Announcements of the Week
Indicate whether you’ll join a meeting virtually or in person, now on Gmail
In July of this year, we introduced new RSVP options for Calendar invitations to make Google Calendar more flexible in the hybrid workplace. We’re now adding this same functionality to RSVPs in Gmail. Read more.
Stay up to date with new Product updates and Alerts cards in the Admin console
We’re adding two new cards to the Admin console homepage: Product updates and Alerts. These new cards help organizations stay up to date with the latest Google Workspace product updates and improvements along with easy access to new administration and security notifications, bringing together critical information for a more dynamic and insightful landing page experience. Read more.
Updates to the transition timeline for Classic Google Sites
In 2017, we announced that we would replace classic Google Sites with new Google Sites. We’re extending the previously announced timeline to make the migration process easier for Google Workspace customers. The new timeline is: Starting June 1, 2022 (previously December 1, 2021): You will no longer be able to edit any remaining classic Sites in your domain. Starting July 1, 2022 (previously January 1, 2022): Classic Sites will no longer be viewable unless they are converted to new Google Sites. Read more.
Host Google Meet meetings with up to 500 participants
For select Google Workspace editions, users can now host meetings in Google Meet with up to 500 participants. Available to Google Workspace Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, and Education Plus customers. Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Enterprise Essentials, Education Fundamentals, Frontline, Nonprofits, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, or G Suite Basic and Business customers. Read more.
Spaces in Google Chat can now be deleted
We’re bringing the ability to delete a named space in Google Chat to the Google Workspace Business Standard and Business Starter editions. With this capability, creators of a space can fully delete it from Chat, which includes all owned contents of the space, room tasks, and files and attachments not saved elsewhere. In addition, members will no longer be able to access the space, its files, or the member list after it has been deleted. Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, G Suite Basic and Business Starter customers. We plan to extend this capability to more Google Workspace editions next year.Read more.
View richer information about colleagues and stakeholders using people chips in Google Sheets
You can now add people chips directly into a Google Sheet. These chips allow you to quickly view more information about colleagues or contacts, including their location, job title, and contact information. You can also take actions such as booking a meeting, starting a Chat, sending an email, and more, directly from a smart chip. This feature is already available for Google Docs. Read more.
Use new immersive backgrounds and styles for Google Meet on the web
We’re adding five new immersive backgrounds for Google Meet on the web. The backgrounds feature subtle animation that give your background life or change your lighting. Cafe and condo interiors will have various iterations, such as snowy or rainy weather, which will help dispersed teams better represent their current time zone and climate. There are three immersive backgrounds available to all Google Workspace customers, G Suite Basic and Business customers, as well as users with personal Google Accounts. Five additional immersive backgrounds, along with several new light & color filters and stylized backgrounds are available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers. These features are not available to Google Workspace Individual customers. Read more.
Assign SSO profile to organizational units or groups with the SAML Partial SSO feature, now generally available
Earlier this year, we announced a beta for assigning SSO profiles to organizational units or groups. This feature is now generally available and allows admins to specify groups or organizational units (OUs) to authenticate a subset of your users using Google. Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers. Available to all Cloud Identity customers. Not available to Google Workspace Essentials customers.Read more.
