This official feed from the Google Workspace team provides essential information about new features and improvements for Google Workspace customers.
rss_feed
Image

A summary of announcements from the last week:

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Control whether users can request to join a space in Google Chat

New Google Chat Access Control Space owners and managers can now disable the "request to join" feature. Previously, users with a link to a restricted space could ask for permission to enter; with this new setting, managers can block these requests entirely, preventing users from asking to join via a link. | Learn more about controlling whether users can request to join a space in Google Chat.

Educators can now assign public notebooks in Google Classroom

Expanded NotebookLM Assignments in Google Classroom Educators can now attach public notebooks to assignments, rather than being limited to notebooks they personally create or own. This update allows teachers to easily integrate external shared resources—such as content from the OpenStax partnership—directly into their curriculum. | Learn more about assigning public notebooks in Google Classroom.

New to Gmail: share emails in Google Chat

We’re launching a new integration between Gmail and Google Chat designed to improve team collaboration and productivity. With this feature, you can easily share a conversation from your Gmail inbox to a Chat direct message or space. No need to start your chat conversation with, "Did you see the email I forwarded?" or dig through your inbox to find the message being discussed. | Learn more about sharing emails to Google Chat directly from Gmail.

Choose your preferred caption language for Meet live streams on mobile devices

Google Meet live stream viewers can select their own preferred language for translated captions on mobile devices. Individual language selection helps overcome language barriers during presentations and events, maximizing each viewer's potential to understand and engage with the content being shared. | Learn more about choosing your preferred caption language for Meet live streams on mobile devices.

Google Meet translated captions now available in Cantonese

Cantonese Support for Google Meet Translated Captions Google Meet has added Cantonese to its list of supported languages for translated captions. This allows real-time translation of Cantonese speech into other languages, significantly improving accessibility and collaboration for global teams and educational institutions operating in diverse linguistic environments. | Learn more about Cantonese support for Google Meet translated captions.

A refreshed user interface for Google Meet hardware touch controllers

In the coming weeks, we’ll roll out a streamlined user interface for the following Meet Hardware devices: Mimo Vue HD, Mimo Mist, Logitech Tap, Logitech Tap IP, and Lenovo Series One Touch controllers (with Android devices coming soon). This new experience will offer users a more efficient and intuitive way to manage their meetings. | Learn more about a refreshed user interface for Google Meet hardware touch controllers.

Seamlessly join meetings on Google Meet hardware with “Connect room”

In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce Connect room, a new way to seamlessly begin your meetings on Google Meet hardware directly from your personal device. This will be available in early preview. Connect room streamlines how you start meetings in a conference room. Instead of manually typing a meeting code, this feature uses ultrasound proximity detection to identify a nearby, available Google Meet hardware device. | Learn more about seamlessly joining meetings on Google Meet hardware with “Connect room”.

Get quick insights on your Google Drive folders with Gemini

Earlier this year, we introduced Gemini “nudges” at the top of folders in Google Drive, and we’re now making it even easier to get the context of your folders at a glance. Gemini will now proactively provide insights about the files within a folder, right at the top of the folder view. This makes it easier to quickly understand what’s inside without having to open individual files. | Learn more about getting quick insights on your Google Drive folders with Gemini.

Now available: Create AI agents to automate work with Google Workspace Studio

Today we’re introducing Google Workspace Studio: the place to create, manage, and share AI agents to automate work in Workspace—no coding required. | Learn more about creating AI agents to automate work with Google Workspace Studio.

A more modern interface for viewing PDFs, videos, images, and audio files in Google Drive on the web

Google Drive is making significant improvements to the viewing experience of third party file formats, such as PDFs, videos, images, and audio files. | Learn more about a more modern interface for viewing PDFs, videos, images, and audio files in Google Drive on the web.

BYOD on Google Meet on Chrome OS touch controller rooms

We're launching an integration with Lightware peripheral switchers, so that you and your team can bring your own devices (BYOD) to Google Meet on Chrome OS touch controller rooms. Now, you can plug your laptop into a Meet room with a single USB-C cable and easily use the room's display, speaker, microphone, and camera—along with your laptop—for video conferencing. | Learn more about BYOD on Google Meet for ChromeOS touch controller rooms.

Read More
Image

A summary of announcements from the last week:

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Granular OAuth consent in web apps and Google Workspace add-ons

Earlier this year,  we launched an improved version of the OAuth consent screen to the Apps Script IDE and unpublished web apps and Google Workspace add-ons that allows users to specify which individual scopes they would like to authorize for that script. For example, if a script requests access to a user’s Google Sheets and Forms files, and the user only intends to use the script with Sheets files, they can decide to only allow access to their spreadsheets and not their forms. | Learn more about Granular OAuth consent in web apps and Google Workspace add-ons.

Data classification labels visible in more places across Google Drive

Beginning today, a Drive item’s applied data classification values will appear across all views on Drive on the web, including Home, My Drive, Shared Drives, and Drive search results. Previously, users needed to either navigate to Details or open the file to know a Drive item’s classification state. Now, users will immediately see the applied classification values when navigating throughout the Drive product. | Learn more about the expanded visibility of data classification labels across Google Drive.

Automatically generated captions for videos in Google Drive now available in more languages

We are expanding automatic video captions in Google Drive to support 27 new languages. This update improves accessibility for all users—including those who are hard of hearing or speak different languages—while saving time by eliminating manual caption creation and enhancing video searchability. | Learn more about new language support for automatically generated captions in Google Drive.

Fine-tune your network for Meet live streaming with extended quality metrics

Meet audit events logged for live stream viewers now contain an extended set of quality metrics. These metrics can help admins understand their viewers' perceived quality when participating in live streams. The quality metrics can be used to identify potential network configuration adjustments that can improve the live streaming experience. | Learn more about fine-tuning your network for Meet live streaming with extended quality metrics.

Read More
Image

What’s changing

Earlier this year,  we launched an improved version of the OAuth consent screen to the Apps Script IDE and unpublished web apps and Google Workspace add-ons that allows users to specify which individual scopes they would like to authorize for that script. For example, if a script requests access to a user’s Google Sheets and Forms files, and the user only intends to use the script with Sheets files, they can decide to only allow access to their spreadsheets and not their forms.

This screenshot shows the new OAuth consent screen, which lets the user provide consent for a subset of the requested OAuth scopes.
This screenshot shows the new OAuth consent screen, which lets the user provide consent for a subset of the requested OAuth scopes.

We’re excited to announce that this more granular OAuth consent screen will be expanding to an additional Apps Script execution type. Soon, published web apps and Google Workspace add-ons powered by Apps Script will also present users with this more granular consent screen when requesting an OAuth grant. This will allow users to provide partial OAuth consent when authorizing new applications built on these platforms. A reminder that this also includes reconsenting to applications when OAuth grants expire.

Additional details

To prepare for the release of this new consent flow, we suggest that web apps and Google Workspace add-ons developers refer to the ScriptApp and AuthorizationInfo classes. These allow Apps Script developers to programmatically interact with the scopes granted for a script. This allows developers to put in such safeguards as short-circuiting a script execution if not all scopes are granted. For more information, refer to the developer documentation. To test these changes, please see the documentation on testing web apps and Google Workspace add-ons.

Getting Started

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
  • Developers and end users: 
    • This new consent screen will only be used for new OAuth scope grants. Pre-existing scope grants will not be affected, so no action is required by users on scripts they’ve already authorized. 

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers and Workspace Individual subscribers

Read More
Image

A summary of announcements from the last week:

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Block off time to work on a task in Calendar

Users can now easily block off time on their calendar to work on a specific task. On your calendar, select an empty slot > click task. From here, you can add the relevant task and description, and customize details like visibility and do not disturb settings. | Learn more about blocking off time to work on a task in Calendar.

Use Veo 3.1 ingredients-to-video to create clips from images in Google Vids

Create eight-second video clips in Google Vids using the new ingredients-to-video capability powered by Veo 3.1. Simply upload up to three images and write a prompt to generate content that maintains consistent subjects and characters. This feature allows you to tell a cohesive story for projects like brand promotions or training videos using your specific imagery as the foundation. | Learn more about Learn more about using Veo 3.1 ingredients-to-video to create clips from images in Google Vids.

Introducing Gemini 3 Pro for Gemini app

We’re bringing our most intelligent model, Gemini 3, to the Gemini app for Google Workspace customers. This update brings state-of-the-art reasoning to your most complex problems, setting a new bar for AI model performance and delivering a more powerful and helpful experience. | Learn more about Gemini 3 Pro for Gemini app.

Single-sign on with custom OpenID Connect profiles now generally available

Single-sign on with custom OpenID Connect profiles is now generally available. With this capability, admins have the option to set up a custom OpenID Connect (OIDC) profile for single sign-on (SSO) with Google as their service provider. | Learn more about Single Sign-On with custom OpenID Connect profiles.

Gemini in Google Classroom is expanding to students in higher education

Earlier this year, we launched Gemini in Google Classroom to help educators save time on planning and create more engaging lessons. In the coming weeks, we’re expanding Gemini in Classroom to students in higher education who are 18 years of age and older to help them study and learn. | Learn more about Gemini in Google Classroom expanding to students in higher education.

New Google Meet links when changing recurrence or start time of recurring Calendar events

To create a more consistent and secure meeting experience, we're changing what happens when you edit recurring Google Calendar events. Previously, when users modified the start time or recurrence of recurring events and applied the change to "This and following events," the remaining events used the original Google Meet link. | Learn more about Google Meet link updates when changing recurring Calendar events.

Introducing Nano Banana Pro in Slides, Vids, Gemini app, and NotebookLM

We’re excited to introduce Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image), our new state-of-the-art image generation and editing model. Starting today, Nano Banana Pro is rolling out to Google Workspace customers in Google Slides, Vids, the Gemini app, and NotebookLM. | Learn more about Nano Banana Pro in Slides, Vids, Gemini app, and NotebookLM.

Collaborate seamlessly across Google Workspace and Egnyte

Egnyte’s enhanced Google Workspace integration is now generally available to all customers.  With this update, users can now securely locate, open, edit, and manage their Google Workspace files in Egnyte’s web UI, mobile app, and desktop client. | Learn more about seamless collaboration across Google Workspace and Egnyte.

Preview unread Google Chat messages from the left-hand menu

We’re excited to introduce a new way to triage your messages. Now, you can preview the last unread message in conversations directly from the left-hand menu, without marking it as read. Simply hover over a bolded conversation to peek at the message. When you are ready to engage, click to jump straight into the conversation or thread and take action. | Learn more about previewing unread Google Chat messages.

Read More
Image

What’s changing

Earlier this year, we launched Gemini in Google Classroom to help educators save time on planning and create more engaging lessons. In the coming weeks, we’re expanding Gemini in Classroom to students in higher education who are 18 years of age and older to help them study and learn.

From a central destination in Google Classroom, students will be able to access learning tools available with Gemini for Education, a no-cost version of the Gemini app built for educational institutions where you get expanded access to our most capable AI model and data isn’t reviewed by humans or used to train AI models.

Students will be able to

  • Learn about a topic: Get on-demand support and explanations of challenging concepts or step-by-step guidance with Guided Learning.
  • Take a quiz: test your knowledge with personalized practice quizzes based on specific topics or class materials to help prepare for exams.
  • Practice with flashcards: Easily transform notes and class materials into custom digital flashcards for quick review.
  • Create a study guide: Make a study guide about a certain topic, or upload class notes and materials for more personalized resources. 
Google Classroom

Additional details

Getting started

Gemini in Classroom is only available in English for Google Workspace for Education users over the age of 18. The student experience will be available for users whose role is defined as “Student” in Classroom, are in a higher education organization, and are in a group or OU with both Gemini and Gemini in Classroom set to On.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available for Google Workspace Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus

Resources

Read More
Image

 

A summary of announcements from the last week:
The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Leverage the power of Gemini models to apply data classification labels in Google Drive - beta applications now open
Earlier this year, we announced a series of changes to AI classification for Google Drive, including a revamped user interface, an on-demand model training process, and support for multiple custom-trained models. Today, we’re excited to share the next step in the product’s evolution: Gemini-based models for data classification, now available in closed beta.  | Learn more about using Gemini with data classification labels. 

New AI-powered audio overviews for PDFs in Google Drive
We’re introducing AI-powered audio overviews for PDFs in Google Drive. This new Gemini for Google Workspace feature allows your users to instantly convert long, text-heavy PDFs—such as industry reports, contracts, or lengthy meeting transcripts—into a conversational, podcast-style audio summary. | Learn more about AI audio overviews in Drive. 

Available in open beta: Migrate files from Dropbox to Google Drive
Beginning today, the new Data Migration Service can be used to migrate files and folders from Dropbox to Google Drive. This allows organizations to transition easily from Dropbox to Google Workspace, by copying over files, folders and associated permissions securely. | Learn more about the Dropbox migration beta. 

Option for longer meeting notes with “take notes for me” in Google Meet
Meeting participants can now configure the length of their meeting notes when using the "take notes for me" feature in Google Meet. By selecting the "Longer" option from the "Notes Length" menu, you can generate notes that are roughly twice as long as the standard document to help capture all the important details. | Learn more about expanded options for taking notes. 

Analyze large-scale .csv files in Google Sheets with a new direct-to-BigQuery import
We're making it easier than ever to analyze massive datasets by more seamlessly connecting Google Sheets and BigQuery. Now, users will see a new option to import .csv files containing datasets of any size directly to BigQuery while opening large .csv files. | Learn more about the improved integration with BigQuery. 

Desk phone support and on-demand call recording now available in the Google Voice Starter plan
We’re expanding the capabilities of our Google Voice Starter plan by adding two highly requested features already available in Voice Standard and Voice Premier plans today: Desk phone and analog telephone adapter (ATA) support, and On-demand call recording. | Learn more about the new Google Voice features. 

Help me create in Google Forms now available in seven additional languages
Earlier this year, we announced Help me create in Google Forms. Now, it is also available to users in Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, and German. | Learn more about the new languages for Help me create in Forms. 
Read More
Image

What’s changing

Earlier this year, we announced Help me create in Google Forms. Now, it is also available to users in Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, and German. You can use Help me create to enter a prompt that describes the form you want to create or a prompt that references supporting Docs, Sheets, Slides, or PDFs. Gemini will then generate a draft form, incorporating details from any files you reference, that can be used instantly or further customized.  


Help me create in Spanish helps users create a form with a simple prompt


Help me create in Spanish helps users create a form with a simple prompt

Getting started

Rollout pace

Availability

Available for Google Workspace: 

  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Google AI Pro for Education
  • Google AI Pro and Ultra 
Also available to:

  • Gemini Business, Enterprise* 
*As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details. 

Resources

Read More
Image

What’s happening

To improve data governance, we’re changing how secondary calendar ownership is defined in Google Calendar. A secondary calendar is any calendar that you create or a group calendar that is shared with you. Previously, secondary calendars could only be managed at the organization level. 

Going forward, each secondary calendar will have a single, dedicated owner. When a new secondary calendar is created, the creator becomes the calendar owner. For existing secondary calendars, an owner will be automatically assigned based on the calendar’s permissions. The calendar will inherit the organizational policies from its owner. This provides fine-grained control for admins to define policies for each calendar, such as data regions or assured controls.

Additionally, we’re introducing the ability to transfer secondary calendar ownership to another user in the same organization, through Google Calendar settings (for end users) or the Admin console (for admins). This is especially helpful when a calendar owner changes teams or leaves the organization, to ensure the calendar remains associated with the appropriate owner.

How the owner is shown in Calendar settings
How the owner is shown in Calendar settings

How the owner can be transferred from Calendar settings
How the owner can be transferred from Calendar settings
How the owner can be transferred in the Admin console
How the owner can be transferred in the Admin console

Additional details

The Google Calendar API has been updated to reflect these changes. Developers can retrieve the secondary calendar owner using the API for Calendars and CalendarList. In addition, we’ve added updates to ensure only the secondary calendar owner can delete the calendar, and that their access level cannot be downgraded as long as they are the owner.

Please refer to the API release notes for additional information.

Getting started

  • Admins: This feature will be ON by default and cannot be disabled. To help manage this transition, admins can now transfer the ownership of secondary calendars from one user to another directly in the Admin console.
  • End users: This feature will be ON by default and cannot be disabled. For existing secondary calendars, an owner will be automatically assigned based on the calendar’s permissions. End users who own a secondary calendar can transfer ownership to another user.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts
Read More
Image

 

A summary of announcements from the last week:
The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

New to Google Meet: Continue your conversations in Google Chat
GStarting November 10, your Google Meet in-meeting messages will be powered by and available in Google Chat. That means the meaningful feedback that was messaged during the meeting, or key resources and links that were shared are now easily accessible to meeting attendees after the meeting, in a shared Google Chat conversation. | Learn more about continuing conversations between Chat and Meet. 

Controls for restricting conversation creation in Google Chat available to more organizations
We are expanding an existing Google Chat feature to more Workspace customers. This feature gives administrators the ability to limit who can create new conversations in Google Chat. When this setting is applied to users (through an organizational unit or a Google Group), those users will be prevented from initiating new conversations, or adding new members to existing conversations. | Learn more about the new Google Chat controls. 

Updated Chat header helps you navigate chat more quickly and easily
We are introducing a redesigned Google Chat conversation header on the web. The new header offers a simpler, more consistent layout that makes key tools easier to find and use. It includes a side panel where users can access shared content and manage tasks without leaving the conversation view. | Learn more about the new header in Google Chat. 

Set sharing expirations on files and folders in shared drives
We previously introduced the option to set expirations on files that reside in shared drives using the Google Drive API. Today, we are bringing the ability to set expiring access for files and folders in shared drives directly from the sharing dialog. This highly-requested feature brings the ease and security of My Drive access controls into your collaborative shared drives. | Learn more about expiring access in shared drives. 

Bringing inline threading to direct messages in Google Chat
We’re excited to announce that inline threading is rolling out for direct messages (DMs) and group direct messages (gDMs) in Google Chat. This has been a highly requested feature, and we're pleased to deliver it as part of our effort to simplify the Chat experience and address top user feedback about conversation consistency. | Learn more about threading in Chat DMs. 

Gemini Deep Research now integrates with your Workspace content
We’re expanding the capabilities of Gemini’s Deep Research feature by integrating it with your Google Workspace apps. This update allows Deep Research to seamlessly gather information from your content in Gmail, Chat, and Drive - including Slides, Sheets and Docs files - in addition to the web, to create a more comprehensive and personalized report. | Learn more about using Deep Research with your Workspace content. 

Use a wider range of emoji reactions in Google Meet
Google Meet users now have access to the full emoji library for reactions in Google Meet. Reactions let users engage with the content in a meeting, share meaningful feedback or praise, and celebrate company culture all through emoji. | Learn more about additional emoji reactions in Meet. 
Read More
Image

Update (Dec 4, 2025): We have updated this post to reflect an updated rollout schedule for the feature. The new rollout schedule is:

  • Rapid Release: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on December 8, 2025. 
  • Scheduled release: Planned for January 2026. We will update this post with a more specific timeframe in the coming weeks.

What’s happening? 

Starting November 10, your Google Meet in-meeting messages will be powered by and available in Google Chat. 

That means the meaningful feedback that was messaged during the meeting, or key resources and links that were shared are now easily accessible to meeting attendees after the meeting, in a shared Google Chat conversation.

Image

This change brings the power of Google Chat to Meet, creating a richer in-meeting messaging experience. Meeting attendees can now respond to messages with emojis, and share images and files directly in Google Meet. Attendees can send pre-reads and other meeting materials to the group ahead of the meeting in Google Chat, and these resources will be available in Google Meet throughout the call. This launch also consolidates all your messaging and conversations into Google Chat, making it easy to find messages or shared files all in one place. 

Image

This change is designed to improve post-meeting follow-through, leading to increased team productivity, and we’re excited for what this will mean for your teams and their collaboration. 

Getting started 

Admins: 

  • Availability: All end users in your org will have this feature on eligible meetings. 
  • Data retention & DLP: These messages are stored in a Google Chat conversation, and will respect the retention policies and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) rules you have configured for Google Chat. 
  • If disabled by host: If a host turns off continuous meeting chat for a specific meeting, that meeting will use the existing, unlinked in-call messaging. To retain such messages, you must record the meeting. 

End Users: 

  • Eligible meetings: This feature is available for meetings scheduled in Google Calendar. It applies to the meeting host and all other invited attendees who are part of the host's domain. 
  • Host control: Meeting hosts retain full control and can disable this feature for any meeting. This option must be toggled in the Google Calendar event's video call options before the meeting starts and cannot be changed once the meeting is in progress. 


Image

  • External attendees: To ensure security and clarity, external attendees will only have access to the chat during the time they are in the meeting. They will not be able to participate in a conversation before a meeting nor see the conversation history after one. Internal attendees will see clear ‘external’ indicators and banners when guests are present in the conversation. 


Image

Rollout pace 

  • Rapid Release: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on December 8, 2025. 
  • Scheduled release: Planned for January 2026. We will update this post with a more specific timeframe in the coming weeks.

Availability 

Available to all Google Workspace business and enterprise customers with the following plans: 

  • Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus 
  • Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus 
  • Frontline Starter, Frontline Standard, Frontline Plus 

Resources 

Read More
Image

 

A summary of announcements from the last two weeks:
The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last two weeks. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Gemini in Google Sheets can now analyze data across multiple tables
Gemini in Sheets can understand and analyze multiple tables within a single tab of a spreadsheet.  This new functionality allows you to ask questions and perform analysis that spans multiple data sources, dramatically increasing the power and accuracy of your queries. | Learn more about the upgrades to Gemini in Sheets. 

Protecting Gmail users from XS-Search with Cross-Origin Opener Policy (COOP)
Gmail is enhancing user security by enabling the Cross-Origin Opener Policy (COOP). As a result, developers of websites and browser extensions opening or manipulating the Gmail page may have to update their code to ensure continued functionality when enforcement begins on January 20, 2026. There is no action needed from Workspace admins or end users. | Learn more about COOP for Gmail. 

AI credit overages admin control and related billing
We previously announced an increased credit limit of 25,000 credits per user per month for Google AI Ultra for Business users. Now, we're adding a new admin control that enables admins to allow users with an Google AI Ultra for Business license to exceed their 25,000 per user per month AI credit limit. | Learn more about the new admin usage and billing controls. 

Educators can now convert rubrics in Google Classroom from Drive or local files with help from Gemini
educators can now quickly adapt existing rubrics from Drive or local files for Google Classroom assignments with Gemini's assistance. From the Rubric menu in the assignment creation screen, educators can now select “Convert from file” to instantly turn existing rubrics from various files and use them in Google Classroom, without the need to enter the information manually. | Learn more about adapting rubrics in Google Classroom. 

Use emoji reactions in your client-side encrypted documents
We’re excited to announce that client-side encrypted (CSE) files including Google Docs, Sheets and Slides now support emoji reactions. Users can use emojis to react to comments and content, bringing an expressive collaboration feature to CSE files. | Learn more about emoji reactions in CSE docs. 

Ask Gemini in Google Meet coming to Workspace enterprise customers
Last month, we announced that Ask Gemini in Meet was starting to roll out for select Workspace customers. Today, the experience is now rolling out to Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus domains. Ask Gemini in Meet brings the power of Gemini into your organization’s meetings. Acting as a personal assistant, it can help make meetings more productive and more efficient. | Learn more about the expansion of Ask Gemini in Meet. 

Introducing a new waiting rooms experience in Google Meet
We’re introducing waiting rooms in Google Meet, giving you more control over your meetings. As a meeting host or co-host, you can choose to have participants join a waiting room before they join the call. | Learn more about waiting rooms in Google Meet. 

New LaTeX features in the Gemini app
We are introducing improved LaTeX rendering and PDF export capabilities directly within the Gemini app. LaTeX is a document preparation system widely used in academic, scientific, and technical fields to create high-quality documents with complex formatting, such as mathematical equations, tables, and multi-column layouts. | Learn more about LaTeX in Gemini. 

Generate presentations in the Gemini app
We are introducing the ability to create slide presentations in the Gemini app through Canvas. Simply provide an idea with a simple text prompt or upload a source, and Gemini will generate a set of slides — complete with a theme and relevant images. Then, export the presentation from the Gemini app directly to Google Slides to continue to refine or collaborate with others. | Learn more about generating presentations with Gemini. 

Enhanced admin audit log events
We are updating the schema and event modeling for several Admin audit log events, specifically some of the events related to account security, Gmail, and Drive settings, along with other admin-defined setting audit logs. These improvements aim to make the logs more understandable, detailed, and precise. | Learn more about the enhanced audit logs. 

More powerful pivot tables in Connected Sheets
We are rolling out two significant updates to Connected Sheets pivot tables backed by BigQuery, designed to increase analytical capacity and streamline your workflow. First, we’re doubling row capacity for pivot tables backed by BigQuery in Connected Sheets, from 100,000 to 200,000 rows. Second, we’re launching the ability to “drill down” into Connected Sheets pivot tables, allowing you to immediately access the granular data making up any aggregated value. | Learn more about the improved pivot tables in Connected Sheets. 

Improve your writing by grounding Gemini in Google Docs in sources
We’re excited to announce source-grounded writing help in Google Docs. Gemini will automatically curate a list of sources linked in your document and you can choose to ask it to only pull details from those sources when providing writing assistance via the side panel. This will keep suggestions focused and grounded in trusted content. | Learn more about source grounding Gemini in Google Docs. 

Improving the Workday Google Chat app
The latest update  for Workday Google Chat app update makes it easier to manage time off with a single, improved flow to request, view, or cancel time off, along with quick commands to check balances and company holidays. | Learn more about the improvements to the Workday Chat app. 


Read More
Image

What’s happening

Gmail is enhancing user security by enabling the Cross-Origin Opener Policy (COOP). As a result, developers of websites and browser extensions opening or manipulating the Gmail page may have to update their code to ensure continued functionality when enforcement begins on January 20, 2026. There is no action needed from Workspace admins or end users.

COOP background

Cross-Site Search (XS-Search) is a type of Cross-Site Leaks (XS-Leaks) attack that targets query-based search systems, like Gmail. Attackers exploit this vulnerability by gaining control of a Gmail window, either by opening a new popup or accessing an existing one via its window handle. Once they have this access, they can gather information via a side channel to determine if specific search results exist by repeatedly loading different search terms, thereby leaking sensitive user data.

COOP is a web security feature designed to isolate the web applications from untrusted origins. This measure will prevent attackers from accessing Gmail's window handle, thereby protecting users from various Cross-Site Search (XS-Search) attacks that rely on window handles for collecting side-channel information, such as frame counting. This also significantly hinders attacks like cache probing, which rely on timing and other observations for resources that Gmail loads for search results. While these attacks don't directly collect side-channel information through the window handles themselves, COOP prevents repeated searches and thereby increases difficulty and reduces effectiveness, making them far less of a threat.

Who’s impacted

Websites or browser extensions that open Gmail in a pop-up window and interact with that window by accessing its properties (closed, location, length, focus) or invoking its functions (close, postMessage). Also, browser extensions that are injected into Gmail page and access the opener handle which is a reference to the window that opened the current Gmail page.

Additional details

To enforce COOP, the Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy header will be present in the response:

Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy: same-origin-allow-popups; report-to="gmail-web-coop-coep"
Report-To:{"group":"gmail-web-coop-coep","endpoints":[{"url":"https://csp.withgoogle.com/csp/report-to/gmail-web"}]}

Getting started

  • Developers:
    • For websites and browser extensions opening Gmail, refactor the offending code to avoid accessing the window properties or functions through the window handle and instead, utilize alternative APIs to achieve the desired functionality (e.g., chrome.tabs, Messaging).
    • For browser extensions injected into the Gmail page, instead of trying to communicate with or access the opener, the browser extension should be updated so it doesn't need to interact with it at all and the extension's logic should be revised to work independently. If that is not possible, browser extensions can use existing APIs (e.g., chrome.tabs) to implement their logic.
  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
  • End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. 

Rollout pace

  • Enforcement will begin on January 20, 2026. Rollout will be extended (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility).

Resources


Read More
Image

 

A summary of announcements from this week:
The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

AI-powered makeup in Google Meet
Now you can choose from 12 new studio makeup looks, with a range of options from a polished, professional touch to a more expressive flair. Your AI-powered makeup remains seamless and untouched—even through everyday movements like sipping your coffee or touching your face. | Learn more about using AI makeup in Meet. 


The AI function in Google Sheets is now enhanced with Google Search results for more up-to-date answers
Earlier this year, we announced AI function in Sheets to help you generate text, summarize information, categorize data, and analyze sentiment at scale, directly from any cell in your spreadsheet. Last month, we expanded feature availability to seven additional languages. Now, we're making AI function even more powerful by automatically grounding it in results from Google Search, so it can access up-to-the-minute information from the web to answer your prompts. | Learn more about Google Search in the Sheets AI function. 


Google Keep reminders now saved to Tasks
As announced last year, Keep reminders will be automatically saved to Tasks. This means that now users can view their Keep reminders as tasks in Calendar, in the Tasks app, and even ask the Gemini app about them (via the Tasks extension). As part of this launch, any existing date/time based Keep reminders will automatically be saved to Google Tasks. | Learn more about the reminders to Tasks migration. 


Use Help me schedule to easily set up a meeting time over email
Gmail with Gemini will detect when you’re trying to coordinate a time within an email and will surface a Help me schedule button in the toolbar. After you click on the Help me schedule button, Gemini will automatically suggest ideal slots based on your Google Calendar and the email's context. | Learn more about Help me schedule in Gmail. 


Summarize shared files with Gemini in Google Chat, now available on mobile
Simply tap the “Summarize” button on the file preview card in your conversation. Gemini will summarize the file so you can get a quick overview without having to leave Chat. | Learn more about summarizing files in Chat. 


Video Overviews in NotebookLM are now available to users of all ages
Google Workspace for Education users of all ages can now use Video Overviews in NotebookLM. Users can now turn documents, slides, charts and more into engaging explainer videos that are narrated by an AI voice. | Learn more about Video Overviews in Notebook LM. 


Extract, categorize, and summarize data in AppSheet with the power of Gemini
AppSheet Enterprise Plus users can now add the new AI Task powered by Gemini, directly into their existing AppSheet automations. The AI Task can perform the following functions: Extract, Extract Rows, Categorize, and Summarize. | Learn more about Gemini in AppSheet. 


Gemini in Google Sheets now tackles multi-step tasks with expanded editing capabilities
Earlier this year, we introduced powerful new editing options within Gemini in Sheets like creating pivot tables, applying filters, and adding conditional formatting. Building on that momentum, we’re excited to announce that Gemini can now execute multiple actions at once from a single prompt - no need to simplify your instructions or disrupt your workflow by typing multiple different prompts. | Learn more about multi-step actions using Gemini in Sheets. 


Your organization's logo will now appear in the Gemini app
Similar to other Google Workspace service pages, your organization’s logo will now appear next to a user’s profile picture in the Gemini app when they are using their business or education account. | Learn more about organizational logos in the Gemini app. 


Introducing Business Continuity editions: Support business continuity and resilience for enterprise customers
When your primary systems are compromised, you need a dependable partner to keep your organization operational. Our new Business Continuity editions are designed to serve as a robust backup solution that works in tandem with your primary, non-Google Workspace collaboration platform, providing a secure and familiar environment that can be activated when you need it most. | Learn more about the new Business Continuity editions. 


Flashcards in Gemini are now available to users of all ages 
Google Workspace for Education users of all ages can now use Flashcards in Gemini. Users can ask Gemini to instantly create flashcards and study guides based on your quiz results or other class materials, providing a simple and effective way to review key concepts and reinforce your learning. | Learn more about creating Flashcards with Gemini. 



Read More
Image

What’s changing 

When your primary systems are compromised, you need a dependable partner to keep your organization operational. Our new Business Continuity editions are designed to serve as a robust backup solution that works in tandem with your primary, non-Google Workspace collaboration platform, providing a secure and familiar environment that can be activated when you need it most. 

We are introducing two distinct offerings to meet your specific needs: 

1. Business Continuity 
This edition is a true disaster recovery solution designed for a "cold" standby scenario. It provides a secure, isolated environment to ensure your leadership and critical teams can communicate and collaborate during a crisis. 

  • Core Functionality: Allows for syncing your active directory, ensuring your user directory is available when needed. 
  • Usage: Intended for limited use, with access to Google Workspace and generative AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM for up to 21 days per year. 

2. Business Continuity Plus 
This is our full-featured solution for organizations that require a "hot" standby environment with more data readily available to drive immediate adoption and productivity. It is designed to keep your core functions operating with minimal disruption. 

  • Core Functionality: In addition to allowing for syncing directory, this edition allows for data syncing across any product, including but not limited to email, calendar, drive, chat and more. We recommend using a partner-based solution for implementation. 
  • Usage: Provides extended access to Google Workspace and generative AI tools for up to 60 days per year. 

Learn more about these new offerings in our main blog post: Break free from Microsoft 365’s lock-in, vulnerabilities, and outages with Google Workspace and partners

Getting started 

  • Admins: These solutions are intended for organizations who do not use Google Workspace for their primary collaboration platform. Contact your Google rep or partner to discuss suitability and purchase options. 
  • End users: No end user impact. 

Availability 

  • Available everywhere Google Workspace is sold. These solutions are intended for organizations who do not use Google Workspace for their primary collaboration platform. 

Resources 

Read More
Image

  

A summary of announcements from this week:
The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Get more insight into how Chat apps are used within your organization
Google Workspace admins can now get better insights into how Chat apps are being used within their organization via enhanced logging and display of log information. Specifically, we are enhancing Chat event logs to add Chat app related events. | Learn more about the updated Chat app logs. 


Looker Connected Sheets Private IP support
Organizations who have configured private IP Looker Core instances can now enable Connected Sheets for their teams, bringing easier analysis and sharing capabilities to their users. Now, users who were previously restricted from using Connected Sheets due to Private IP controls on their Looker instances will be able to leverage powerful and intuitive spreadsheet capabilities to better understand and analyze their Looker data. | Learn more about Looker connected sheets private IP support. 


Set timers in Google Meet on the web
You can now create meeting timers in the Google Meet sidebar. Timers can be a valuable tool in online meetings for improving focus, managing time effectively, and ensuring equitable participation. By providing a visible, shared sense of time, they help structure the meeting and drive productivity.  | Learn more about using timers in Meet. 


Google Meet live captions are expanding to Cantonese
We’re adding support for Cantonese to Google Meet’s live caption feature. This allows users to view real-time text of what is being spoken in the meeting, making it easier to follow along and participate. | Learn more about the new languages for live captions. 


Create vertical and square videos in Google Vids
You can now create and edit videos in vertical (9:16) and square (1:1) sizes in Google Vids, in addition to the widescreen/horizontal format (16:9) already supported. These additional sizes will give you more flexibility to create content and export to a variety of platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. | Learn more about the new aspect ratio options in Vids. 




Read More
Image

 

A summary of announcements from this week:
The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Changes to membership roles in Google Chat spaces to enable more flexible permissions
We’re introducing an owner role in Google Chat spaces in addition to managers and members. By increasing the number of roles, it will be easier to share the tasks associated with managing spaces with the right colleagues. | Learn more about the new membership roles in Chat spaces. 


Use Nano Banana to edit images in Google Slides and Vids
We’re upgrading Slides and Vids to the latest image editing model, Nano Banana. As recently detailed in this blog post, Nano Banana brings improved quality to image editing to make it easier to bring your ideas to life. | Learn more about the updates to image editing in Slides and Vids. 


Collaborate with Gemini in Google Drive now available on mobile
We have previously launched the ability for users on the web to collaborate with Gemini in Google Drive. Now, we're excited to extend Gemini’s capabilities to users on mobile in the Drive apps for Android and iOS. | Learn more about interacting with Gemini on Drive mobile. 


Improve Chat apps with display carousels and richer text formatting
Developers can use two new features to create more engaging Chat apps. Specifically, we are adding 
a carousel widget, Markdown support, and lists and code blocks. | Learn more about the new options for Chat apps. 


Meet eCDN custom rules improvements for new and existing configurations
In order to improve the experience of admins managing Google Meet’s Enterprise Content Delivery Network (Meet eCDN) rules, we’re updating how the “Custom Rules” peering policy works in some cases, and how assigned networks are surfaced in the MQT eCDN network table. | Learn more about the changes to Meet eCDN configurations. 


Ransomware detection and file restoration for Google Drive available in beta
We’re adding two new features to help organizations minimize the impact of ransomware attacks on personal computers. Specifically, we are adding these features in beta: Ransomware detection and File restoration. | Learn more about the new protection features for Drive. 


Microsoft Teams Interoperability with Pexip Connect
For more than seven years, Pexip has been a trusted interoperability partner for Google Meet, ensuring that participants can use their legacy meeting room systems to join Google Meet calls. We are excited to expand our relationship with Pexip Connect for Google Meet hardware – which will enable Google Meet hardware to seamlessly join Microsoft Teams from both Android and ChromeOS hardware. | Learn more about Teams interop with Pexip. 


Enable 'take notes for me' in Calendar, ahead of your meeting
Taking notes during meetings is crucial for tracking action items and key decisions. With our Gemini-powered “Take notes for me”, you can stay fully engaged in the conversation while ensuring nothing gets missed. Event organizers can now enable Take notes for me when scheduling the event or preparing their meeting in Calendar. | Learn more about the easier set up for take notes for me. 


Quickly find and use Google Chat apps and Workspace actions with the redesigned integrations menu
We're making it quicker and easier to find and use your favorite apps and actions in Google Chat with a redesigned integrations menu that lets you search for apps and execute commands with fewer clicks. The menu is accessible through the "+" button next to the compose bar or by typing "/". | Learn more about the new integrations menu in Chat. 


Create custom, AI-generated meeting backgrounds on Mobile devices
You can now create custom background images with Gemini from your Android or iOS device. Meeting backgrounds can help obscure your surroundings during a meeting or they can enhance the meeting itself. | Learn more about using AI backgrounds on mobile. 


Gemini app data now included in Access Transparency, Access Management, and Access Approvals
Access Transparency, Access Management, and Access Approvals now cover Gemini App data. These features provide admins full transparency into when Gemini App data is viewed for support purposes, control over which Google support staff can view this data, and control over when this data can be viewed by Google for support purposes. | Learn more about the additional visibility and controls for Gemini app data. 


Express yourself with stickers in Google Chat
Users can now send expressive stickers in their conversations in Google Chat on the web. Stickers can provide users with more options to express themselves in their Chat conversations, alongside emojis, GIFs, and other media-based messages. | Learn more about sending stickers in Chat. 


Send Gmail end-to-end encrypted emails to anyone
Generally available today, Gmail client-side encryption (CSE) users can send end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) emails to anyone, even if the recipient uses a different email provider. Recipients will receive a notification and can easily access the encrypted message via a guest account, ensuring secure communication without the hassle of exchanging keys or using custom software. | Learn more about encrypted emails in Gmail. 


Use the Gemini in Chrome AI browsing assistant, now generally available
Starting today, Gemini in Chrome is available to Google Workspace users with access to the Gemini app. Gemini in Chrome is an AI browsing assistant to help you get things done on Mac, Windows and iOS devices. | Learn more about using Gemini in Chrome. 



Read More
Image

What’s changing 

For more than seven years, Pexip has been a trusted interoperability partner for Google Meet, ensuring that participants can use their legacy meeting room systems to join Google Meet calls. We are excited to expand our relationship with Pexip Connect for Google Meet hardware – which will enable Google Meet hardware to seamlessly join Microsoft Teams from both Android and ChromeOS hardware. 

Image

Additional Details 

  • There is an additional cost associated with using this offering from Pexip.
  • The integration supports joining scheduled meetings as well as joining with a meeting code 
  • Pexip enables Google Meet hardware to join Microsoft Teams meetings through their Pexip Connect service. Additional information can be found on their website. 

Getting started 

Pexip Connect for Google Meet hardware 

  • Admins 
    • Add the Pexip customer ID to the Built-in interoperability section of the Google Meet Hardware settings in the admin console. 
  • End users: 
    • When enabled by your admin, you can join a Teams meeting from a Google Meet hardware: 
      • Join an ad-hoc meeting by tapping "Join or start a meeting" on your touch controller (or on the touch screen device) and selecting Teams from the dropdown options. 
      • Add a a room to a with Teams meeting details. 
        • Note: Calendar events that originate outside of Google Calendar must be duplicated and populated with room details manually, or have their Teams meeting details copy and pasted into the description field of a new Calendar event. 
      • Visit the Help Center to learn more about Google Meet interoperability. 

Rollout pace 

Admin Setting 


End User Availability (on Devices) 


Availability 

  • Pexip Connect for Google Meet hardware is available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers with Google Meet hardware. All currently supported Google Meet hardware devices that have not yet reached their auto-update expiration date support the feature. 
  • Please work with either Pexip directly or an authorized reseller to get access 

Resources 



Read More

Useful Links

Join the official community for Google Workspace administrators

In the Google Cloud Community, discuss the latest features with Googlers and other Google Workspace admins like you. Learn tips and tricks that will make your work and life easier. Be the first to know what's happening with Google Workspace.

Learn about more Google Workspace launches

On the “What’s new in Google Workspace?” Help Center page, learn about new products and features launching in Google Workspace, including smaller changes that haven’t been announced on the Google Workspace Updates blog.

Learn about our customers

Discover how a diverse range of organizations, from small businesses and nimble startups to globally recognized Fortune 500 corporations, leverage the collaborative power of Google Workspace. Explore examples of how teams of are streamlining workflows and driving productivity by utilizing Google-Workspace.