Google Workspace Changes

Shutdown date for legacy Google Drive desktop sync client delayed to May 12, 2018

Google has delayed the complete shutdown of the legacy Google Drive desktop sync client for Mac and PC (Google Drive for Mac/PC) from March 12, 2018, to May 12, 2018. Enterprise organizations are encouraged to transition to Drive File Stream, while non-G Suite users are recommended to use Backup and Sync.

Legacy Google Drive desktop sync client now shutting down on May 12th, 2018

We encourage enterprise organizations still using Drive for Mac/PC to transition to Drive File Stream.

HTML view removed from the menu in Google Slides.

The HTML view option has been removed from the View menu in Google Slides. Users can still access this view using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P.

Change shape option moved to right-click menu in Google Slides.

In Google Slides, the 'Change shape' option has been removed from the Format menu and is now available via the right-click context menu on a selected shape.

Alt text for shapes moved to right-click menu in Google Docs and Slides.

The option to add alt text to a shape has been removed from the Format menu in both Google Docs and Google Slides. Users can now access this feature by right-clicking on the shape.

Updated menu path for adding page and column breaks in Google Docs.

Google Docs has updated the menu structure for adding breaks. Users now find page and column break options under Insert > Break, rather than directly under the Insert menu.

Introducing the security center for G Suite, providing security analytics and best practice recommendations.

Google is introducing the security center for G Suite, a tool for G Suite Enterprise customers that centralizes security analytics, actionable insights, and best practice recommendations. It allows admins to monitor security metrics via a unified dashboard, identify potential threats like phishing and DLP violations, and receive customized security health recommendations to improve their organization's security posture.

New side navigation menu for the Admin console.

Google is introducing a new side navigation menu for the Admin console designed to improve the discoverability and accessibility of settings. The update features a logical multi-layered menu for easier scanning, a drill-down capability via hover and click, and a streamlined interface for delegated admins that only displays menu items relevant to their specific administrative privileges.

International Hangouts Meet dial-in phone numbers expanded to nine additional countries.

Google has expanded the availability of international dial-in phone numbers for Hangouts Meet to nine additional markets: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, and Turkey. This functionality is available exclusively for G Suite Enterprise edition users, enabling teams to stay connected by dialing into meetings from more global locations.

Expanded data set support for Data Control.

Data Control, which allows users to populate report templates with their own account data, has been updated to support Attribution 360 (TV Attribution) and DFP (DoubleClick for Publishers) data sets, facilitating better scalability for agencies and companies with subsidiaries.

New IMAGE function to display images in tables.

Google Data Studio introduced the IMAGE function, allowing users to embed images directly into tables. This is particularly useful for adding product images or YouTube video thumbnails to reports.

Enhanced Field Reports Editing capabilities.

New functionality has been added to make editing visualizations easier without returning to the data source. Users can now rename fields, change aggregation and semantic types, modify date functions, and apply calculations like % of total or difference from total directly within the report.

Addition of Google Analytics Sampling Indicator.

Google Data Studio reports now feature a Google Analytics Sampling Indicator. This indicator informs users when a specific component in their report contains sampled data from Google Analytics, providing transparency regarding data accuracy and timeliness.

Launch of Coordinated Coloring for consistent data visualization.

Coordinated Coloring binds specific colors to data, ensuring that color-data pairs remain consistent across different visualizations, filters, and versions within a report. This feature is automatically enabled for new reports and can be manually added to existing ones.

Introduction of Pivot Tables in Google Data Studio.

Google Data Studio now includes Pivot Tables, which allow users to reorganize metrics and dimensions by pivoting rows into columns. This feature enables better grouping and summarization of data and helps analyze relationships between data points that are difficult to spot in standard tables.