Google Workspace Changes

Gmail now allows embedded emails to be viewed as both inline expansions and downloadable attachments.

Gmail has updated its handling of embedded emails with the 'message/rfc822' content type. Previously, if an embedded message was marked as an attachment, users only saw a download link for 'noname.eml'. Now, these messages can be viewed both as an inline expansion and as a full downloadable attachment when the content disposition header is set as an attachment. This functionality applies to new messages.

Deprecation of web hosting support in Google Drive

Beginning August 31, 2015, web hosting in Google Drive for users and developers is deprecated. Google Apps customers can continue to use this feature until August 31, 2016, after which serving content via googledrive.com/host/ will be discontinued. Users are encouraged to migrate to alternatives like Google Domains or Google Cloud Platform.

Events from Gmail are automatically added to Google Calendar for Google Apps customers.

Gmail and Google Calendar will now work together to automatically add flight, hotel, restaurant, and ticketed event information from confirmation emails directly into the user's Google Calendar. This feature includes automatic updates for changes, such as flight delays or reservation shifts, and is enabled by default for all Google Apps customers except those in Government domains. Users can manage visibility or disable the feature entirely within their Calendar settings.

Hover over the Share button in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to see warnings if sharing settings are invalid.

Starting August 24, 2015, users with permission to edit a file's sharing settings in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides will see a warning when hovering over the Share button if sharing settings are invalid. This warning appears if sharing outside the employee's domain is disabled, if sharing into the recipient's domain is disabled, or if 'anyone' sharing options are restricted, providing increased visibility into file sharing restrictions.

Ability to attach Google Forms to posts and assignments.

Teachers and students will soon be able to attach Google Forms from Google Drive directly to posts and assignments, providing a streamlined way to distribute tests, quizzes, or surveys and view answers.

Optional due dates for assignments.

Teachers now have the option to create assignments without due dates, which is useful for long-term projects or student-driven assignments.

Option to bump posts to the top of the stream.

Teachers can now move any older post to the top of the class stream to ensure that important items are easily visible to students.

Automatic Google Calendar integration for classes.

Google Classroom will automatically create a calendar for each class. All assignments with due dates will be automatically added and updated on these calendars, which can be viewed within Classroom or via Google Calendar.

Ability to reuse posts across classes.

Teachers can now reuse assignments, announcements, or questions from any of their current or previous classes, including co-taught classes. They can modify the content before posting or assigning it to a new class.

Introduction of question-driven discussions in Google Classroom.

Teachers can now post questions to their class stream and allow students to engage in collaborative discussions by responding to each other's answers, with settings to control whether student-to-student interaction is permitted.

More intuitive keyboard functionality in Google Sheets for Android

The Google Sheets Android app now automatically launches the alphabetic keyboard when a cell contains text and the numeric keyboard when a cell contains numbers or symbols, while also offering an easy way to shift between the two options.

Autofill in Google Sheets for Android

The autofill feature, which allows users to repeat information or complete a pattern in a spreadsheet, is now available in the Google Sheets app for Android.

Print Layout view in Google Docs for Android and iOS

Users can now select Print Layout from the overflow menu in the Google Docs app on Android and iOS to view a fully paginated, read-only version of their document. This feature is currently in beta, with editing capabilities planned for future rollouts.

Improvements to the holds system in Google Vault, including OU-based holds and UI enhancements.

Google Vault is introducing several improvements to its holds system to help organizations better meet legal and preservation obligations. Key updates include the ability to create and manage holds for specific organizational units (OUs), a change in logic so that holds with no specified users apply to no one (rather than everyone), and an updated user interface for a more intuitive experience.

Launch desktop applications from Google Drive Preview in Chrome

Google Drive has extended the ability to open files in compatible desktop applications to the Drive viewer. Users with the Drive app for Mac or PC (version 1.23+) can now launch apps such as advanced image/video editors, accounting software, or 3D design tools directly from preview mode in the Chrome browser using the 'Open with' menu, with changes syncing back to Drive across devices.