G Suite Update Alerts

New Early Adopter Programs: Team Drives and a new Hangouts video meetings experience

9/29/2016

Along with our new name, today we’re announcing a number of new features to help employees work together as teams on strategic and creative projects to better serve their customers. Two of these features are coming soon as Early Adopter Programs:

Drive for teams
When Google Drive launched in 2012, bringing all of your work to all of your devices was a key focus. Today, with Drive installed on more than one billion smartphones, mobility is a given. As businesses have adopted Google Drive, a new focus has emerged: teams. Teams move fast, they grow, they shrink, they’re rebuilt. In order to keep pace, a new capability called Team Drives redefines the model, shifting from a focus on the individual user to a focus on the team. Content ownership and sharing are managed at the team level, and new roles give more granular control over team content. Team Drives help streamline teamwork from end-to-end, from onboarding a new team member (add her to the team and she instantly has access to all of the work in one place) to offboarding a departing team member (remove him from the team and all of his work stays right in place), and everything in-between. We’ve been previewing Team Drives with a small set of customers, and we’ll be extending this capability to more customers through an Early Adopter Program.

Meetings for teams
Teams extend beyond office walls — spanning countries and companies — and video meetings have become critical to bringing teams together. No matter where you’re sitting or even when you’re on the go, you expect to be plugged in so you never have to worry about missing a thing. A new meeting experience for Google Hangouts makes this exceedingly easy: no downloads, no browser plugins, invite anyone, join from any device, even without an account or a data connection. Every meeting generates a short link and dial-in phone number so you can invite anyone without friction. An updated user interface accommodates up to 50 video participants, and with seamless integration into Calendar and instant screen sharing, your team will be better connected than it ever was before. Like Team Drives, we’ve been previewing this new meeting experience with a small set of customers and we’ll be extending this to more customers through an Early Adopter Program.

Provide your information here to learn more about these Early Adopter Programs when they launch.

Note: all launches are applicable to all G Suite editions unless otherwise noted

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Explore in Docs, Sheets and Slides makes work a breeze — and makes you look good, too

9/29/2016

(Cross-posted from the Google Docs Blog)

We built Google Docs to help you create your best work — from work, school or home, and everywhere in between. We know crafting presentations, projects and reports takes time and energy. That’s why today we’re introducing Explore in Docs, Sheets and Slides to bring you insights, design tools and research recommendations so you can create better work, faster.

Explore uses Google smarts to help you create amazing presentations, spreadsheets and documents in a fraction of the time they used to take…so you can get on with what’s most important in your life. It’s like having a researcher, analyst and designer by your side.

Insights, instantly
Today’s updates to Explore in Sheets help you decipher your data easily, whether you’re new to spreadsheets or a formula pro. Just ask Explore — with words, not formulas — to get answers about your data. You can ask questions like “how many units were sold on Black Friday?,” “what are the top three items by sales price?,” or “what was the total cost of jackets last month?” Less time crunching numbers + crafting formulas = more time to find key insights and use them.

We’ve also added new formatting suggestions to help make your data pop. Explore in Sheets is available on the web, Android and now on iOS, too!

Beauty, baked in
Crafting the perfect pitch deck or sharing your team’s story is hard enough without having to make it look great, too. Explore in Slides makes design polishing simple. As you work, Explore dynamically generates design suggestions, based on the content of your slide. Simply pick a recommendation and apply it with a single click — no cropping, resizing or reformatting required.

We’ve seen that people save over 30% of the time they would have spent on formatting when they use Explore. So even if design isn’t your style, rest assured you’ll have a beautiful presentation to be proud of. Instantly.

Research, made simple
Explore in Docs makes researching and writing reports on the go a whole lot easier. Whether you’re writing about mobile retail trends or planning your next team offsite, you’ll get instant suggestions based on the content in your document. We’ll automatically recommend related topics to learn about, images to insert and more content to check out in Docs on your Android, iPhone or the web.

We know that it’s helpful to refer to other content when writing an analysis, summary or proposal. That’s why we’ve also made it easy to find a related document from Drive or search Google, right in Explore. Less time spent switching between apps more time to polish your ideas.

We designed Explore in Docs, Sheets and Slides to make creating and working easy and most of all, fast — all backed by the power of Google. Let Explore save you time so you can focus on what matters most.

Posted by Ritcha Ranjan, Product Manager

Launch Details
Release track:
Mobile features: Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release
Web features: Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: See and use suggested content in a document
Help Center: See and use suggested charts and analysis in a spreadsheet
Help Center: See and use suggested layouts in a presentation

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Save time with smart scheduling in Google Calendar

9/29/2016

(Cross posted from the Official Gmail Blog)

Posted by Federico Asara, Software Engineer

Some topics are best discussed in face-to-face meetings, but setting them up takes too much time. Whether you’re coordinating across time zones, hunting for a room, or just trying to find a time that works for more than a couple of people — it really adds up.

If you’re using G Suite, “Find a time” already lets you set up meetings much faster in Calendar on Android. Today it’s coming to iOS and by the end of the year, the web. We’re also adding smart room booking, so you can easily find a place to meet as well.

Powered by Google’s machine intelligence, “Find a time” suggests meeting times and available rooms based on your preferences, which saves you lots of time and gets everyone together faster. Time and room suggestions are smart, too: They don’t just identify the first free slot in a grid, they also locate the next best slots as a back-up. For example, when Calendar doesn’t find availability for your preferred time, it then looks for conflicts across the group that are easier to resolve, such as recurring 1:1 meetings. And although “Find a time” makes smart suggestions, you're always in control — just tap the grid to pick a time that's a better fit.

Start saving time for the important things by downloading Google Calendar for Android or iOS (and look out for this update on the web soon).

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end-users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More information
Android
iOS
Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all G Suite editions unless otherwise noted

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All Together Now. Introducing G Suite.

9/29/2016

(Cross posted from the Google Cloud blog)

Posted by Kelly Campbell, Senior Director of G Suite Marketing, Google Cloud

All around the world, business is filling up with busyness. Employees today are more plugged-in than ever before, but technology too often gets in the way of turning ideas into game changers. For businesses, sharing and communicating has gotten complicated and often happens in silos. The bigger the company, the bigger the challenge.

But what if technology lived up to its promise for us at work? What if it helped us cut through the noise so we could work together to focus on what matters?

We created Google Apps for Work ten years ago (back when it was Google Apps for Your Domain) to do just that—to help people everywhere work and innovate together, so businesses can move faster and go bigger.

And today, we’re introducing a new name that better reflects this mission: G Suite.

G Suite is a set of intelligent apps—Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Hangouts, and more—designed to bring people together, with real-time collaboration built in from the start. And there’s a lot more on the way. Because we believe that when organizations break down silos, connect people and empower them to work together, we get the speed, agility and impact needed to compete in today’s market. So in the spirit of teamwork, we partnered with some of our favorite illustrators from around the world to bring our ideas to life with their iconic creativity.

“All together now” by Matt Blease

“Great ideas happen outside the office” by Josh Cochran

“Meet face to face from any place” by Jean Jullien

With G Suite, information can flow freely between devices, apps, people, and teams, so great ideas never get left in the margins again. Imagine the future for your business, if this was how it could be...

Special thanks to artists Jean Jullien, Matt Blease, Chris DeLorenzo, Tomi Um, Jan Buchzcik, Josh Cochran, Xarly Rodriguez.

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Save time with Quick Access in Drive

9/29/2016

(Cross posted from the Google Drive Blog)

Posted by Cayden Meyer, Product Manager

Today, we’re launching Quick Access, which shaves 50 percent off the average time it takes to get to the right file by eliminating the need to search for it. It uses machine learning to intelligently predict the files you need before you’ve even typed anything.

Quick Access predictions are based on an understanding of your Drive activity, as well as your interaction with colleagues and your workday patterns such as recurring team meetings or regular reviews of forecasting spreadsheets.

Starting today, Quick Access will be available globally for G Suite customers on Android. Give it a try, and file away the time you save for more productive activities.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Search for your files

Historical GOOGLEFINANCE data no longer accessible outside of Google Sheets

9/27/2016

We want to make you aware of a small change to the GOOGLEFINANCE function, which makes it easy to pull current or historical securities information directly into your spreadsheets in Google Sheets. Starting today, it will not be possible to download historical data or access it outside of Sheets using Apps Script or an API. If you have a spreadsheet with historical data generated from the GOOGLEFINANCE function and you try to download it or access it via Apps Script or an API, the corresponding cells will show “#N/A.” You will still be able to view that historical data from within the Sheets application, and you will still be able to download current data and access current data via Apps Script or an API. Please keep this in mind when using the GOOGLEFINANCE function going forward.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: GOOGLEFINANCE

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Use regular expressions to search in Google Docs

9/27/2016

Starting today, you can use “regular expressions” to more quickly and easily find what you’re looking for in Google Docs on the web, much like you can in Google Sheets. With regular expressions, you can search for patterns of text, lists of words, and more, instead of single words or phrases.

For instance, imagine you need to find all the US zip codes referenced in a lengthy document. To do so, you can simply search for [0-9]{5}(-[0-9]{4})?. This will identify any zip code in your document consisting of five numbers with an optional hyphen and four-digit add-on.

To use regular expressions in the Find and Replace function, type the expression into the Find box and check the "Match using regular expressions" box. For more details, including info on those expressions that are supported in Docs, check out the Help Center.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Search and use find and replace

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Trial and purchase Chrome device management software directly

9/22/2016

If you’re a current Google Apps customer, we’re making it easier than ever to set up Chrome device management for managing employee Chrome devices — directly from your Admin console. We’re also offering a free trial of Chrome device management for 60 days and up to 10 devices*.

With Chrome device management, you can manage and configure more than 200 features and settings for your Chrome device fleet (and you can buy devices from our Chrome Store). These settings provide added security for your employee and business data, tools for improved employee productivity, and time savings with easier device management.

As an administrator, Chrome device management lets you easily configure Chrome features for users, set up Chrome device access to Wi-Fi networks and VPNs, automatically install Chrome extensions and apps, and more. You can apply each setting to specific sets of users, devices, or to everyone in the organization. For example, you can configure a device to automatically connect to a specific network or restrict devices from a specific network.

You can also manage public session devices where multiple users can share the same Chrome device without the need to sign in with a username and password. For example, you can use public sessions to configure Chrome devices for use as kiosks, loaner devices, shared computers or any other work-related purpose in which users don't need to sign in.

For more details and instructions, check out the Help Center article about Chrome device management trials and subscriptions.

*Notes:

The trial is only available to customers in the U.S. and Canada.
Currently the trial is only available if you haven’t already purchased a Chrome device management license. It's also only for annual Chrome device management licenses so is not relevant for Education customers.

Launch Details
Release track:
Available now to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Chrome device management Online Trials and Subscriptions

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Better Google Drive auditing and reporting in the Admin console and Reports API

9/22/2016

To help Google Apps admins monitor and analyze their organizations’ Google Drive content, we offer audit logs in the Reports > Audit > Drive section of the Admin console, as well as via the Reports API. Today’s launch brings the following improvements to that reporting, making it even more useful for you:

If a user outside of your domain views or takes action on a document explicitly shared with them (as an individual or as part of a specific group), we will now show that event and that user’s details. Previously, this would be recorded as an anonymous user event.

If a user outside of your domain takes action on a document shared with the public via link sharing, we will now show that event in the audit logs as an anonymous user edit event. Previously, only anonymous user views were recorded.

In addition to the customer usage and user usage reports already in the Reports API, we will now show aggregated statistics around user behavior, like creating, editing, viewing, and trashing. These new metrics will only be accessible via the Reports API.

Please note that the first two features above are only available to customers with Google Apps Unlimited and Google Apps for Education.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More information
Help Center: Drive audit log (Google Apps Unlimited)

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Update: Increased account security via OAuth 2.0 token revocation

9/21/2016

Late last year, we announced a planned change to our security policy, whereby OAuth 2.0 tokens would be revoked when a user's password was changed. We later decided not to move forward with this change for Apps customers and began working on a more admin-friendly approach, which is now ready to be rolled out.

To achieve the security benefits of this policy change with minimal admin confusion and end-user disruption, we’ve decided to initially limit the change to mail scopes only, and to exclude Apps Script tokens. Apps installed via the Google Apps Marketplace are also not subject to the token revocation. Once this change is in effect, third-party mail apps like Apple Mail and Thunderbird―as well as other applications that use multiple scopes that include at least one mail scope―will stop syncing data upon password reset until a new OAuth 2.0 token has been granted. A new token will be granted when the user re-authorizes with their Google account username and password.

Mobile mail applications are also included in this policy change. For example, people who use Apple’s mail application on iOS will now have to re-authorize with their Google account credentials when their password has been changed. This new behavior for third-party mobile mail apps aligns with the current behavior of the Gmail apps on iOS and Android, which also require re-authorization upon password reset.

Please see this Help Center article and FAQ for more details. The policy change is scheduled to take effect on October 5, 2016. Moving forward, any additional scopes to be added to the policy will be communicated in advance.

Please note that password changes alone should not be relied upon for account security. If you suspect an account may be compromised, use the checklist in the Help Center to ensure that your users' accounts are secure.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid and Scheduled release on October 5, 2016

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center and FAQ

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Your emails, optimized for every screen with responsive design

9/21/2016

(Cross posted from the Apps Developer Blog)

Posted by Pierce Vollucci, Associate Product Manager, Gmail and Steve Bazyl, Developer Programs Engineer, Google Apps

When you send emails, your recipients might read them on a computer, tablet, or phone—or more likely, all three. However your message might look different on all these devices. Later this month, you’ll be able to use CSS media queries with Gmail and Inbox by Gmail to ensure that your message is formatted the way you intended, whether it's viewed on a computer, a phone in portrait mode, or a tablet in landscape mode. You’ll be able to change styles based on width, rotation, and resolution, allowing for more responsive formatting to optimize your email for every device.

Example of an email before and after responsive design

In discussions with email designers, these supported CSS rules were identified as the most useful media queries to support responsive design. This is just one part of an overall effort to expand CSS support in Gmail and to give email designers more control over how their messages are rendered. For example, the CSS below applies the color red when the screen width exceeds 500px.

@media screen and (min-width: 500px) {
  .colored {
    color:red;
  }
}

You can find the full list of supported CSS rules in the developer documentation. We hope this reference helps you create more feature-rich, responsive email for users. Happy formatting!

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release after September 28, 2016

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (more than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end-users

Action:
Change management suggested

More Information

Developer Documentation

Gmail Blog (for end-users)

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Google+ is now a core Google Apps for Work service

9/21/2016

Starting today, Google+ is now a core Google Apps for Work service when used within a domain, and will be included in existing Google Apps agreements for most customers. This means that Google+ will have the same technical support and service level commitments as any other core service, like Gmail or Google Drive.

Going forward, domains using Google+ will receive the following benefits:

Domain-restricted content and activity will be handled as specified in your Google Apps agreement
Google+ will be compliant with the terms, conditions and service levels defined in the Google Apps Technical Support Services Guidelines and the Google Apps Service Level Agreement
Google+ will be added as a monitored service to the Apps Status Dashboard (ASD)
In the coming days, Google+ will be removed from the list of Additional Google Services and added to the list of Google Apps services in the Admin console

To provide a service that is consistent with the protections of our Google Apps agreement, the following changes will affect your domain’s current use of Google+:

All web users on a computer will be automatically upgraded to the latest version of Google+, and will no longer have the option to switch back to the "classic" version
Native mobile app versions of Google+ released prior to today’s launch will no longer be fully supported, so users should ensure they have upgraded to the latest versions.

Engaging people is key to innovation, and many Google Apps for Work domains have found Google+ to be an invaluable tool that helps drive active engagement and cultivate innovative ideas from all levels of the organization. By making Google+ the newest core service for Google Apps, Google+ will now provide the support and guaranteed SLAs that businesses need.

Notes:

We will be updating several default settings for new domains going forward to help make content less publicly visible. These settings will not be changed for existing domains, but we recommend that you review them:

Help Center: Set the default for profile discoverability

Recommended setting: disabled/unchecked

Help Center: Set a default sharing restriction for Google+ content

Recommended setting: domain-restricted

Help Center: Enable or disable Google+ profile name changes

Recommended setting: disabled/unchecked

While Google Apps for Education domains will also receive the Google+ product changes outlined above, Google+ will remain a non-core service for these domains.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end-users for domains with Google+ enabled

Action:
Change management suggested

More Information
Recommended for admins:

Recommended for users:

What you love about Google Search — now for Drive

9/20/2016

(Cross posted from the Google Drive blog)

Innovation is critical for business success, so we're constantly trying to build tools that enable our customers to do more. Starting today, you can use Natural Language Processing (NLP) and other new and improved features in Drive search on web to find files easier and faster. You'll also see a couple of highly-requested Google Docs features that have been added based on your feedback (thank you!).

Search faster and with ease
Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a fancy way of saying “search like you talk.” You can type things like “find my budget spreadsheet from last December” or “show me presentations from Anissa.” Drive will understand what you mean and give you the option to click for those specific search results. Drive NLP will get better with each query — so keep on searching. ;)

Get help with speling — er, spelling
When you're trying to find a doc fast, it's easy for typos to slip into your search. Drive now has a new autocorrect feature that suggests corrections to misspelled search terms — which can really help when your brain is moving faster than your fingers.

Enjoy other updates based on your feedback
We’ve also added a few small but mighty features in Google Docs to help you create your best work:

You can now easily split your document into multiple columns in Docs. Just choose “Columns” in the “Format” drop-down menu when you need more formatting options to get your point across.
We know that work happens in all types of file formats. So, when you open, convert and edit non-Google files in Docs, Sheets and Slides, we’ll now save a copy for you. Just view or download the non-Google source file in its original format directly from Revision History in Docs, Sheets and Slides on the web.

These features are available globally and will roll out gradually starting today. As always, tell us know what you think about these new features on Google+ and Twitter. We’re listening.

Posted by Josh Smith, Product Manager, Google Drive

Launch Details

Release track:

Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in 2 weeks

Rollout pace:

Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:

All end users

Action:

Change management required

Introducing the Google Trips app

9/19/2016

To help reduce the hassle and help travelers enjoy their hard-earned vacations, today we’re introducing a new mobile app to help you instantly plan each day of your trip with just a few taps of your finger: Google Trips.

Google Trips is a personalized tour guide in your pocket. Each trip contains key categories of information, including day plans, reservations, things to do, food and drink, and more, so you have everything you need at your fingertips. Check out the announcement on the Official Google blog to learn more.

The Google Trips app will be available for Google Apps customers on both Android and iOS in the coming days. Depending on your Admin console setting for opting in to new services, access to the app will either be automatically enabled*, or can be enabled manually. You will also be able to control access to the app in the Admin console under Apps > Additional Google Services.

*Note: the app will be defaulted off for Google Apps for Education customers.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release in the coming days. Please monitor the Google Apps release calendar for the specific availability date.

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Download the Google Trips app for Android and iOS

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Upcoming change to ChromeOS update experience for Chromebox for meetings devices

9/13/2016

In an effort to ensure our customers are getting the best possible experience when using Chromebox for meetings (CFM), we are revisiting how ChromeOS updates are handled for CFM devices.

Today, CFM admins are able to manage ChromeOS updates by choosing to pin a ChromeOS version and enable/disable ChromeOS updates for their devices. Customers pinning the ChromeOS version or disabling auto-updates may not enjoy the benefits that new ChromeOS versions may bring them, including new features and security updates. This can result in a degraded user experience when using the Hangouts application on CFM devices.

To address this issue, we are rolling out a new feature in the Admin console―planned for October 12, 2016―that will allow the Hangouts application to update in tandem with ChromeOS. This will enable the Hangouts application to directly manage ChromeOS updates to ensure high reliability and stability for CFM devices.

When this feature launches, admins will not be able to configure the auto-update settings when the release channel is set to stable. However, they will still be able to configure the OS update scattering policy.
Screenshot 2016-09-02 at 10.33.24 AM.png

Screenshot 2016-09-02 at 10.33.24 AM.png

Our goal is to provide a superior experience that will delight your users with minimal admin intervention. We would love to hear your thoughts on this planned change. Please reach out to us at cfm-support@google.com.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launch to both Rapid release and Scheduled release planned for October 12, 2016

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Manage your suspended users’ Google Calendar on the web and via the Calendar API

9/13/2016

Many organizations put accounts of former employees into a suspended state for an extended period of time before deleting them. Until now, upon user suspension, the user’s Primary Calendar could no longer be read or edited by anyone in the organization, including super admins. As a result, it was not possible to edit or change ownership of Team Events or 1:1s that kept occupying space in others’ calendars or conference rooms, resulting in stale calendar events and poorly utilized meeting rooms.

With this change, super administrators can now manage suspended users’ data from both the Google Calendar web UI and the Google Calendar API. This will make it easier to identify and remove stale events when they are no longer useful, as well as move events to new owners when needed.

Please note: We’re currently working on similar functionality for deleted users.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

Learn more
Help Center

Improving the deduplication flow when uploading to Google Drive

9/06/2016

A common use case for Google Drive users is to download a file from their Drive to modify it locally, and then to re-upload the new version. In the past, this would result in duplicate files (the original and the new one), and users would have trouble finding the latest version. That’s why we’re introducing a change in Drive to deduplicate files which were uploaded in this way.

Once launched, when users upload files that have the same filename as an existing file, they’ll be deduplicated, and the old file will be in revision history. This is so that if any mistakes are made, users can get back to the previous version. Similarly, uploaded folders will be merged with folders of the same name.

To prevent the files from being deduplicated, click on “Keep as separate file” once it’s been uploaded.

Available on the web today for Rapid release users, we hope you enjoy the simpler way to update your files.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in 2 weeks

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More information
Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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What's New in Google Apps newsletter - August 2016

9/01/2016

Check out the latest "What's New in Google Apps" newsletter [pdf] for a roundup of all Apps launches from August 2016.

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Change your primary domain name in the Admin console

8/30/2016

If you’ve recently rebranded your business or purchased a new domain name, today’s launch makes it possible to rename your primary domain directly from the Admin console.* Simply follow the instructions outlined in the Help Center to swap your existing primary domain name with any verified secondary domain name. If you purchased your Google Apps licenses from a Reseller, please notify them before making any changes to your domain name.

*Please note that this feature is not available for Reseller accounts, domains purchased through a Google partner, accounts with Chrome or Mobile Device Management licenses, or customers in trial. You also cannot change Standard edition domains.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Before you change your primary domain
Help Center: Change your primary domain from the Admin console

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Collaborate and communicate more effectively with the new Google+

8/30/2016

From keeping remote workers in the loop to sharing information across teams, businesses are using Google+ to collaborate and communicate more effectively. As announced last week, today the new version of Google+ will become the default option on web for Google Apps users of Google+. The new experience makes it easier to focus on the features our Apps customers tell us they find the most useful, including a new home page to quickly browse through content, Communities that make it easy to collaborate around ideas and Collections that enable organizations to follow and discuss topics of interest.

If desired, users will still be able to use the classic Google+ interface by clicking on the "Back to classic Google+" link in the bottom left-hand corner. In the coming weeks, with the launch of Google+ as a core Google Apps service, Google Apps customers will no longer have the ability to revert back to the classic Google+ interface.

Launch Details
Release track:
New version of Google+ launching as the default experience to both Rapid release and Scheduled release today. In the coming weeks, the ability to revert back to the classic Google+ interface will no longer be available with the launch of Google+ as a core Google Apps service. Monitor the Google Apps release calendar for a specific launch date to be added soon.

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end-users for domains with Google+ enabled

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Learning Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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See a snapshot of information about a file in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

8/29/2016

Today, you can view the details of any file or folder stored in Google Drive, including the file or folder owner’s name, the last time it was opened or modified, its location, and more. With this launch, you’ll gain that same capability in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web.

To see details of a Google document, spreadsheet, or presentation, simply select Document details from the File menu.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Introducing Casting into Hangouts

8/29/2016

Google offers its Google Apps customers useful and simple-to-use video chat features to make communication better. Whether communicating changes to remote teams, presenting demos to stakeholders, or just getting things done quicker in real time, screen sharing is an effective way to present content to your audience. That’s why we’re excited to roll out a new integration between Google Chrome and Google Hangouts that makes screen sharing from your Chrome browser to a Google Hangout easier than ever before.

With this launch, signed-in Chrome users on Chrome 52 or higher will be able to use the “Cast…” menu item from Chrome to share the contents of a browser tab or their entire desktop into a Hangout. Hangouts that are scheduled on the user’s Google Calendar are shown automatically, but they can also be joined manually using the “Search” text box.

Google Cast does not need to be installed on the user’s machine, as this is now natively available in Chrome 52 or higher. We hope this makes the feature easier to roll out to users, allowing screen sharing to be just 1-2 clicks away.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users on Chrome 52

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

A new Google Hangouts Chrome extension experience

8/25/2016

Last month in Google Hangouts, we announced that better group chat controls were now available on Android, iOS, and the web in order to make it a simpler and more consistent experience joining group chats with your team. In following this move towards consistency, on August 31, 2016, a new version of the Google Hangouts Chrome extension will be made available to new users. As we continue to iterate and add in features that help users communicate in group chats, the new experience brings together multiple chat windows into one and makes it easier to see more chat content.

Existing users of the Chrome extension will be able to opt into the new experience on August 31, 2016, which has functional parity with the current experience. Users will have the option to remain on the current experience until October 17, 2016, at which point all users will be automatically updated to the new experience.

In order to make this a smooth transition, we’re updating the Google Hangouts Help Center articles with the latest changes, nested in the Hangouts Chrome desktop app section.

Action Suggested

If you have people using the existing Google Hangouts Chrome extension in your organization, share the Help Center articles above to prepare them for this change.
If you use Chrome Management (available to all Google Apps customers) to centrally manage installation of the extension, please see our Help Center article for more information.

As a reminder, the new Google Hangouts Chrome extension will become the default experience on October 17, 2016.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release on August 31, 2016 as the default for new users, and opt-in for existing users. The new extension will become the default for all users on October 17, 2016.

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All Hangouts Chrome extension end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Chrome Web Store
Help Center: Hangouts Chrome desktop app
Administrators only: Set Chrome policies for users

Reminder: new version of Google+ becoming the default option

8/24/2016

On August 30, 2016 the new version of Google+ will become the default option for Google Apps users of Google+. This follows our release of the new Google+ on an opt-in basis last November. If desired, users will still be able to use the classic Google+ interface by clicking on the "Back to classic Google+" link in the bottom left-hand corner.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release on August 30, 2016. Monitor the Google Apps release calendar for release date changes.

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Google Apps Learning Center: Google+

External Directory Sharing will now include CardDAV and Contacts API v3

8/22/2016

Starting on September 26th, 2016, we will add two additional APIs to the recently launched External Directory Sharing Admin console setting. The setting is already enforced in the Google People API, and we will now also enforce it in Google CardDAV API and Google Contacts API v3.

The setting gives Google Apps admins more control over their domain directory data, allowing them to determine what directory information external apps and APIs can access.

Admins can manage the setting from Apps > Google Apps > Settings for Contacts > Advanced Settings in the Admin console.

By default, the external directory sharing setting is set to “Domain and public data.” When the external directory sharing setting is set to “Only public data,” the Google CardDAV API, Google Contacts API v3, and Google People API will no longer return domain data in their responses or will return forbidden 403 errors where appropriate. Any clients that use these APIs for domain data, including mobile apps, marketplace apps, and scripts, may no longer work as expected.

If admins have chosen to share “Only public data” from the Admin console, here are some common use cases that may become restricted by these new sharing controls:

People who use the Mail and Contacts applications on iOS will no longer be able to access directory information using the Global Address List feature if the Google Apps account was added onto the iOS device using the “Add Google Account” option.
Apps Scripts that utilize the Contacts API v3 or CardDAV API to access directory information. For example, an Apps Script that fetches birthdays of all users within the domain using the Contacts API v3 to send party reminder emails.
Third-party Marketplace apps that utilize the Contacts API v3 or CardDAV API to access directory information.

Google Apps products that use the domain directory data for contacts, such as the Gmail, Drive, and Calendar apps on iOS, will not be affected by this change. Also not impacted by this change are the Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook® sync plug-in and any device that syncs using Google Sync, both of which will continue to be able to access directory information even if the External Directory Sharing setting is set to “Only public data.” The Google Apps Admin SDK, used by admins to manage users and domain shared contacts, is also unaffected by the External Directory Sharing setting.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release on September 26th, 2016

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins and developers using Google CardDAV API, Google Contacts API v3, and Google People API

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Improvements to downloading files and folders in Google Drive on the web

8/18/2016

In order to backup, share, and collaborate effectively, many Google Drive users download their files locally. For example, you may have to download an entire Drive folder with 15 large design files or 500 PDF files in it. Before, if this folder was more than 2GB in size, you would have run into download limits.

Today, we’re announcing some improvements to the Drive download and archiving service that will roll out over the coming weeks to Google Apps customers:

You can now compress and download Drive items into multiple 2GB zip files. Files have an improved name structure, for example: drive-download-20160516T125832Z.zip for the first file and drive-download-20160516T125832Z-2.zip for subsequent archives.
Better Google Forms handling.
Empty folders are now included in the zip.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming on September 6, 2016

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Add images to questions and answers in Google Forms

8/17/2016

Google Forms makes it easy to create, distribute, and analyze surveys. Starting today, you can craft even more effective forms by inserting images into survey questions or adding images as multiple choice or checkbox options in Forms on the web.

For example, a graphic designer might ask a business owner to to pick one of three different logos, pictures of which would be offered as multiple choice answers.

Or a chef might include a photo of her famous burger between a question asking diners their opinion of it and the section provided for their answer.

For more information on creating and editing surveys in Forms, check out the Help Center.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Edit your form

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

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Updates

New Early Adopter Programs: Team Drives and a new Hangouts video meetings experience

Explore in Docs, Sheets and Slides makes work a breeze — and makes you look good, too

Save time with smart scheduling in Google Calendar

All Together Now. Introducing G Suite.

Save time with Quick Access in Drive

Historical GOOGLEFINANCE data no longer accessible outside of Google Sheets

Use regular expressions to search in Google Docs

Trial and purchase Chrome device management software directly

Better Google Drive auditing and reporting in the Admin console and Reports API

Update: Increased account security via OAuth 2.0 token revocation

Your emails, optimized for every screen with responsive design

Google+ is now a core Google Apps for Work service

What you love about Google Search — now for Drive

Introducing the Google Trips app

Upcoming change to ChromeOS update experience for Chromebox for meetings devices

Manage your suspended users’ Google Calendar on the web and via the Calendar API

Improving the deduplication flow when uploading to Google Drive

What's New in Google Apps newsletter - August 2016

Change your primary domain name in the Admin console

Collaborate and communicate more effectively with the new Google+

See a snapshot of information about a file in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Introducing Casting into Hangouts

A new Google Hangouts Chrome extension experience

Reminder: new version of Google+ becoming the default option

External Directory Sharing will now include CardDAV and Contacts API v3

Improvements to downloading files and folders in Google Drive on the web

Add images to questions and answers in Google Forms

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