Google Workspace Changes

new, information-rich usage reports to help Workspace administrators understand how their teams are using Google Chat

The updated reporting aligns trackable metrics with the current Chat experience and provides essential data for analyzing and driving adoption, configuring safety features, and more.

when mentioning a user that is not already in the conversation, you will have the option to add them and send the message, or just send the message without adding them

Starting today, when mentioning a user that is not already in the conversation, you will have the option to add them and send the message, or just send the message without adding them.

Improvements to @mentions in Google Chat, including optional member addition and smart chip rendering.

Google Chat is updating @mentions to allow users to reference people without necessarily adding them to the conversation. When mentioning a user not already present, users can now choose to either add them and send the message or send the message as a reference only. Additionally, @mentions are now rendered as smart chips for visual consistency across Workspace; on the web, these chips allow users to hover for more information or click to start a 1:1 direct message.

you can now focus your Gemini conversations in Drive to a specific Drive folder using the side panel.

you can now focus your Gemini conversations in Drive to a specific Drive folder using the side panel. For example, after indicating a specific folder via an @-mention, you can ask Gemini to find files in the folder or write a summary of the folder’s content.

Gemini in the Google Drive side panel now supports focusing conversations on specific folders.

Users can now focus their Gemini conversations in the Google Drive side panel on a specific folder to find files or summarize content. This can be achieved by @-mentioning a folder, dragging and dropping a folder into the side panel, or using the 'Summarize this folder' and 'Ask Gemini' options from the context menu or selection toolbar. Gemini supports analyzing text documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and presentations within these folders.

Admins can now lock Google Groups to prevent sensitive changes to group attributes and memberships.

Google is introducing a 'Locked' label for Google Groups in open beta, allowing administrators to restrict modifications to group names, email addresses, and memberships. This feature is designed to help admins who sync groups from external identity systems, such as Entra ID, to prevent synchronization inconsistencies. When a group is locked, only Super Admins, Group Admins, and specific Group Editors can modify key attributes, while access and content moderation settings remain unaffected.

Admins can now label a Google Group as “Locked,” which will heavily restrict changes to group attributes and memberships.

Admins can now label a Google Group as “Locked,” which will heavily restrict changes to group attributes (such as group name & email address) and memberships. This will help admins who sync their groups from an external source and want to prevent getting out of sync, or who want to restrict changes to sensitive groups.

Introduction of 'Help me create' in Google Docs to build structured, stylized documents using Gemini.

Google is introducing 'Help me create', a new feature in Google Docs that allows users to generate full, visually-appealing documents from a single custom prompt. By using the '@ filename' syntax, users can pull content from their Google Drive files to create long-form documents that include cover images, in-line images, stylized text, and tables. The feature is currently available in English and supported on pageless documents.

Developers can now create and manage assignment rubrics using the Google Classroom API.

The Google Classroom API now enables third-party developers to read and write assignment rubrics and access student submission scores broken down by specific rubric criteria. This update allows developers to manage rubrics at scale on behalf of teachers and provides more holistic insights into student performance. Additionally, the Eligibility API has been extended to help developers identify users who can utilize these new rubrics endpoints.

Easier discovery and installation of Google Workspace Marketplace apps in Google Docs.

When users add a link into a Google Doc that is supported by select Marketplace apps, they will now be prompted to install the relevant add-on. Once installed, users can replace the link with a third-party smart chip and preview app information by hovering over the chip.

Improved accessibility tagging for PDFs exported from Google Docs.

Google is adding more structural and accessibility tagging to PDFs exported from Google Docs to improve navigation for users with screen readers and other assistive technology. Specifically, tagging has been improved for paragraphs, headings, hyperlinks, image alt text, and lists.

Out of office notifications extended to group messages and spaces.

The out-of-office banner, which shows a user's status and return date, is now available in group direct messages and spaces. For groups or spaces with more than 6 users, the out-of-office status will only be displayed if the user is @mentioned.

Request electronic signatures on PDF files stored in Google Drive.

Google Drive now supports requesting electronic signatures on PDF files, allowing users to capture signatures and custom fields—such as phone number, job title, and company—directly within the Workspace environment. This expands the existing eSignature capabilities previously available in Google Docs to include PDF files stored in Drive.

Admins can now assign Calendar resources to specific organizational units.

Google Workspace admins can now assign Calendar resources, such as rooms, projectors, or company cars, to specific organizational units (OUs). Once assigned, the resource will be governed by the policies and settings of the assigned OU, including data location policies. By default, resource calendars are associated with the root organization.

Convert client-side encrypted spreadsheets from Vault or Takeout exports to Excel files

Google Workspace admins can now convert client-side encrypted spreadsheets exported via Google Vault or Google Takeout into Excel files. This beta feature allows organizations to maintain access to and analyze sensitive data in a portable format even after it has been exported from the Google Workspace environment.