Send emails to spaces in Google Chat

This announcement was part of Google Cloud Next ‘24. Visit the Workspace Blog to learn more about the next wave of innovations in Workspace, including enhancements to Gemini for Google Workspace.

What’s changing

We’re introducing a new way to manage your communication, including emails, in Google Chat. 
After a space manager generates an email address for a space, members (or anyone in your domain with the email address) can send or forward any email to that space. This provides a great way for teams to easily triage or discuss email content with stakeholders within the space. The email will appear as a clickable card showing a snippet of the email in the designated space. 


Generate email in space settings

Email card in the space

Who’s impacted 

End users 

Why you’d use it 

Email integration into spaces allows you to choose the communication style that works best for your team. Once the email content is present, members can discuss content or take various actions like triaging and assigning them to different members of the space. 

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. End users: As a space manager, you can create the space’s email address by clicking the name of the space in the top left corner > Space settings > Email section > select Generate email Once the email address is created by a space manager, all space members can send/forward emails to the space To send an email to the space, include the space email address in the “to” field of your email composer (in Gmail, Outlook, etc.) Click on ‘View message’ to view the entire email message in Google Groups You can change the email address for your space by going to advanced settings. Visit the Help Center to learn more about sending emails to spaces in Chat. 

Rollout pace

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 22, 2024 Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on June 6, 2024

Availability 

Available to all Google Workspace customers 

Resources 

Introducing Gemini offerings for Google Workspace for Education customers

What’s changing 

Beginning May 23, 2024, Google for Education customers will be able to leverage new and powerful ways of working, teaching and learning with Gemini for Google Workspace with two new paid add-ons:
Gemini Education is a lower price offering best suited to help education institutions get started with generative AI in Workspace, with a monthly usage limit. 

Gemini Education will be available as an add-on for Google Workspace for Education: Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Education Plus. 

Gemini Education Premium: includes everything in Gemini Education, plus more advanced features like AI-powered note taking and summaries in Meet, AI-enhanced data loss prevention and more coming soon. This add-on provides full access and usage of generative AI tools in Workspace.

Gemini Education Premium will be available as an add-on for Google Workspace for Education: Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Education Plus.
Note that Gemini for Google Workspace features are only available in English, Spanish and Portuguese* for education users over the age of 18.

Who’s impacted

Admins

Why it’s important

Gemini for Google Workspace provides access to our most capable generative AI models widely available across Workspace apps, like Docs, Gmail, Slides, and more. Inside and outside the classroom, you can use Gemini to help transform your work by:
Turning a blank page into a lesson plan template or a grant proposal in DocsCreating an agenda for an upcoming professional development session in SheetsBringing presentations to life or illustrate a topic by creating original images in Slides, and more.
With both add-ons, you’ll also be able to chat with Gemini (gemini.google.com) safely and securely with enterprise-grade data protection. Gemini.google.com can help you speed up time-consuming tasks, like conducting research about IT security best practices to creating an alumni outreach plan. It can also help you generate fresh ideas and make learning more personal for your students, like re-leveling content or creating class exercises or assignments based on their interests.
Check out The Keyword blog for even more information about how we’re bringing Gemini to Google Workspace for Education

Additional details

Coming soon to Gemini for Google Workspace for Education:
Further data protections
To further our robust privacy commitments, in the future educators and students 18 years and older will have added data protection when accessing Gemini at gemini.google.com with their school accounts, free of charge. This added protection ensures that your data is not reviewed by anyone to improve our models, is not used to train artificial intelligence models, or shared with other users or institutions. These protections will be applicable to our free Gemini experience for Workspace for Education customers and will be available in 40+ languages.
As a reminder, gemini.google.com is covered under your Google Workspace for Education Terms of Service*. Check out the Workspace Blog for more information about how we’re protecting your Google Workspace data in the era of Generative AI.
OpenStax and Data Commons extensions
Soon, you’ll be able to use Gemini in combination with OpenStax and Data Commons, along with guided practice quizzes to help people learn more confidently and with trusted sources. For example you can ask OpenStax to discuss the scientific significance of solar eclipses” to pull in accurate, trustworthy responses based on Rice University’s OpenStax educational resources. Or you can leverage Data Commons to visualize data about complex topics like climate change, jobs, economics, and more. You’ll also be able to work through guided practice quizzes and receive conversational feedback on each of your responses. We’ll provide more information on The Keyword and the Workspace Updates blog when this functionality becomes available.
Piloting Gemini in Classroom
We’re also piloting Gemini in 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. See here for more information on joining the Google for Education Pilot Program.

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.

Visit The Keyword blog to read more about how we’re bringing Gemini to Google Workspace for Education.

Rollout pace

The Gemini Education and Gemini Education Premium add-ons will be available beginning May 23, 2024

Resources

*Spanish and Portuguese currently have a limited feature set — learn more.
*See here for more information on the terms of service if you’re using gemini.google.com with a personal Google account.

Manage spaces at scale with new Chat API functionality

What’s changing

We are pleased to announce the  launch for additional features of Chat API via the Developer Preview Program, enabling space management at scale on behalf of admin users. These new features, which you can read more about down below, are available to all users currently enrolled in the Developer Preview Program. See here for more information on how to enroll in the Developer Preview program.

Who’s impacted

Admins 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, admins expressed a desire for more robust tools to perform these tasks faster and at scale, for example, with the help of APIs. Admins can now use the Chat API to find information and manage their spaces in bulk— specifically they’ll be able to:

Audit spaces: Admins can pull a list of all spaces in their organization, which includes detailed information about space settings and metadata like member counts, history setting status, the ability to invite external guests, and more. The list will be exported to a CSV file for further analysis and audit.

Delete inactive spaces in bulk: It’s common to create spaces for projects and initiatives that are only relevant for a specific period of time. As these projects move toward completion, activity in these spaces become inactive or abandoned altogether without deletion. This can result in a huge amount of clutter, making it for end users to navigate and search for relevant spaces, and for admins, making it difficult to audit and take action when managing your spaces. You can now easily detect and delete  all inactive or unused spaces, or create an automated cleanup task with the help of Chat API. 

However, there are some cases where less active spaces should not be deleted, such as spaces dedicated to quarterly or annual events. In these situations, admins can use the new API functionality to identify space managers so they can reach out and confirm whether a space should be deleted.

User onboarding and offboarding: When a new user joins an organization, it’s important that they’re connected to all relevant spaces, including organization wide spaces or spaces based on specific departments or job roles. Admins can use this functionality to automatically add users to relevant spaces based on specific attributes like their department, role, location, and more.
Conversely, it’s also important to ensure users are removed from spaces when they leave an organization or change roles. Admins can quickly identify all spaces where an outgoing user is a member of and remove them from spaces that are no longer relevant to them. 
Audit external members: To monitor and control access to organizations’ data, admins can conduct an audit of membership for a specific user or group of users. Admins can use the Google Chat API to generate a list of all space members — this information, combined with a query to the People API, can assist in identifying a space’s external members. As a result, admins may choose to remove specific users from organization’s conversations. This can be done on a space-by-space basis using the API directly or with the help of  your own scripts, adjusted to the unique process in your organization.
We plan to introduce more functionality for managing spaces in the future — stay tuned to the Workspace Updates blog for more information.

Getting started

Admins and developers: If you are part of the Google Workspace Developer Preview, you will get these features by default. Otherwise, you must apply for access using this form.Use our Developer Documentation to learn how to authenticate and authorize using administrator privilege.
End users: There is no end user impact or action required.

Rollout pace

These features are available now through the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program

Gemini for Google Workspace feature Help me write now available in Spanish and Portuguese

This announcement was part of Google I/O ‘24. Visit the Workspace Blog for more  about new ways to engage with Gemini for Workspace and the Keyword Blog for more ways to stay productive with Gemini for Google Workspace.

What’s changing

Last year, we introduced AI-powered writing features that help you quickly refine existing work or get you started with something new in Google Docs and Gmail using Gemini for Google Workspace. 

Since then, Help me write has assisted numerous users in drafting content for things like emails, blog posts, business proposals, ad copy and so much more. In fact, 70% of Enterprise users who use Help me write in Docs or Gmail end up using Gemini’s suggestions. Today, we’re excited to announce this feature is now available in Spanish and Portuguese. 
Help me write in Google Docs using Portuguese

Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 

Why it’s important 

Users who write in Spanish and Portuguese can now benefit from AI-powered creation in their own language. 
Help me write in Gmail using Spanish

Getting started 

Admins: This feature will be ON by default and there is no admin control for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Gemini for Google Workspace. End users: To use Help me write in Spanish or Portuguese, simply enter your prompts using one of these languages. Visit the Help Center to learn more about accessing any other Gemini for Workspace features that are currently supported in English only.Visit the Help Center to learn more about writing with Gemini in Google Docs and drafting emails with Gemini in Gmail. 

Rollout pace 

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

Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium Google One AI Premium 

Resources 

Gemini (gemini.google.com) is now available to Google Workspace users in more territories and languages

This announcement was part of Google I/O ‘24. Visit the Workspace Blog for more  about new ways to engage with Gemini for Workspace and the Keyword Blog for more ways to stay productive with Gemini for Google Workspace.

What’s changing

Earlier this year, we announced that Google Workspace customers with a Gemini Enterprise or Business add-on now have access to chat with Gemini at gemini.google.com. 
Starting today, we’re pleased to announce that Gemini (gemini.google.com) is now available in more than 35 languages:
ArabicBulgarianChinese (Simplified / Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEstonianFarsiFinnishFrenchGermanGreekHebrewHungarianIndonesianItalianJapaneseKoreanLatvianLithuanianNorwegianPolishPortugueseRomanianRussianSerbianSlovakSlovenianSpanishSwahiliSwedishThaiTurkishUkrainianVietnamese
And is now available to Gemini Enterprise and Business users in the following locales:
France and French TerritoriesHong Kong

Getting started

Admins: New languages will be available in Gemini (gemini.google.com) by default to all Gemini Enterprise and Business users. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning Gemini (gemini.google.com) on or off for your users, or about Gemini Enterprise and Gemini Business in general.End users: To use Gemini (gemini.google.com) in any of the above languages, simply enter your prompts using one of these languages.

Rollout pace

Available immediately.

Availability

Gemini Enterprise is available as an add-on for Google Workspace:Business Standard and Plus Enterprise Standard and Plus Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus and FundamentalsFrontline Starter and StandardEnterprise Essentials and Essentials PlusNonprofits
Gemini Business is available as an add-on for Google Workspace:Business Starter, Standard and Plus Enterprise Starter, Standard and PlusFrontline Starter and StandardEssentials StarterEnterprise Essentials and Essentials PlusNonprofits
Note that Gemini for Google Workspace features are only available for users over the age of 18.

Resources

Preview files in Google Drive with new hovercard feature

What’s changing 

To review files in Google Drive, you currently have to open each file manually or right-click on a file and then click “Open with > Preview” from the context menu. Additionally, if you want to see what updates have been made to a file, you have to open the file and view the Activity Dashboard. 
Today, we’re introducing file hovercards in Google Drive to improve this experience and help you complete tasks faster without having to open multiple tabs. Now, when you place your cursor over a file icon in Google Drive on the web, a hovercard will appear with a thumbnail of your file and other relevant information, such as file type, file owner, who recently modified the file and when they last modified the file. 

Who’s impacted 

End users 

Why you’d use it 

This new experience may help save time by enabling you to gain context on your files without having to open the information sidebar to view details and recent activity. 

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about viewing & reordering your files and folders.

Rollout pace 

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 16, 2024 Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 30, 2024 

Availability 

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

Resources 

Configure managed iOS apps for your users’ using Google Mobile Device Management

What’s changing 

Directly from the Admin console, admins can remotely set custom configs for managed iOS apps on end-user devices for their enterprise using Google Mobile Device Management. Managed configurations are applied using XML property lists and the same app can be configured differently across different domains, groups, or organizational units (OUs).
Adding a managed configuration for an app using XML information

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it’s important

Prior to this update, mobile app configuration was only available for managed Android devices. Beginning today, Workspace admins can use Managed App Configuration to set custom app configurations and deploy them to manage iOS devices across their organization. This gives admins the flexibility they need to create safety parameters that align with the various needs of users across their organization.

Getting started

Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about setting up Chrome Browser Cloud Management for iOS and enrolling browsers with Google endpoint management.End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about how your iOS device is managed.

Rollout pace

Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 1, 2024

Availability

Available to Google Workspace
Business PlusEnterprise Standard and PlusEnterprise Essentials and Essentials PlusEducation Standard and PlusNonprofitsFrontline Starter and StandardCloud Identity Premium 

Available in open beta: Build AppSheet automations using Google Forms

This announcement was part of Google Cloud Next ‘24. Visit the Workspace Blog to learn more about the next wave of innovations in Workspace, including enhancements to Gemini for Google Workspace.

What’s changing

AppSheet helps users automate manual workflows by integrating with data sources like Google Drive and Sheets, and today we’re excited to announce its integration with another data collection tool in Workspace: Google Forms.

Many companies rely on the data collected via form submissions when they are performing tasks for ticketing or incident reporting. However, prior to today you could only view information from form submissions via email, spreadsheet or in the Forms app itself. 
With this update, Google Forms submissions can act as event triggers within AppSheet Automations. These automations can then take many different actions, such as sending notifications or approval requests to Gmail or Google Chat, or even calling a custom Apps Script function. 

Who’s impacted 

Admins, end users and developers 

Why you’d use it 

This integration enables users to receive actionable notifications based on responses to Google Forms.

Getting started 

Admins: AppSheet admins can use AppSheet’s Policy Engine to control access to this feature by App Creators in their organization. Visit the Help Center to learn more about policy enforcement in AppSheet policies and specific guidance on preventing app creators from using Google Forms. This feature is available as an open beta, which means AppSheet app creators can use it without enrolling in a specific beta program. Developers and end users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about building automations using Google Forms. 

Rollout pace 

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 1, 2024

Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
Business Starter, Standard, Plus Enterprise Standard, Plus Enterprise Essentials Plus Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus and the Teaching & Learning Upgrade Frontline Starter, Standard AppSheet Starter, Core, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus 

Resources 

External participants can now join Google Meet client-side encrypted calls

What’s changing 

We’re enhancing the experience for client-side encrypted Google Meet calls to include support for inviting external participants, including users without a Google account. Admins will need to turn on access for external participants and determine which identity provider the guest uses to join.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it’s important

Meet already encrypts all of your data at rest and in transit between our facilities — client-side encryption gives users direct control of their encryption keys and the identity service that they choose to authenticate for those keys. Adding support for external participants means customers can collaborate with any of their stakeholders safe in the knowledge that only the meeting participants can decrypt the call media. This feature further extends the privacy and compliance capabilities of Google Meet and is the latest security enhancement, alongside encryption for in-meeting chat messages, co-host support, and the ability to join an encrypted meeting from a mobile device. For more information about client-side encryption for Google Meet, see our original announcement.

Getting started

Admins: Admins will need to update their IdP/KACLS configurations to open up for external participants and determine which third-party Identity Providers they can use to join a client-side encrypted meeting. Visit the Help Center for more information on providing external access to client-side encrypted content.

End users: Organizing encrypted calls: To turn on client-side encryption for a meeting, go to a calendar event with Meet video conferencing, navigate to Settings (cog-wheel  icon) > Security and select “Add encryption”. Contact your administrator to learn about your organization’s policies and which external identity services and guests have been configured to allow access. Visit the Help Center to learn more about inviting participants to client-side encrypted meetings.Note that only directly invited participants can join client-side encrypted meetings.

Joining encrypted calls: External users will validate their identity using a method supported by the Identity Provider. Authentication methods vary between providers. Some common options could be to log in with an account from e.g. Google or Microsoft, or by receiving an email with a one-time password. Visit the Help Center to learn more about client-side encrypted meetings.

Rollout pace

Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature availability) beginning on Apr 23, 2024

Availability

Available to Google Workspace:
Enterprise PlusEducation Standard and Plus

Client-side encryption can now be selected as a data loss prevention condition

What’s changing 

You can now use client-side encryption as a condition for a data loss prevention (DLP) rule. As with other DLP rules, you’ll be able to configure: 
If users are warned before sharing externally. If users are blocked from sharing externally. The ability to download, print, or copy the document are disabled for commenters and viewers. Whether these events should be sent to the Alert Center for further investigation. 
Client-side encryption goes beyond the latest cryptographic standards used by Workspace by giving organizations authoritative control and privacy as the sole owner of private encryption keys and the identity provider of the encryption keys. Combining client-side encryption with DLP rules help our admins build an even stronger framework around sensitive data and information.

Getting started

Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating data loss prevention rules for Google Drive, as well as client-side encryption.End users: Use our Help Center to learn more about working with encrypted files in Drive, Docs, Sheets & Slides.

Rollout pace

Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on April 24, 2024

Availability

Available for Google Workspace:
Enterprise PlusEducation Standard and Plus

Resources