Easily manage and secure your school’s accounts and mobile devices centrally in Google Admin console with the Endpoint Education Upgrade

What’s changing

This year, we announced Endpoint Education Upgrade, which adds enterprise endpoint management features to your Google Workspace for Education edition. Using endpoint management, admins can better manage and secure the phones and tablets used across their school directly from the Admin console.

Note that advanced endpoint management features are already included with Google Workspace for Education Standard and Plus.

Who’s impacted

Admins

Why you’d use it

Using the Endpoint Education Upgrade, admins can configure a wide range of account and device management features, helping to make your organization’s data more secure across your users’ mobile devices, desktops, laptops, and other endpoints. For example, you can:
Control what Android & iOS app can be installed on a device, who can log into it (for domain owned devices), and where it can access your data.Protect devices from loss or theft with admin rules for alerts, location tracking, access restrictions, and remote data wipes.Manage company-owned devices or set up Android work profiles, so users can safely access your school account on the go.Require stronger device passwords and more.Visit the Help Center for a complete list of endpoint management features.

Getting started

Admins: Visit our Help Center to learn more about the Endpoint Education Upgrade.

Rollout pace

The Endpoint Education Upgrade will be available for purchase through your current Google Workspace for Education reseller and select channel partners on February 29, 2024. If you do not currently have a Google Workspace for Education reseller, you can find one here.

Availability

Endpoint Education Upgrade is available by user based license or device based license (coming soon) — it is not a domain wide license. You can purchase Endpoint Education Upgrade licenses through your current Google Workspace for Education reseller and select channel partners. 

If you have Education Fundamentals and wish to upgrade instead of purchasing individual Endpoint Education Upgrade licenses, you can easily upgrade to Education Standard or Education Plus.

Resources

Conduct direct 1:1 calls with people outside your video calling network on Google Meet mobile

What’s changing

Earlier this year, we introduced cloud-encrypted 1:1 video calls between users in the same domain using the Meet mobile app. In the coming weeks, users from outside of your domain will be able to initiate 1:1 video calls with your users and vice versa. Admins will be able to pre-configure this functionality as on or off for their users with a new admin control. The timeline for this update is as follows:

Admin control for restricting external calls placed directly to a user via their email: Admins will begin seeing the new control beginning today. Note that this admin setting does not apply to external calls placed to a users’ legacy account. Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to restrict legacy calls.

End user availability: The external calling feature will begin rolling out to end users beginning in April.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it matters

1:1 cloud-encrypted video calling in the Meet mobile app makes it easier to connect with others by significantly reducing the need to create meeting links ahead of time. We’re expanding these 1:1 cloud-encrypted calls to allow users outside of your domain to initiate 1:1 calls, making it easier to connect with your external partners and stakeholders. However, to ensure external contact is appropriate, admins can turn this functionality on or off for their users.

Getting started

Admins: Creating meetings and calling is ON by default in Meet but can always be turned OFF. Note: 1:1 calling was launched earlier this year and you may have already turned this off. 
By default, users can receive calls only from contacts and other users in the organization. You can use the new admin switch to enable calls from outside your domain at the OU level. Visit the Help Center to learn more about restricting who can call users in your organization with Google Meet.Note: This setting affects only Google Meet calling, not legacy services (formerly known as Duo) or calling in Google Chat. This also does not affect the ability to join meetings. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning Meet legacy calling on or off for your users. Note that If you have legacy calling enabled for your users, they will have access to features previously found in Duo (group calls, messages, moments, family mode, etc.) if they have not upgraded to the new Meet app. 

End users: 

Meet calls do not include legacy calling features previously found in Duo (group calls, messages, moments, family mode, knock knock) but those continue to be available if your admin has legacy calling turned on and if the person you’re interacting with is using a personal Google account.

Visit the Help Center to learn how to make Meet Calls with Google Meet and to learn about the new Google Meet app

Rollout pace

Admin controlRapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 27, 2024

End user availabilityRapid and Scheduled Release: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 8, 2024

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers

New ways to annotate Google Docs

What’s changing

We’re excited to announce a new feature, markups in Google Docs, which gives you more flexibility when providing feedback in a document. The new markups experience lets you add handwritten annotations to documents with a stylus or your finger when using an Android device. 
Markups can be useful in numerous scenarios, such as: 
Colleagues giving each other handwritten feedback on diagrams, charts, reports or proposals. Educators giving students feedback on their essays, reports, short stories and more. A homeowner providing ideas or updates on construction plans from their contractor. In order to add annotations, you must use an Android device. From there, you can: 
Enter the markups mode and annotate using pen or highlighter tools Hide/show markups Erase markups Insert suggested markups 

On iOS devices, you can: 

View a document with markups Delete markups Hide/show markups 

On desktop, you can: 

View a document with markups Delete markups Hide/show markups 

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. End users: To turn on markups, open a document > select the markups tool from the contextual toolbar > draw with your finger or stylus. 

Rollout pace 

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 27, 2024 Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 11, 2024 

Availability 

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

Available in open beta: the Groups Admin role can now be provisioned for specific group types

What’s changing

The Groups Admin role can now be assigned for security groups or non-security groups. Previously, those with the Groups Admin role had access to all groups within an organization. This change gives administrators more granular delegation of group admin responsibilities, helping limit access to the most sensitive groups to only those who absolutely need it. 

This feature is available in open beta, which means no additional sign-up is required to use the feature.

Getting started

Admins: You can assign a group as a security group through the Cloud Identity Groups API or the Admin Console, and then manage these groups through the Admin SDK Groups API, the Admin console, or the Cloud Identity Groups API. See our API documentation to learn how to update a Google Group to a security group. Visit the Help Center to learn more about the Groups Admin role, assigning specific admin roles, and prebuilt administrator roles.End users: There is no end user impact or action required.

Easily identify which unread threads are most relevant to you in Google Chat

What’s changing 

Last year, we announced that all newly created spaces in Google Chat will be in-line threaded. This streamlined user experience enables you to reply to any message and create a separate discussion isolated from the main conversation. We also introduced several updates, such as home, mentions and starred messages to help you find what you need much faster in Chat.
Today, we’re continuing our enhancements across Chat by improving the in-line threaded experience in spaces. With multiple threads across numerous spaces, we know it can be difficult to identify which unread threads are most relevant to you. In order to provide you with more context upfront, you will now see participant avatars for unread threads in the conversation view. Without having to click to open the thread side panel, it will now be much easier to decide which threads to read and reply to. 

Who’s impacted 

End users 

Why you’d use it 

Being able to see the participant avatars for unread threads makes it easier to identify whether a thread is relevant to you. 

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. End users: This will be ON by default. Visit the Help Center to learn how to use Google Chat

Rollout pace 

Web: 
Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 26, 2024
Android:
Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 26, 2024
iOS:
Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 26, 2024

Availability 

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