Following the announcement at Google Cloud Next 2024, we’re excited to introduce Google Chat integrations with IFTTT and UKG Flow. 

The IFTTT integration enables users to automate Chat with 1,000+ of today’s most popular apps. For example, Chat users can now set up workflows, like sending an onboarding email to a customer that’s added as a new member to a space, or sending a message to a space when a new file is added to a Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box folder. Using the integration, Chat users can also stay up-to-date on all of their communities by having new Discord, X, and Facebook mentions or tags automatically posted to a space. 

Using the UKG Flow app, users and employees can perform common UKG actions, such as those included in the Timekeeping & Scheduling functionalities of UKG Pro WFM. 

With these integrations, users can accomplish more in their workday by completing common tasks using daily productivity apps, without ever leaving Chat. 

Admins: UKG Flow requires admins to install the app on their users’ behalf. Visit the Help Center to learn more about installing Marketplace apps for your organization. End users: Get started with the IFTTT’s Chat integration here. Once UKG Flow is installed by your admin, you can use it freely in Google Chat. 

These integrations are available now. 

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

Have you ever lost your video screen after switching to another tab? Google Meet’s picture-in-picture feature helps to solve that problem, but now we’ve made it even easier. Picture-in-picture mode will now automatically trigger when you switch tabs during a meeting. Previously, you had to manually turn on this feature during a meeting. This simple, yet impactful update, will help ensure your meeting stays visible and accessible if you need to switch tabs to take notes, view meeting related documents, and more. Note that picture-in-picture is only available with Google Chrome on a computer.

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. End users: You can turn this feature off from your Google Chrome settings. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using picture-in-picture with Google Meet.

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

Last year, we announced that we’re updating the storage model in Business Starter from per-user storage to pooled storage. Today, we’re excited to share that organizations with Business Starter will officially have access to shared drives starting mid-September. 

With this change, Business Starter users will be able to create shared drives and add members, files, and folders. Please note that certain admin-level and security controls—like the ability to control access to the items in a shared drive—will not be included in the fundamental version of shared drives for Business Starter. 

Admins and end users 

Part of empowering our customers to do their best work means reducing the friction around file sharing and collaboration. Shared drives are a key tool for collaboration—users can store, search, and access their team’s files instantly. Additionally, they offer benefits such as: 

Easy discoverability: Less time spent requesting access to files and searching for relevant documents with all of your team’s files in one place. Files are forever: All content stays put — even when collaborators or team members leave, your content won’t. Easy collaboration: Every member of a shared drive can explore and collaborate in the same files. You can also add users outside your team or organization. Accessible anywhere: Regardless of location or device, you can always access the files you need most.

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. To restrict this, go to the Admin console > Menu > Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > Sharing settings > Shared drive creation > turn on “Prevent users in [domain] from creating new shared drives.” 

Admins: When shared drives are available to Business Starter, admins can use the Admin console to: Add and remove members Change access level of members Restrict moving content externally The following features aren’t available for shared drives in Business Starter: Admins cannot set default settingsBusiness Starter users cannot change settings Visit the Help Center to learn how to set up shared drives for your organization and then allow users to create shared drives. If you need more storage for your organization, consider purchasing additional pooled storage or upgrading your Google Workspace edition to a plan with more storage.Note: Resold customers should contact their reseller to purchase more storage or upgrade their edition. End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about shared drives.

Admin setting: 

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

Shared drives enabled by default: 

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 23, 2024 

This update impacts Google Workspace Business Starter customers. 

Access filter chips easier in Google Drive search 

The Option List field type is now two separate field types in Label Manager 

Since launching, Google Drive Labels have supported the ability to make an Option List field a single-select or multi-select. To make this setting clearer and improve upon the user experience in the Label Manager, we’ve separated the options into two separate field types: Options list (Single select) and Options list (Multi select). | Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Essentials Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus, Frontline Starter and Frontline Standard customers only. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about adding fields to a label. 

Improved spelling suggestions for Germanic languages in Google Docs

For years, users have used Google Docs’ spelling suggestion features for a variety of languages. This week, we’re excited to announce improvements to Norwegian spelling suggestions: 

Norwegian Bokmal Norwegian Nynorsk Rolling out to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains now. | Available to Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about checking your spelling & grammar in Google Docs and changing your language on the web.

Introducing new summary cards for purchase information in the Gmail mobile app 

Summary cards extract information from related purchase emails and visually display it at the top of the email to provide helpful information about orders and deliveries. This week, we’re excited to announce updates for purchase-related summary cards including new action buttons, the ability to organize key information across related emails, and real-time status updates. Now you can effortlessly find order details of recent purchases or stay up-to-date on the latest delivery status. The new purchase summary cards are now available in the Gmail mobile app on iOS and Android devices. | For Android devices, rollout to Rapid Release domains is complete; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for October 14, 2024. | For iOS devices, rollout to Rapid and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about using summary cards in Gmail.

Previous announcements

Beginning today, 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 (gemini.google.com): 

Document and text files, such as TXT, DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF, DOT, DOTX, HWP, HWPX and Google Docs Data Files, such as XLS, XLSX, CSV, TSV and Google Sheets Gemini can use uploaded files to gain context and analyze your content. In turn, this can help enhance your understanding, research, and writing through summarization of complex subject matter, identification of trends and insights, and recommendations for improving writing and document organization. Uploading a document can also help give you more personalized and relevant responses. 

At this time, Context-Aware Access (CAA) for files uploaded from Google Drive isn’t supported. Context-Aware Access gives you control over which apps a user can access based on their context, such as whether their device complies with your IT policy. Learn more about Context-Aware Access.Uploading files from Google Drive honors access control settings for files within Drive, meaning users can only upload files that they own or have been shared with them. File upload is not available to Google Workspace users accessing Gemini as an additional Google service.Users with a Gemini for Google Workspace license who access Gemini as a core service are subject to the Google Workspace Terms of Service or Google Workspace for Education Terms of Service (for education institutions). When users use Gemini as a core service, their chats and uploaded files won’t be reviewed by human reviews or otherwise used to improve generative AI models. 

Admins: 
Local file upload will be available in Gemini (gemini.google.com) by default to all Gemini Enterprise, Business, Education and Education Premium users. File upload from Google Drive in Gemini (gemini.google.com) requires you to turn on Workspace extensions in Gemini. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning Google Workspace extensions on or off for your organization. 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: Users can upload up to 10 files at a time, and each file can be up to 100 MB. Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to upload and analyze files in the Gemini web app. File upload from Google Drive in Gemini requires you to connect Google Workspace apps & services in Extensions setting.

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

Available for Google Workspace customers with 

Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium add-on 

Resources