the Gemini Education tab in the navigation bar in Google Classroom.
When using generated content, you should always review the outputs as AI can make mistakes and refine the output so that it fits your context and local policies before assigning to students.
Visit the Help Center to learn more about Gemini in Classroom and feel free to take this course to learn more about generative AI for Educators.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 23, 2024

Availability

Available for Google Workspace customers with these add-ons:

Gemini Education and Education Premium

Resources

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - September 20, 2024

Friday, September 20, 2024

3 New updatesUnless otherwise indicated, the features below are available to all Google Workspace customers, and are fully launched or in the process of rolling out. Rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete if launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time. If not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete.

Ability to create announcement spaces using the Google Chat API is now generally available In June, we introduced the option to create announcement spaces using the Google Chat API through the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. We’re excited to announce Google Workspace developers can now use the Chat API to create announcement spaces, plus read and update the permission settings of a space. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release domains and Scheduled Release domains. | Available to all Google Workspace customers. | Visit these Developer Docs for more information: PredefinedPermissionSettings and PermissionSettings fields.

Additional improvements to tables in Google Sheets Following our announcement of improvements to tables in Google Sheets, we’re adding even more enhancements to the experience. More specifically, you can now:
1. Insert a blank table from the pre-built table sidebar

Insert a blank table from the pre-built table sidebar

2. Reference tables successfully via IMPORTRANGE. For example, if you had a table named Table1 with column header values of of Column 1, Column 2, Column 3, etc.:

To import the table range, including header cells, you would input: =IMPORTRANGE(spreadsheet_url, “Table1[#ALL]”)
To import the table range, excluding header cells, you would input: =IMPORTRANGE(spreadsheet_url, “Table1[#DATA]”)

3. Use the following keyboard shortcuts to easily convert ranges to tables:

Cmd+Opt+T for Mac
Ctrl+Alt+T for Linux and Windows
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T for Chrome OS

Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains for #1 is complete. | Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now for #2 and #3; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for September 26, 2024 for #3 and October 3, 2024 for #2. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about using tables in Google Sheets and convert range to table shortcuts.

Introducing Dual Screen on Meet

Following the recent announcement of an improved user experience for Google Meet on Android devices, we’re excited to introduce an additional feature, available on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold device, that provides you with a more immersive video call experience. Through the use of the front and inner cameras, you can now show both yourself and what you're looking at at the same time. Additionally, the person you're video chatting with can be seen on both the inner and outer screens to include everyone around you in the call. | Rollout to Rapid Release domains is complete; rolling out now to Scheduled Release domains. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn how Dual Screen on Google Meet works.

Use both screens during a Meet call - rear screen view of foldable

Use both screens during a Meet call - front screen view of foldable

Previous announcements

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Adding multi-monitor support to Google Slides

We’re making it easier to view your Google Slides presentation controls on your computer while presenting to an audience using a connected external monitor or projector. | Learn more about multi-monitor support in Slides.

New beta available that restricts access to folders in Google Drive

We’ve introduced a beta that allows shared drive managers to restrict folders to specific users within a shared drive. This provides shared drive managers with greater flexibility to keep relevant content within a single shared drive, while restricting access to shared folders with sensitive information. | Learn more about restricting folder access.

New design and accessibility improvements for embedded Google Calendars

Starting this week, you’ll notice a refreshed look and feel for embedded calendars that is in line with Google Material Design 3 and now includes enhanced accessibility features, such as the ability to use an embedded calendar with a screen reader and keyboard shortcuts to navigate more easily, and more. | Learn more about embedded Google Calendars.

NotebookLM now available as an Additional Service

Last year, we introduced an Early Access App called NotebookLM, an experimental product using some of Google's most advanced models, like Gemini 1.5 Pro, that helps you gain critical insights grounded in the content of source documents you trust. We’re excited to announce that NotebookLM is officially available as an Additional Service. | Learn more about NotebookLM.

Admin features for space management via the Chat API are now generally available

Earlier this year, we introduced a series of space management capabilities for Workspace admins in the Google Chat API via the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. These API features are now generally available for all Google Workspace customers and developers. | Learn more about space management via the Chat API.

Create birthdays in Google Calendar

To ensure a birthday is never missed, we’re introducing the ability to create and modify birthday events in Google Calendar on Android devices. | Learn more about birthdays in Calendar.

Additional iOS data exfiltration enhancement: account level data sharing between Google Workspace apps and non-Google Workspace apps on or off

Admins can now enable content sharing on personal Workspace accounts while preventing data sharing from corporate Workspace accounts on iOS devices. | Learn more about iOS data exfiltration enhancements.

Completed rollouts

The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog posts for additional details.

Rapid Release Domains:

Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains:

Providing student engagement signals for Google Drive file attachments in Google Classroom
Co-annotate from select Google Meet hardware devices
The TeamViewer Meet Add-on is now available
NotebookLM now available as an Additional Service
Admin features for space management via the Chat API are now generally available

For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).

Additional iOS data exfiltration enhancement: account level data sharing between Google Workspace apps and non-Google Workspace apps on or off

Thursday, September 19, 2024

What’s changing Admins can now enable content sharing on personal Workspace accounts while preventing data sharing from corporate Workspace accounts on iOS devices.

Additionally, admins can now prevent data sharing from unknown sources (typically non-Google Workspace apps) to personal Workspace accounts on Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Chat, and more, by setting a managed configuration.

The {customer_id} is a unique customer ID that’s assigned to your account. You can find it in your Admin console at Account > Account settings > Profile.

Getting started

Admins: Blocking sending of work data to personal apps, including all non-Google Workspace apps on the iOS share sheet, will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the OU level. These settings can be configured in the Admin console under Devices > Mobile and endpoints > iOS settings > Data Sharing. Visit the Help Center to learn more about data protection on iOS devices. Use this article in our Help Center to learn more about how to set up the managed configuration, go to set up iOS apps with managed configurations.
End users: Sharing of data between Google Workspace apps and non-Google Workspace apps depends on your admin configuration. If you’re unable to share data between apps, you may see a warning message. Visit the Help Center to learn more about how your iOS device is managed.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on September 19, 2024

Availability

Available for Google Workspace:

Enterprise Standard and Plus
Education Standard and Plus
Enterprise Essentials Plus
Frontline Standard
Cloud Identity Premium

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Prevent accidental data leaks on iOS devices

Create birthdays in Google Calendar

Thursday, September 19, 2024

What’s changing Currently, Google Calendar automatically pulls in birthday information from Google Contacts. However, it is not currently possible to create birthday events directly in Calendar.
To ensure a birthday is never missed, we’re introducing the ability to create and modify birthday events in Google Calendar on Android devices.
For developers, newly created birthday events will be available in the Calendar API with the eventType “birthday.” Both Events.list and Events.watch will support the “birthday” event type filter and return “birthday” events by default. Only a subset of the event properties will be supported for birthday events. To learn more, see our developer guide about working with the birthday event type.

Who’s impactedEnd users and developers

Additional details Birthday events do not support all event properties. If you’re using the Calendar API, we recommend reviewing your code so you don’t apply any non-supported properties.
Creating dedicated birthday events in Google Calendar will also become available on web and iOS devices in the future.

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 managing birthdays on your calendar.
Developers: Use our developer guide about working with the birthday event type.

Rollout pace Web:

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 19, 2024
Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 9, 2024

Mobile:

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 24, 2024

Availability

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

Resources

Google Help: Manage birthdays on your calendar

Admin features for space management via the Chat API are now generally available

Thursday, September 19, 2024

What’s changingEarlier this year, we introduced a series of space management capabilities for Workspace admins in the Google Chat API via the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. These API features are now generally available for all Google Workspace customers and developers.Using these features, admins can easily perform a variety of space management related tasks at scale. This includes membership management, like adding and removing members, onboarding and offboarding users from spaces, cleaning up inactive spaces, and more. These features are also available when using the Google Apps Manager (GAM), an open source command-line tool that helps administrators to perform bulk operations associated with various aspects of their Google Workspace. The tool can be used to automate space management tasks with command-line scripts, helping to reduce admin overhead and potential errors when using APIs. See this article in our Help Center for more information on using a third-party tool for mass provisioning.Who’s impactedAdmins and developers

Why you’d use it

In 2023, we launched the Space Management tool, which allowed admins to view all the spaces within their organization, understand the activity within those spaces, and perform essential actions like deleting a space or assigning space managers. While finding the tool helpful to perform one-off tasks, admins expressed a desire for tools to perform these tasks at scale, for example, with the help of APIs. Admins can now use the Chat API to find information and manage spaces in their organization in bulk or programmatically. Specifically they can:

Find and delete inactive spaces: Using spaces.search, you can find spaces that haven’t been used since a specified date and time and then delete them.
Onboard and offboard users: Automatically add new users to relevant spaces and remove them from spaces when they leave or change roles.
Audit external members: Monitor and control access to your organization's data by identifying and removing external members from sensitive conversations.
Lookup and update space details: Easily manage space information like names, descriptions, and guidelines.
Verify user membership and upgrade roles: Manage user access and roles within spaces.
And more — please refer to our developer guidance for even more information.

Getting started

Rollout pace

Available now

Availability

Available for all Google Workspace customers

Resources

NotebookLM now available as an Additional Service

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

What’s changing Last year, we introduced an Early Access App called NotebookLM, an experimental product using some of Google's most advanced models, like Gemini 1.5 Pro, that helps you gain critical insights grounded in the content of source documents you trust.
Today, we’re excited to announce that NotebookLM is officially available as an Additional Service.
Over the past year, NotebookLM, now available globally in over 100 languages, has been made more powerful with new features, and early users have been using NotebookLM to supercharge their learning and work. For example, NotebookLM can:

Be an interactive expert in your trusted sources: Once you upload source documents (e.g. Google Doc and Slides, PDFs, web URLs, copied text) into a notebook, you can ask NotebookLM questions about the information in your sources. As a result, it will respond with an answer from the sources you’ve uploaded along with inline citations from those documents to show you what NotebookLM based its answers on.

Generate new ideas and connect dots: NotebookLM can also be used to generate a variety of content based on your sources, like summaries, briefing docs, timelines, FAQs, study guides or even audio overviews (a new feature that lets you listen to a conversation about your source). NotebookLM can also spark creativity, help you brainstorm new ideas and make connections in your sources. You can save a response to a note, so you can come back to polish it later.

Who’s impactedAdmins and end users 18+

Why you’d use it NotebookLM is an AI-powered research assistant that lets people in your organization interact with trusted source content to get grounded insights. You can upload sources, such as your research notes, course materials, interview transcripts, or corporate documents, and instantly NotebookLM becomes an expert in the material that matters most to you.

Additional details

NotebookLM is an Additional Service covered under the Google Terms of Service

As a Google Workspace or Google Workspace for Education user, your uploads, queries and the model's responses in NotebookLM will never be reviewed by human reviewers, and will never be used to train AI models.

Getting started

Rollout pace

Available now

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Turn on or off additional Google services
Google Help: NotebookLM

New design and accessibility improvements for embedded Google Calendars

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Update

[November 7, 2024] We have updated the Scheduled Release rollout information for this feature. See the Rollout section below for more details.

What’s changingUsers currently have the ability to add an interactive version of their Google Calendar to their website, and add buttons for their website visitors to save their calendar events.
Starting today, you’ll notice a refreshed look and feel for embedded calendars that is in line with Google Material Design 3 and now includes:

Enhanced accessibility features, such as the ability to use an embedded calendar with a screen reader and keyboard shortcuts to navigate more easily.
Improved spacing to make text easier to read.
A responsive layout that adapts to different screen sizes seamlessly.

Screenshot of update look and feel for embedded Google Calendars on web

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about adding a Google calendar to your website.

Screenshot of update look and feel for embedded Google Calendars on mobile

Rollout pace

Availability

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

Resources

Google Help: Add a Google calendar to your website

New beta available that restricts access to folders in Google Drive

Monday, September 16, 2024

What’s changingIf your admin has set up shared drives for their organization, shared drive managers were previously not able to restrict access to folders in shared drives. Today, we’re introducing a beta that allows shared drive managers to restrict folders to specific users within a shared drive. This provides shared drive managers with greater flexibility to keep relevant content within a single shared drive, while restricting access to shared folders with sensitive information.
A folder with “limited access” can only be opened by people who have been added to it directly. People with general access to the shared drive or shared folder can see the restricted folder in Drive, but will not be able to open it.
Eligible customers can use this form to express interest in the beta and will receive an email confirmation prior to the feature being enabled in their specified domain.

Who’s impacted Admins and end users

Why it’s important Folders with limited access allow users to organize files by project, in a single shared drive or shared folder, while ensuring that sensitive information is only accessible to the right team members.

Additional details Folders with limited access are available in both shared drives and My Drive:

Shared drive managers can always access folders with limited-access
Folder owners can always access limited-access folders in their My Drive

Getting started

Admins: Eligible customers can express interest in the beta here. We’ll begin accepting domains into the program in the coming weeks. Once accepted into the beta, visit the Help Center to learn more about folders with limited access.
End users:

As a shared drive manager or My Drive folder owner, go to your shared drive > choose the folder you want to limit access > click the overflow menu > share > select share settings in the top right corner > click limited access to “Folder Name”. Visit the Help Center to learn more about folders with limited access.
For users whose access has been limited, you will see the folder name, but the folder will be grayed out:

For users whose access has been limited, you will see the folder name, but the folder will be grayed out:

Availability Available for Google Workspace:

Business Standard, Plus
Enterprise Standard, Plus
Essentials Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus
Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade
Nonprofits

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Set up shared drives for your organization
Google Help: Learn about folders with limited access
Beta Form

Adding multi-monitor support to Google Slides

Monday, September 16, 2024

Update

[October 22, 2024] We have updated the scheduled release rollout information for this feature. See the Rollout section below for more details.

What’s changingStarting today, we’re making it easier to view your Google Slides presentation controls on your computer while presenting to an audience using a connected external monitor or projector.
Multi-monitor support enables presenters to see Presentation View components, such as speaker notes and the timer, on one display, while displaying the slides presentation on an external monitor.

presenting on Slides using a connected external monitor

Who’s impactedEnd users

Why it mattersThis updated experience helps you present with greater confidence and gives you more control when managing multiple presentation displays.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: You can enable this feature by using “Presentation display options”. Visit the Help Center to learn more about presenting slides with other monitors.

Rollout pace

Availability

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

Resources

Google Help: Present slides

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - September 13, 2024

Friday, September 13, 2024

3 New updatesUnless otherwise indicated, the features below are available to all Google Workspace customers, and are fully launched or in the process of rolling out. Rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete if launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time. If not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete.

Co-annotate from select Google Meet hardware devicesWe’re expanding annotation capabilities in Meet to include select Google Meet hardware devices. These devices can be appointed co-annotators by presenters and you can use annotation tools such as a pen, sticker and more directly from the touchscreen of the device. | Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Standard, and Plus; Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus; Frontline Starter and Standard; Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, and Enterprise Essentials Plus; Education Standard, Plus, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade; Workspace Individual subscribers. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about using annotations in Google Meet.

New advancements in Connected Sheets for Looker Last year, we introduced Connected Sheets for all Looker-hosted instances, enabling users to analyze data using pivot tables, charts, formulas, and other integrated data sources. This week, we’re excited to announce the ability to directly link Connected Sheets to existing Looker queries, rather than having to start from scratch in Sheets by connecting to an Explore every time. This highly-requested feature is especially useful for Looks, a special type of query that’s been saved in the Looker UI, and whose definition can be updated over time if needed. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Admins should use the Looker's Admin menu to make sure Connected Sheets for Looker is enabled. End users can visit the Help Center to learn more about using Connected Sheets in your organization.

TeamViewer Add-on for for Google Meet now supports remote desktop

A TeamViewer add-on for Google Meet is now available in the Google Workspace Marketplace, allowing Meet to tap into a leading remote connectivity platform. You can now rely on Meet + TeamViewer to enable remote support (e.g., IT support desk) that's easy, secure and reliable for your business. | Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Admins can visit the Help Center to learn more about managing Marketplace apps on your allowlist or installing Marketplace apps in your domain. End users can view the TeamViewer Remote Control listing, learn more about the offering on TeamViewer’s website, and use the Help Center to learn more about using add-ons with Google Meet.

TeamViewer launched as a featured Meet add-on to enable remote IT support

Previous announcements

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Gemini reports now include user-level usage, including app usage insights

We’re incorporating additional data in Gemini reports to help our customers gain a deeper understanding of Gemini usage and adoption across their organizations. Gemini reports now include user and app level Gemini usage and adoption data based on the last 28 days of usage. | Learn more about Gemini reports.

Access and sort shared files more easily in Google Chat conversations

The Shared tab is now available in 1:1 direct messages and group messages, enabling easier collaboration across all conversation types. | Learn more about the shared tab in Chat.

Google Cloud Directory Sync now complies with your conflicting accounts management settings

When Google Cloud Directory Sync (GCDS) attempts to create new users, it may encounter unmanaged accounts that conflict with the accounts it’s attempting to create. In these instances, GCDS will now comply with the conflicting accounts management settings specified in the Admin console. | Learn more about Google Cloud Directory Sync.

Google Meet Add-ons SDK is now generally available

The Meet Add-ons SDK is now generally available for the web, which allows developers to iframe their app into Meet, and lets meeting participants interact with the app’s content directly inside the Meet canvas. | Learn more about Meet Add-ons SDK.

Improving the Google Workspace Marketplace app publishing experience with Drafts

Developers can now make changes to their app listing, save them as a draft, and send the draft version to review. | Learn more about app list drafts.

Completed rollouts

The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog posts for additional details.

Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains:

For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).

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

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - September 27, 2024

Gemini in Gmail will now provide contextual Smart Replies

Google Sheets tables are now integrated with conditional notifications

Gmail allows more senders to protect their brand using BIMI Common Mark Certificates

Preview and test upcoming features on Google Meet hardware devices

Customize your Google Docs with polished cover images

Introducing security advisor, a new set of tools and insights to help small businesses protect their organization against cyber attacks

Kickstart ideas, brainstorm activities, and differentiate content with the help of Gemini in Google Classroom

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - September 20, 2024

Additional iOS data exfiltration enhancement: account level data sharing between Google Workspace apps and non-Google Workspace apps on or off

Create birthdays in Google Calendar

Admin features for space management via the Chat API are now generally available

NotebookLM now available as an Additional Service

New design and accessibility improvements for embedded Google Calendars

New beta available that restricts access to folders in Google Drive

Adding multi-monitor support to Google Slides

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - September 13, 2024

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