Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – April 26, 2024

3 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.

Customizable Home tab for Google Chat apps 
Recently, we announced the availability of the “Home” tab for Google Chat apps through the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. This feature allows developers to create a new tab in their Chat apps, known as “App Home”. App home can be customized to display user-specific dashboards, a list of open items and tasks, and more. We’re excited to announce this is now generally available for Google Workspace developers. | Rollout to Rapid Release domains and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to all Google Workspace customers. | Learn more about sending an app home card message for a Google Chat app.
Create Looker Studio reports from Google Sheets 
Looker Studio enables users to quickly build interactive reports and dashboards, and starting today they can now be created directly from Google Sheets. More specifically, users can: 
Pick which sheet or cell range to use in the generated report on Looker Studio. Transform the data in Sheets to an automatically generated Looker Studio report in a single click, and save and share the report with an individual or a team. The Looker Studio report remains connected to the Sheet, and can be refreshed to reflect data updates. | Rolling out to Rapid Release domains and Scheduled Release domains now. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Learn how to create a Looker Studio report from Google Sheets
Export Gemini data for users in your organization 
Super admins can now export all of their users Gemini data, including prompts and Gemini’s responses to those prompts. Expanding takeout to include Gemini data continues to ensure that our customers have control over their organization’s data in order to manage their data privacy and compliance needs. | Rollout to Rapid Release domains and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to Google Workspace customers with the Gemini Enterprise and Gemini Business add-on, as well as those customers with Gemini (gemini.google.com) enabled for their users. | Learn more about exporting Gemini data, exporting all of your organization’s data, and exporting data by organizational unit, group, or user. Additionally, you can use the Help Center to learn more about allowing your users to download their data.

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.

External participants can now join Google Meet client-side encrypted calls 
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. | Learn more about external participants joining CSE Meet calls. 
Client-side encryption can now be selected as a data loss prevention condition 
You can now use client-side encryption as a condition for a data loss prevention (DLP) rule. | Learn more about the DLP rule. 
Seamlessly transfer between devices during a Google Meet call 
You can now smoothly transfer between devices while on a Google Meet call without hanging up and rejoining. | Learn more about transferring between devices during a Google Meet call. 
Import data from Slack to Google Chat using CloudFuze 
With the CloudFuze integration, you can move messages and memberships from Slack channels into Chat spaces. CloudFuze also imports data while maintaining historical timestamps to ensure users can start using spaces right where they left off. | Learn more about Google Chat and CloudFuze.
Get notified about application load failures for your Google Meet Hardware devices 
You can now opt-in to receive email or text message notifications when application load failures occur. Subscribing to alerts can help you stay on-top of what’s happening across your hardware fleet and quickly take action to resolve these issues. | Learn more about application load failure notifications.
Workspace Data Protection rules are now available for Gmail in Beta
Launching first to beta, we’re introducing data loss prevention rules for Gmail. Data protection rules help admins and security experts build a stronger framework around sensitive data to prevent personal or proprietary information from ending up in the wrong hands. | Learn more about Data Protection rules.

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).   

Updated keyboard shortcuts and first-letters navigation now available on Google Drive web

What’s changing 

Google Drive is designed to work with keyboards, screen readers, braille devices, screen magnification, and more. Today, we’re excited to improve the accessibility of Google Drive by enabling first-letters navigation. 
First-letters navigation enables users to quickly and easily navigate a list of items in Drive via keypress. Users can move focus within a file list in Drive by pressing the first letter(s) of the file’s name. Pressing the same letter again will navigate to the next item starting with that letter. 
In order to support first-letters navigation on Drive, we are migrating the existing single-letter shortcuts on Drive to multi-key shortcuts. 

Additional details 

Starting today, you can begin opting into the new shortcuts immediately through a banner notification in Drive or by going to Drive > Settings > Keyboard shortcuts > Update now. On August 1, 2024, Drive keyboard shortcuts will be automatically updated to first-letters navigation for all users. Once shortcuts are updated, you will also be able to see shortcuts where applicable in menus and on hover in toolbars in Drive. 

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. End users: To view all shortcuts in Drive, click on “Keyboard shortcuts” under the gear icon in the top right corner of Drive. To navigate a doclist with keypress, type the first letter or first few letters of the file’s name to navigate to files starting with those letters. Visit the Help Center to learn more about keyboard shortcuts for Google Drive on the web, using Google Drive with a screen reader and Accessibility for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings.

Rollout pace 

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 30, 2024 Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 22, 2024 
 

Availability 

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

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – May 10, 2024

1 New update

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.

Expanding Slides recordings to Microsoft Edge 
Last year, we introduced slides recordings, a Google Slides feature that lets you easily record yourself presenting, and then share the presentation with others to view when it works for them. This week, we’re excited to announce you can now create recordings in Microsoft Edge, in addition to Google Chrome on your desktop. | Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for May 22, 2024. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus and Education Plus. | Learn more about using slides recording in Google Slides.

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.

A simplified experience for Workspace users to add 2-Step Verification (2SV) methods 
We’re simplifying how users turn on 2-Step Verification (2SV), which will streamline the process, and make it easier for admins to enforce 2SV policies in their organizations. | Learn more about adding 2-Step Verification (2SV) methods. 
Block compromised mobile devices using context-aware access 
Using context-aware access, you now have the option to automatically block access to Google Workspace data from compromised Android and iOS devices. A device may be counted as compromised if certain unusual events are detected, including devices that are jailbroken, bypassing of security controls, modification of restricted settings, and more. | Learn more about compromised mobile devices. 
Improving suspension alerting for Google Meet hardware devices 
To ensure customers with Google Meet hardware devices have sufficient notice about canceled or expired device subscriptions, we’re adding notifications in the Admin console. | Learn more about suspension alerts in Meet hardware. 
Easily convert data to dropdown chips in Google Sheets 
We’re adding a new feature that helps you quickly convert ranges of data into dropdown chips in bulk. If you have a column of data that includes a variety of data values (e.g., different project statuses like on track, paused, completed), Sheets will show a “Convert to dropdown chips” suggestion when you click into your data range. | Learn more about dropdown chips in Sheets. 
New ways to quickly format and organize data with tables in Google Sheets 
We’re excited to announce tables in Google Sheets, which helps you simplify and accelerate spreadsheet building by bringing format and structure to unorganized ranges. | Learn more about tables in sheets. 
Breakout room information is now included in Google Meet attendance reports 
We’re now including breakout room attendance as part of attendance reporting in Google Meet. Attendance reports help meeting organizers keep track of who attended their meetings and for how long, which can be challenging during larger meetings or while presenting. | Learn more about breakout room information. 
Set the default camera framing option for Google Meet hardware devices, and other framing updates 
We’re introducing several updates around framing controls for Google Meet hardware devices: 1) an admin setting which will allow admins to choose a default framing option for their meeting spaces, 2) framing support on whiteboards (Series One Desk 27 and Board 65) and remote controlled only Google Meet hardware devices, 3) a few small adjustments to how camera framing settings appear on hardware devices. | Learn more about framing updates for Meet hardware devices. 
Get notifications for all messages in a Google Chat space 
For conversations that require a higher level of attention, we’re introducing a new “notify all” functionality for in-line threaded spaces. If this option is selected, you will be notified of all new messages in the space. This includes receiving notifications for all @ mentions, threads followed, and even threads that you do not follow, allowing you to stay on top of everything happening in a conversation. | Learn more about notifications in Google Chat.

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).   

Google Meet increases support for ultra-low latency live streaming to the first 25,000 viewers

What’s changing 

For Google Workspace editions that support 100,000 viewers, we’re increasing the availability of the Google Meet ultra-low latency viewing experience for live streamed meetings from the first 10,000 viewers to the first 25,000 viewers. All additional viewers will have the standard live streaming experience. This update is available for live streams within your organization on web and mobile. 
With the ultra-low latency viewing experience, you’ll notice improvements such as a virtually lag-free streaming experience, significantly increased speaker video resolution, improved automatic camera cuts that focus on the most relevant speakers and content, and more. For more information about the ultra-low latency viewing experience, check out our original announcement as well as a recent announcement with more information about improvements.

Getting started

Admins: Visit our Help Center for more information turning live streaming on or off for Meet.End users: When enabled by your admin, use the Help Center to learn more about live streaming a video meeting. Viewers: You can join streams as before. Reactions, polls and live Q&A work just as they do in a regular Meet video meeting. Visit the Help Center to learn more about viewing a live stream.Live stream hosts: Live streams are scheduled and managed just like before. Reactions, polls and live Q&A are integrated with the Meet call and managed like usual. Automatic camera cuts are triggered by speaker activity without any host action required.

Rollout pace

Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Available now.

Availability

Live streaming is available for Google Workspace:Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus Enterprise Essentials Plus Education Plus and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade
Live streamed meetings can be viewed by Google Workspace:Business Starter, Standard, and PlusEnterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus, and the Teaching and Learning UpgradeEssentials Starter and Essentials users.
Not available to users with personal Google accounts.

Note: For some customers, these changes may roll out at a slower rate and they may not receive this update for several months.

Introducing AppSheet Organizations

What’s changing 

We’re making it easier to manage your AppSheet users with the introduction of AppSheet Organizations. An AppSheet organization creates organization administrators with a centralized tool to manage all of the teams in the organization and delegate team management responsibilities to team administrators. 
This chart shows the hierarchical relationship between an organization, and its teams and members. 


An organization is based on a Workspace organization and is tied to your primary domain. One organization can contain multiple teams based on Google groups and Workspace organizations.

Who’s impacted

Admins

Why you’d use it

AppSheet organizations significantly simplify the management of users and policies across all their AppSheet teams. Admins can:
Access self-serve tools to make changes that formerly required manual Support team intervention.Create and manage organization-level policies that apply to all teams and manage individual team policies.Create new teams with distinct admins, users and policies as needed. Admins can also independently assign or remove team, root, or organization administrator roles of any user.

Additional details

Support for non-Google authenticated users
For new and existing customers with AppSheet Organizations, any user from your verified primary or secondary domains that does not authenticate through Google will be shown in your domain-based teams alongside any group-based teams that have been created. These users will be subject to the same policies and team settings that apply to your users that authenticate through Google.

Getting started

Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about AppSheet Organizations and how to request an organization.

Rollout pace

Availability

Available to Google Workspace customers with a domain verified organization and AppSheet Enterprise Standard or AppSheet Enterprise Plus.

Resources