Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – August 16, 2024

2 New updates

Unless 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.


Save files scanned in the Google Drive Android app as a .JPEG 
Currently, users can scan files as PDFs with their Android mobile device using the Google Drive app. This week, we’re excited to announce that users can now choose whether to save scanned files as a PDF or a JPEG. | 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. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about scanning files with your mobile device.
Google Meet on Android is now available for Logitech Rally Bar Huddle 
Google Meet on Android is now officially supported on Logitech’s Rally Bar Huddle appliance for small collaboration rooms and huddle spaces. After initial setup, admins can easily enroll, manage, and monitor these devices using the Google Admin console. Google Meet on Android for Logitech Rally Bar Huddle is supported on CollabOS v1.13. | Visit Logitech’s website for more information on purchasing a room kit.

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.
Manage all Calendar interop settings from the Admin console 
All Calendar interoperability settings will now be housed in the Admin console at Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for Calendar > Calendar Interop management. This will make it easier for admins to view and manage their interop setups. | Learn more about Calendar Interop. 
Google Meet hardware event logs are now available in the security investigation tool and BigQuery 
We’re pleased to announce a new set of features to help you conduct deeper analysis and more flexible issue detection within your Google Meet hardware fleet. | Learn more about event logs for Meet hardware.
Chat safer with new settings for students in Google Chat 
We’re introducing a new setting that enables education admins to restrict which users can create and manage members in Google Chat conversations. | Learn more about admin controls for Chat. 
Use intelligent suggestions for table conversion in Google Sheets 
If you have a meaningful range of data, Sheets will show a “Convert to table” suggestion when you click into your data range. By hovering over that indicator, you can preview the suggestion and then convert your range to a table in one click. | Learn more about suggestions for table conversion in Sheets. 
View and structure Google Form data as a table in Google Sheets 
We’re introducing a new feature that enables users to more easily view and structure their Google Form data in Sheets. | Learn more about Form data in Sheets. 
Save time managing your Meet Hardware fleet with new device filters 
As we continue to make improvements for managing Meet Hardware fleets, we’re introducing eighteen additional filters in the Admin console. | Learn more about new Hardware device filters.
SOC compliance for Gemini
We’re pleased to announce for Gemini for Workspace licensed users that: 1) Gemini for Google Workspace—including Gemini in the side panel of Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides—is now SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 compliant. 2) Chatting with Gemini at gemini.google.com is now SOC 2 and SOC 3 compliant. We plan to achieve SOC 1 compliance later this year. | Learn more about SOC compliance for Gemini.

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: 
Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains: 

Paused rollouts

We have paused the rollout for this feature while we evaluate performance and quality. We will provide an update with new rollout information as soon as possible. 

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

Expanding multi-party-approvals to domain-wide-delegation actions

What’s changing

Earlier this year, we announced multi-party approvals for sensitive actions taken in the admin console, specifically requiring one admin to approve actions taken by another. At launch, these protections applied to several settings, including 2-step verification, account recovery, and more. 
Today, we’re expanding multi-party approvals to include domain-wide-delegation. Domain-wide-delegation is a powerful feature which allows admins to grant third-party applications permission to access your Workspace users’ data. Bringing this feature under the umbrella of multi-party-approvals helps mitigate the risk of data exfiltration by internal bad actors or if admin credentials have been compromised. 
Overall, multi-party-approvals help ensure no sensitive action happens in a silo and, most importantly, helps prevent unauthorized or accidental changes from being made. This added layer of approval helps ensure actions are being taken appropriately and not too broadly or too often. For more information, see our original announcement.
When domain-wide-delegation changes are attempted, admins will be required to submit the change to a super admin for approval.
 Super admins can review and take action on these requests in the Admin console by navigating to Security > Multi-party approval. Super admins will also receive email alerts when a change is requested or any other protected action is attempted.


Getting started

Admins: The multi-party approvals feature is available for eligible Workspace customers with two or more super admin accounts. Multi-party approvals are OFF by default and can be turned on in the Admin console by going to Security > Multi-party approval settings. Visit the Help Center to learn more about multi-party approvals for sensitive actions.

Rollout pace

Availability

Available for all Google Workspace customers

Resources

Introducing Student Groups in Google Classroom

What’s changing 

We’re excited to introduce a new feature in Google Classroom that enables teachers to create groups of students to make assigning differentiated content easier. This update will allow them to quickly assign classwork to pre-defined sets of students without having to tediously select individual students. 
Now, teachers can differentiate content across sub-sections of their class based on their students’ needs. For example, teachers can create groups based on reading levels and as their class adapts, they can edit members of a group or delete groups within their class. 

Who’s impacted 

End users 

Why you’d use it 

Groups in Classroom will help teachers organize, manage and understand performance in their class. 

Additional details 

Group names and members are only visible to teachers or co-teachers, not students. 

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about setting up and using student groups in Google Classroom.

Rollout pace 

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on August 20, 2024 

Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
Education Plus and the Teaching & Learning Upgrade 

Resources

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – August 30, 2024

2 New updates

Unless 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.


The AppSheet Admin Console is now available in public preview
For the first time, Workspace admins will have visibility into the users, apps and licenses associated with their AppSheet users via the AppSheet Admin Console. Previously, these advanced monitoring capabilities were limited to AppSheet Enterprise customers. Now all Workspace admins with the AppSheet service privilege can use this data to gain a deeper understanding about how their users are interacting with AppSheet. With the AppSheet Admin Console, you can view all the app users across any of your organization’s apps, review the most popular apps and creators, and more. Admins can also take actions like exporting a list of accounts, users, apps, and licenses for their organization or set the role of users in their organization. Eligible customers can access the AppSheet Admin Console using this direct link or clicking out from Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for AppSheet in the Workspace Admin Console. | The open beta for the AppSheet Admin Console is available now for AppSheet Enterprise customers and AppSheet Core entitled customers. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about using the AppSheet Admin Console.

Google Workspace for Education users can now set and share personal pronouns and name pronunciation
Google Workspace for Education admins of K-12 and higher education institutions can now give their students the option to set their pronouns from their Google Account at aboutme.google.com. This option is OFF by default and can be enabled for all users or a subset of them (such as for a specific location or class). User-defined pronouns will appear in personal information cards displayed when hovering over or clicking someone’s profile photo across Workspace apps like Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Chat, and Drive. Pronouns will also appear in Google Contacts, accessed by clicking “Open detailed view” from the personal information cards. | Pronouns are rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. | The ability to add name pronunciation will be available by the end of Q3, 2024. | Available to all Google Workspace for Education customers. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about allowing Directory users to change their pronouns and changing pronouns in your Google Account settings.

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.
Automate your workflows on Google Chat with IFTTT and UKG Flow integrations 
Following the announcement at Google Cloud Next 2024, we’re excited to introduce Google Chat integrations with IFTTT and UKG Flow. | Learn more about Chat integrations with IFTTT and UKG Flow. 
Picture-in-picture in Google Meet will now open automatically when switching tabs
Picture-in-picture mode will now automatically trigger when you switch tabs during a meeting. | Learn more about picture-in-picture in Meet. 
Business Starter customers will soon have access to shared drives 
Business Starter will officially have access to shared drives starting mid-September. When shared drives are made available to Business Starter customers, all users will be able to create shared drives by default. If this default behavior is undesired, admins can update their settings before Business Starter users gain access to the feature starting on September 23, 2024. | Learn more about shared drives for Business Starter. 
Reply to emails in Gmail faster on Android devices 
You can now reply to emails directly from the bottom of the conversation, without opening a new screen, making it easier to reference the email you’re replying to. | Learn more about replying to emails on Android. 
Upload additional types of documents to Gemini (gemini.google.com) for insights and analysis 
Google Workspace users with a Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education or Education Premium license can now upload a variety of files from Google Drive or locally from your device into Gemini. | Learn more about document upload with Gemini. 
“Take notes for me” in Google Meet is now available 
“Take notes for me” is an AI-powered feature in Google Meet that automatically takes notes, allowing you to focus on discussion, collaboration, and presentation during your meetings. | Learn more about “Take notes for me” 
Google Meet provides consolidated email for all meeting artifacts 
Currently, Google Meet sends an email for each type of meeting artifact initiated in a meeting, including meeting recordings, meeting transcripts, Gemini notes with “take notes for me,” live streams and more. Going forward, you’ll receive one email consolidating these artifacts. | Learn more about Meet’s meeting artifacts
Customize Gemini (gemini.google.com) for your specific needs with Gems 
Gems are now available to Google Workspace customers with a Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, or Education Premium add-on. | Learn more about Gems.
Gmail Q&A: A new way of searching your inbox with Gemini on Android devices
Gmail Q&A feature is rolling out now on Android devices and coming soon to iOS. | Learn more about Gemini in Gmail.
Additional data protection in Gemini (gemini.google.com) when using a school account is now available
Earlier this year, we brought Gemini for Google Workspace to education communities with two new paid add-ons. At that time, we announced that educators and students 18 years and older who did not have a Gemini Education license would soon get added data protection when using Gemini (gemini.google.com) as an Additional Service with their school accounts. Beginning this week, that added data protection is now available — free of charge. | Learn more about data protection in Gemini. 

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: 
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).  

Reply to emails in Gmail faster on Android devices

What’s changing 

We’re making it easier to respond to emails in the Gmail app on your Android device with a new quick reply experience. 
Previously, there were only options to Reply, Reply all or Forward a message when in the conversation view of an email on your Gmail app. Upon selecting one of those options, you’d be directed to a full screen compose view to send your reply. 
Starting today, you can reply to emails directly from the bottom of the conversation, without opening a new screen, making it easier to reference the email you’re replying to. We know this new option is best for quick, lightweight responses, so for longer, more formal responses, you can simply expand the text box to access more formatting options. 

Additional details 

This feature will be available on iOS devices later this year. 

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. End users: Using the Gmail app on your Android device, open an email > click into the text box at the bottom > type your reply > tap the send icon. Clicking the “Expand to full screen” icon allows you to switch to the full screen compose view. Visit the Help Center to learn more about replying to messages in Gmail.

Rollout pace 

Workspace Customers: 
Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on August 26, 2024 
Users with personal Google accounts and Workspace Individual Subscribers: 
This feature is available now. 

Availability

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

Resources