Certain Google Meet hardware information will no longer be accessible on the admin console

What’s changing

We’re making some changes to how certain Google Meet hardware information can be accessed: 
The following fields will no longer be exported from the Meet Devices list page of the Admin console (Devices > Google Meet hardware > Devices): assignedCalendarGeneratedResourceName assignedRoomResourceName assignedRoomBuilding assignedRoomFloor If you receive email alerts when a hardware issue is detected, those emails will no longer include the “Asset location” value. This information can still be found by going to the device detail page under the Calendar card or by querying the resources.calendars.list method in the Admin SDK API using the resource calendar email. 

Getting started 

Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about connectivity and peripheral alerts. End users: There is no end user impact or action required. 

Rollout pace 

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 2, 2024 

Availability 

This update impacts all Google Workspace customers with Meet Hardware devices. 

Resources 

New beta to add granular control options for who can respond to Google Forms

What’s changing

We’re introducing a beta that gives Google Forms creators more granular control over who can respond to their forms via sharing settings. 
Previously, forms creators had two sharing options: restrict responses to users within their domain (and trusted domains) or make forms public (i.e. anyone with the URL can respond). With this new option, form creators can limit response access to specific users, groups, or target audiences—similar to how file owners can restrict the sharing of Google Docs, Sheets, Slides or Sites in Drive. 

Who’s impacted 

Admins, end users and developers 

Why you’d use it 

This feature is useful in any scenario where you’d like to control who can respond to a form. For example, teachers can use this to ensure a quiz is only accessible to select students who receive the link. Similarly, business leaders can better collect feedback from specific organizational units and prevent the form from collecting email addresses or from being forwarded. 

Getting started 

Admins: For a limited time, you can sign your organization up for the beta using this form. Upon signing up, users within the Google group signed up for the beta should see the new feature within 2-3 weeks. End users: All new forms created by users who are allowlisted will be enabled into this feature. Form creators must publish their form to enable responders to view the form or submit a response. Form creators can see who has access to the form and share response access to specific users, groups, or target audiences. Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating a form in Google Forms. Users with personal Google Accounts or Workspace Individual subscribers can sign up using this form. 

Availability 

Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts Note: The target audiences feature mentioned above is only available for the Google Drive and Docs and Google Chat services. Supported editions for this feature on Drive, Docs & Chat include: Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus. Supported editions for this feature on Drive & Docs only include: Business Standard, Nonprofits and G Suite Business. 

Resources 

Turn on snippets for additional context surrounding data loss prevention rule violations

What’s changing 

Admins can now view “Sensitive Content Snippets” for data loss prevention (DLP) rules. This applies to DLP events for Drive, Chat, and Chrome. When turned on, snippets will log the matched content that triggered a DLP violation in the security investigation tool. Admins can use the information captured in the snippet to better identify actual security risks, determine whether a false positive was returned, and decide on an appropriate course of action.

Getting started

Admins: Make sure any admins who need to review the snippets have the “view sensitive content” privilege. Only super admins have the ability to hide or unhide sensitive data.

This feature will be OFF by default and can be turned on in the Admin console by going to Security > Data Protection > Data Protection Settings > Sensitive Content Storage.To view snippets in the security investigation tool, select any row from the “Description column” and scroll down to “Sensitive Content Snippets”. Here you’ll see the matched detector ID, the matched content starting character, and the matched content length.

Visit the Help Center to learn more about viewing content snippets that trigger DLP rules, using Workspace DLP to prevent data loss, and the security investigation tool.

End users: There is no end user impact or action required.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on December 6, 2023

Availability

Available to Google Workspace Frontline Standard, Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Education Plus, and Enterprise Essentials Plus customersAlso available to Cloud Identity Premium and BeyondCorp Enterprise customers

Resources

Manage conversations by muting notifications in Google Chat

What’s changing

We’re introducing a new mute/unmute option in Google Chat to assist you in prioritizing and managing your messages. This is the latest feature within the recently announced enhanced Chat experience that helps you increase concentration, eliminate distractions and ultimately focus on the most important conversations. 
Muted conversations will not send push notifications, will not appear in home, and will also be visually deprioritized by being moved to the bottom of each conversation section. Notification badges will still apply to muted conversations when there are new @ mentions for you or everyone in the conversation. 

Who’s impacted 

End users 

Why you’d use it 

This update is particularly useful for those who feel overwhelmed by numerous, highly active conversations as they now have an option to tune out the extra noise, protect their time for heads-down individual work and focus on the most important communication. 

Additional details 

Unmuting a conversation undoes the visual deprioritization applied to the conversation and the notification settings prior to muting will re-apply to the communication. 

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. End users: To mute a notification: Click on the three dot menu in the left hand panel of any conversation Select mute option Alternatively open the notification setting of any conversation and check the mute option To unmute a conversation: Click on the three dot menu in the left hand panel of any conversation Select unmute option Alternatively open the notification setting of any conversation and uncheck the mute option Visit the Help Center to learn more about muting conversations in Google Chat. 

Rollout pace 

Web: 
Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on December 6, 2023 Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on December 18, 2023 Mobile: 
Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on November 28, 2023 

Availability 

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

Resources 

Updated grace periods for resolving policy violations in managed iOS devices

What’s changing 

Ensuring only managed applications can access sensitive information is vital to security. Currently, when admins make a policy change that results in an app going from unmanaged to managed, if a policy violation is detected, a 24-hour grace period is given to users to comply with the change. After this grace period, users will lose the ability to access their Google Workspace account. 
Moving forward, we’re adjusting a few components to how this grace period operates to boost compliance and prevent inadvertent circumvention. Specifically:

Grace Period 

Situation

Next Steps

None 

-The managed apps policy violation is detected during the device enrollment.

-The managed apps policy violation by an app is detected after 24 hrs from the moment the admin changes the policy.

Users will be prompted to install the app from the Google Device Policy app for IOS or they will lose access to Google Workspace.

Visit the Help Center to learn more.


24 hours

The managed apps policy violation by an app is detected within the 24hrs from the moment the admin changes the policy. 

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it’s important

Improving these safeguards helps ensure that  only managed applications can access sensitive organization information. If the managed applications do not meet the requirements of the access policies set by admins, managed application access to Workspace data is deactivated until users take the proper steps.

Getting started

Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing mobile apps for your organization.End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about managed iOS apps.

Rollout pace

Availability

Available to Google Workspace Frontline Starter and Frontline Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus; Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus and Cloud Identity Premium customers

Resources