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

We’re adding SAML integration for six additional applications:
  • Comeet
  • CyberArk
  • Drift
  • Qmarkets
  • Qualtrics
  • Swrve
Use our Help Center to see the full list of SAML apps and find out how to configure SAML applications.

Who’s impacted 

Admins only

Why you’d use it 

With Single-Sign-On (SSO), users can access all of their enterprise cloud applications—including the Admin console for admins—after signing in just one time. Google supports the two most popular enterprise SSO standards, OpenID Connect and SAML, and there are already many applications with pre-integrated SSO support in our third-party apps catalog.

How to get started 

  • Admins: You can find our full list of pre-integrated applications, as well as instructions for installing them, in the Help Center.
  • End users: No action needed.

Additional details 

Note that apart from the pre-integrated SAML applications, G Suite also supports installing “Custom SAML Applications,” which means that admins can install any third-party application that supports SAML. The advantage of a pre-integrated app is that the installation is much easier. Use out Help Center to learn more about installing Custom SAML Applications.

Helpful links 

Help Center: Using SAML to set up federated SSO 
Help Center: Set up your own custom SAML applicationAvailability 

Rollout details 

G Suite editions 
Available to all G Suite editions.

On/off by default? 
This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the OU level.

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What’s changing 

Hangouts Meet is launching adaptive layouts that automatically adjust to give you the best view of the people and presentations in your meeting:

Spotlight 
The spotlight layout keeps the focus on the presentation or a single speaker. It’s used when you’re in a meeting with just one other participant, when you pin someone, and when there’s a presentation but no active speakers with video on.


Tiled 
The tiled layout shows up to four participants on the screen to make your meetings feel more inclusive. This will be the default for smaller meetings when there is no presentation.


Side by side 
The side by side layout shows up to three speakers in a larger format next to the presentation. This allows you to continue to see the presenter as they speak. This is the default when there’s a presentation and there are active speakers with video on.


Sidebar 
The sidebar layout improves on the existing Meet layout by showing several additional participants in the same vertical space and using rectangular feeds to avoid participants on the edge being cropped out. This will be the default for larger meetings when there is no presentation.



In addition to seeing these layouts automatically used depending on the meeting needs, users can select a preferred layout from the Change layout dialog.

Who’s impacted 

End users

Why you’d use it 

These new layouts provide the user with a more inclusive and collaborative view of the meeting, allowing for easier interaction with remote participants while still maintaining focus on the content being presented.

How to get started 


  • Admins: No action required. 
  • End users: You’ll see the new layouts in your next Hangouts Meet meeting once the feature has rolled out to you. 

Additional details 

The new layouts are available on Hangouts Meet web clients and Hangouts Meet hardware.

Helpful links 

To learn more about layouts in Hangout Meets, see our Help Center. 

Availability 

Rollout details 

  • Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 30, 2019 
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting no earlier than May 14, 2019. 

G Suite editions 

  • Available to all G Suite editions. 

On/off by default? 

  • The new layouts are replacing the existing layout and will be enabled by default. 


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Update (June 19, 2019): There has been a change to the rollout for this feature to scheduled domains:

There will be a full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) beginning on June 24, 2019.

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Update (June 11, 2019): There has been a delay in the rollout for this feature to scheduled domains. 

This will now be a full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) for scheduled domains beginning on June 19, 2019.
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Update (June 7, 2019): We previously stated that file paths would need to be renamed to "shared drives" to avoid broken paths.


This was incorrect — file paths must be renamed to "Shared drives". 

What’s changing 

The “Team Drives” feature of Google Drive will be renamed to “shared drives.” This will impact: 

  • Drive on web and mobile: Timing may vary depending on the specific platform. See below for more info.
  • Drive File Stream: Beginning on May 31, 2019, with the Drive File Stream version 31 release, “Team Drives” will be renamed to “shared drives” in the Drive File Stream navigation. This may require you to update settings on your devices (see below for more info). 

Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users

Why it’s changing 

This change will not impact Team Drives functionality; it is simply a name change. Our users have told us that they use Team Drives for a lot more than sharing within teams, so “shared drives” makes it easier to understand how you could use them.

How to get started 


  • Admins: If your organization currently relies on file paths of content linked from Drive File Stream—like shortcuts, scripts, etc.—you will need to update your file paths to “Shared drives” as soon as possible after May 31, 2019 to avoid broken paths. 
  • End users: In Google Drive, in the left hand side panel, “Team Drives” will be renamed to “Shared drives.” Any desktop shortcuts that link to content inside of shared drives will need to be updated.

Additional details 

On mobile, Android users will see this change beginning on May 28, 2019. iOS users will see this change beginning on May 21, 2019. See below for rollout details for Drive for web.


Availability 

Rollout details 
  • Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on June 3, 2019 for Drive on the web. 
  • Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on June 19, 2019 for Drive on the web. 

G Suite editions 

  • This change will impact all G Suite editions. 

On/off by default? 

  • This feature will be ON by default. All features will stay the same, only now references to Team Drives will read as “shared drives” across Drive File Stream, and Drive for web and mobile.

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We’ve just updated the “What’s new in G Suite?” Help Center article to include recent launches. The article has a list of all the G Suite launches from the past six months. You can filter by product or search by keyword to find and learn about any launch.

Feedback? Let us know.
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What’s changing 

It’s now possible for users to work on Docs, Sheets, and Slides files when your device is offline or have a bad internet connection within Google Drive. You can also preview which files are available offline with a new offline preview mode.

Right click on Docs, Sheets, and Slides files from within Google Drive to make those files available offline.

You can preview which files are available offline using the Offline preview mode

Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users.

Why you’d use it 

We know it’s important for users to access and work on their files while traveling or when there’s low connectivity. With offline mode, it’s now possible to create, edit, and comment on Docs, Sheets, or Slides files. Any changes made to files while offline will then sync in Drive once the user is connected again.

How to get started 

  • Admins: Admins can enable this feature for all or some users:
    • To let users enable offline access (recommended), go to Apps > G Suite > Drive and Docs.
    • To enable offline access for specific devices, see this article in our Help Center.
    • Note: The default for this feature is that all users can enable offline access on any device they sign into, but it is not enabled automatically except on Chromebooks 
  • End users: To work with your files while offline, you’ll need to enable offline access in your Drive settings:
    • From Google Drive, click the gear icon at the top right corner, select Settings > General and select Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings files to this computer so that you can edit offline.
    • Once offline access is enabled, a checkmark icon will appear in the top right next to Settings (gear icon) and Support (question mark). When you click this icon, you can find the offline preview toggle. 




Additional details 

To make files available offline in Google Drive, right click on any file and toggle Available offline from the menu while connected.

When offline access is enabled, Google Drive also automatically and intelligently makes a certain number of Google Docs/Sheets/Slides files available offline based on how recently you accessed them. You can preview which files are already available offline automatically using the offline preview mode. You can also mark a file available offline, so that it always remains available offline, while in offline preview mode, as long as you are connected.

The Google Docs Offline extension, which is made available by default to all Chrome users, is still required.

Helpful links 

Availability 

Rollout details 
  • Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 24, 2019 
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 21, 2019. 
G Suite editions 
  • Available to all G Suite editions.
On/off by default? 
  • This feature will be ON by default for users who already have offline enabled.
Stay up to date with G Suite launches
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