Google Workspace Updates

Google Workspace Weekly Recap - July 10, 2026

2026-07-10T13:19:20.611-07:00

Join video conferences on Google Meet hardware via SIP through Pexip

You can now join video conferences on Google Meet hardware via SIP through a Pexip interop gateway. This brings universal connectivity for users to join meetings hosted on any SIP-compatible platform directly from their Meet rooms. The functionality is available for room hardware based on both Android and ChromeOS. | Learn more.

Occupancy counting now available for Google Meet on Neat room hardware

Occupancy counting is now available for Android-based Neat room hardware to help measure how meeting rooms are used. This feature brings the same occupancy counting capabilities found on ChromeOS devices to Android-based hardware. | Learn more.

Fill with Gemini in Sheets now available in 11 additional languages

We're leveraging the capabilities of the AI function in Google Sheets, Fill with Gemini eliminates the need for complex formulas, helping you easily generate text, summarize information, categorize data, or analyze sentiment at scale with generated content appearing directly in the cells you choose. | Learn more.

New calendar sharing permission level and changes to recurring event visibility

We're introducing a new calendar sharing permission level: “Make changes (see private events as free/busy)”. This allows you to grant someone edit access to your calendar while keeping the details of your private events entirely hidden. This is especially useful for leaders who assign delegates to help them manage their calendars. | Learn more.

Convert your Google Slides to videos in 7 additional languages

Google Vids already lets you convert your Slides content into Vids with AI-generated scripts, voiceovers, background music, and animations for presentations and accounts in English. We’re now expanding support to French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. | Learn more.

Streamline identity lifecycle management in Google Workspace with new inbound SCIM support

We are excited to announce the general availability of Google Workspace inbound SCIM APIs to help IT administrators standardize identity lifecycle management. This new capability allows you to sync your Google Workspace directory in real time with any SCIM-compatible Identity Provider (IdP), HR system (HRIS), or custom application. | Learn more.

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

Streamline identity lifecycle management in Google Workspace with new inbound SCIM support

2026-07-09T10:09:34.009-07:00

With inbound SCIM, when a Workspace end user’s account permissions are changed via their organization’s IdP, their access to Workspace data and any downstream apps, such as Gemini Enterprise, will also be updated in real time. Previously, customers would need to build custom integrations using Google directory APIs.

SCIM overview

System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) is an open protocol that synchronizes directory information between identity systems. With inbound SCIM, Google Workspace acts as a SCIM Service Provider, enabling compatible Identity Providers (IdPs) to automatically provision, update, and deactivate users and groups in real time.

Inbound SCIM offers:

Automated lifecycle management: IT teams no longer need to manually create user accounts or update details for Workspace, saving significant time and costs.
Seamless onboarding and day-one productivity: New employees have access to all Workspace productivity tools the moment they start, creating a frictionless onboarding experience.
Enhanced security with instant deprovisioning: When an employee leaves your organization or changes roles, SCIM instantly pushes an update request to Workspace. This eliminates the security risks associated with orphaned accounts and makes compliance audits significantly easier.
Simplified admin experience: Inbound SCIM offers a one-click token generation experience and admin controls to lock synced groups from your external source to prevent manual changes in Workspace that would conflict with your identity provider.

Getting started

Admins: This feature will be available by default and can be disabled/enabled at the domain level. Visit the Help Center to learn more.
End users: This is an admin-facing feature only.

The Manage external directories page in the Admin console showing Inbound SCIM setup

Configure a new Inbound SCIM connection with external IdP

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting July 9, 2026

Availability

Business: Business Starter, Standard, and Plus
Enterprise: Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Get started with Inbound SCIM

Convert your Google Slides to videos in 7 additional languages

2026-07-08T10:17:49.140-07:00

Google Vids already lets you convert your Slides content into Vids with AI-generated scripts, voiceovers, background music, and animations for presentations and accounts in English.

We’re now expanding support to French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about converting Google Slides into Google Vids.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) started on June 30, 2026
Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on July 20, 2026

Availability

Business: Business Starter, Standard, and Plus
Enterprise: Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus
Education: Education Plus
Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
Other Editions: Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus; Nonprofits
Education Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education; Teaching and Learning
Other Add-ons: AI Expanded Access

Resources

Google Help: Convert Google Slides into Google Vids

New calendar sharing permission level and changes to recurring event visibility

2026-07-07T11:08:42.215-07:00

Delegates assigned this restricted permission level will only be able to create, delete, and edit non-private events. Private events will appear to delegates as “busy” blocks on the calendar grid, and delegates will not be able to edit or reschedule them. In addition, private events won’t show up in any search results for delegates.

Changes to visibility for recurring events

We’re also introducing changes to the way visibility settings are applied to recurring events.

Users can no longer make changes to the visibility of a single event in a recurring series. Any changes to visibility will be applied to all events in the series.
Existing events in a recurring series will be updated to match the strictest visibility setting of any event in that series. In other words, if one event in the series is marked private but the others are not, all events in that series will be changed to private.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: Users can grant delegates this new permission level in their Calendar settings. Visit the Help Center to learn more about sharing your calendar.

Rollout pace

Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on July 7, 2026

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

Resources

Google Calendar Help: Share your calendar

Fill with Gemini in Sheets now available in 11 additional languages

2026-07-07T09:25:56.957-07:00

Earlier this year, we announced Fill with Gemini in Google Sheets, a new AI-powered feature designed to make data preparation and manual entry even easier. Leveraging the capabilities of the AI function in Google Sheets, Fill with Gemini eliminates the need for complex formulas, helping you easily generate text, summarize information, categorize data, or analyze sentiment at scale with generated content appearing directly in the cells you choose.

Previously available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, and German, both Fill with Gemini and the AI function are now expanding to users in Mandarin, Dutch, Malay, Hebrew, Polish, Turkish, Czech, Indonesian, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian.

Getting started

Admins: Fill with Gemini is an entry point to the existing AI function. It will be hidden if the Smart features for Google Workspace setting is disabled. Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing Google Workspace smart features for your users.
End users: You must have Workspace smart features enabled to use Fill with Gemini. Users can trigger Fill with Gemini by dragging a selection or selecting empty cells to see the prompt menu. Visit the Help Center to learn more about filling columns with Gemini.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on July 7, 2026

Availability

Business: Business Standard and Plus
Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
Education Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education
AI Add-ons: AI Expanded Access*

*Starting July 15, 2026, users with AI Expanded Access licenses will have higher limits on usage of Fill with Gemini and the AI function in Sheets.

Resources

Google Docs Editors Help: Use the AI function in Google Sheets
Google Admin Help: Set smart features & controls on or off for users

Occupancy counting now available for Google Meet on Neat room hardware

2026-07-07T07:39:10.384-07:00

Understanding room occupancy helps organizations optimize real estate and room design based on user needs. For instance, organizations can track if rooms with older video hardware are being avoided in favor of rooms equipped with better tracking cameras and audio bars.

Admins can review occupancy data in the Google Admin console and optionally download it as a spreadsheet. This feature does not collect or store any personally identifiable information (PII). Because occupancy detection processes data locally on the device, the camera LED indicator may remain off during counting depending on the hardware vendor. Refer to vendor documentation for device-specific information.

Review room booking and occupancy in the Admin console

Getting started

Admins: This feature will be off by default and can be enabled at the domain, organizational unit (OU), or group level. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning on occupancy detection.
End users: There is no end-user setting for this feature.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) started on July 6, 2026

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet on Neat AOSP hardware devices.

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Turn on occupancy detection
Google Workspace Admin Help: Track room and device usage with Meet hardware

Join video conferences on Google Meet hardware via SIP through Pexip

2026-07-06T07:52:27.957-07:00

The SIP functionality for Meet hardware enables critical in-meeting interactions, such as DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) capabilities that allow users to navigate meeting IVRs (interactive voice response systems), e.g., "Press 1 to raise your hand" and entering numeric meeting passcodes.

Distinct administrator settings are provided for managing SIP dial-out functionality separately from other Pexip-based integrations.

Join SIP calls with a single touch from the room agenda

SIP interoperability setting for administrators

Getting started

Admins: This feature will be off by default and can be disabled or enabled at the domain, OU, or group level. Visit the Help Center to learn more.
End users: There is no end user setting for this feature.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on July 6, 2026

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices*

*Functionality requires a separate Pexip subscription

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Allow Meet hardware to join third-party video conferencing services
Google Meet Hardware Help: Meet interoperability FAQ

Google Workspace Weekly Recap - July 3, 2026

2026-07-03T12:31:10.215-07:00

Updated admin setting for improved video quality in Google Meet

In April 2026, we updated Meet to improve video quality on high-resolution displays. We’re now updating the way the Admin console setting that limits video bandwidth works to reduce data usage and improve call quality. | Learn more.

Educators and students can now share Gemini Canvas creations directly to Google Classroom

Assign mobile device management admin privileges based on organizational unit

We’re giving admins more granular control over how mobile device management privileges are delegated. Specifically, admins can be assigned privileges for specific organizational units (OUs), adding another layer of security by scoping access only to necessary OUs. | Learn more.

Data regions support for the Gemini app now available

The Gemini app adheres to your organization’s data regionalization requirements. As with Google Workspace, admins have the flexibility to configure controls for EU storage and processing, US storage and processing, or both, including granular settings down to the organizational unit (OU) level. | Learn more.

Create fully native and editable presentations with Gemini in Google Slides

You can now create a full, multi-slide presentation using Gemini in Google Slides. With a single prompt, you can ground the presentation in existing content from Google Drive, match the style of another presentation, and build fully editable slides, allowing you to make any necessary adjustments. | Learn more.

Ask Gemini in Drive now available on mobile

In April, we announced the general availability of Ask Gemini in Drive on the web. We’re now bringing this feature to the Drive Android and iOS apps. | Learn more.

Work with delegated Gmail accounts from mobile devices

Previously, users could only work with delegated Gmail accounts through the web interface. We are updating the Gmail app for iOS and Android to allow delegates to read, manage, and compose emails on behalf of a delegator directly from their mobile devices. | Learn more.

AI Overviews in Drive now available on mobile

In April, we announced the general availability for Drive AI Overviews in Drive on the web. We’re now bringing this feature to the Drive Android and iOS apps. | Learn more.

Import 3D bar charts into Google Sheets

Google Sheets now fully supports the import of 3D bar charts. Previously, when users imported files containing 3D bar charts into Sheets, they would be displayed as 2D bar charts. With this update, importing these types of files, including from Microsoft Excel, will yield a more seamless experience. | Learn more.

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

Import 3D bar charts into Google Sheets

2026-07-01T10:37:58.855-07:00

3D bar chart imported into Google Sheets

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about adding and editing a chart in Google Sheets.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release domains: Available now
Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on July 13, 2026

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts

Resources

Google Docs Editors Help: Add & edit a chart or graph

AI Overviews in Drive now available on mobile

2026-06-30T12:55:27.289-07:00

In April, we announced the general availability for Drive AI Overviews in Drive on the web. We’re now bringing this feature to the Drive Android and iOS apps.

Instead of searching through endless files and opening dozens of tabs to find the information you need, you can now get instant answers right at the top of your search results. Gemini does the heavy lifting for you, scanning your documents to provide clear, reliable summaries.

Here is how it helps you work smarter:

See the big picture: Get a quick summary of information pulled from multiple files without needing to open each one.
Ask naturally: There’s no need to use complicated search tricks. Just ask a question as you would to a colleague, like "What’s in our Spring 2026 catalog?"
Get the right answer: Gemini automatically understands what you’re looking for, whether it’s a quick fact, a project summary, or a list of specific documents, and adjusts its response to match.
Dig deeper with ease: If you need more information, you can go from a quick summary to a deeper conversation with Ask Gemini in just one click.
Control your AI Overviews scope: Use AI Overview search settings to choose which Google Workspace apps Gemini uses to find files and generate AI Overviews.

This feature will roll out in English and an additional 28 languages (the same as those supposed for Gemini in Drive side panel) over the next several weeks.

Getting started

Admins: This feature is available by default if Gemini for Workspace in Drive is enabled.
End users: You must have Workspace smart features enabled to use AI Overviews in Drive. Visit the Help Center to learn more about getting answers directly in Drive search.

Rollout pace

Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) started on June 26, 2026

Availability

Business: Business Standard and Plus
Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
AI Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education

Resources

Google Help: Search & retrieve your files in Drive with Gemini

Work with delegated Gmail accounts from mobile devices

2026-06-30T11:26:46.826-07:00

This update removes a significant barrier for employees who rely on mobile devices for their daily productivity. For example, an administrative assistant can seamlessly handle urgent communications for an executive while away from the office, without needing to find a desktop computer.

When using the Gmail mobile app, delegates can now:

Switch between their own inbox and delegated accounts.
View unread message counts for delegated inboxes from the account menu.
See emails intermingled across delegated accounts and their own account using the mobile “All inboxes” view.
Send messages that allow recipients to view the specific "sent by" information in the mobile experience.

Administrators retain full control over delegation settings, including the ability to restrict delegation to specific organizational units. The mobile experience adheres to existing delegation policies and limits, such as supporting up to 1,000 unique delegates per account and 40 concurrent users. Delegators do not need to perform any additional setup to enable mobile access for their existing delegates.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this specific mobile feature; it follows existing delegation settings that you’ve configured for the web experience.
End users: To access a delegated account, ensure you have first been granted access via the Gmail web settings. Once granted, tap your profile picture in the Gmail app on Android or iOS and select the delegated account from the list. Visit the Help Center to learn more about delegating and collaborating on email.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Rolling out now with expected completion by July 8, 2026 (Android), and July 29, 2026 (iOS)

Availability

Available in early July to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Let users delegate access to a Gmail account
Google Help: Delegate and collaborate on email

Ask Gemini in Drive now available on mobile

2026-06-30T10:40:51.188-07:00

In April, we announced the general availability of Ask Gemini in Drive on the web. We’re now bringing this feature to the Drive Android and iOS apps.

Ask Gemini in Drive offers you a dedicated, immersive workspace designed for deep focus. You can now engage in high-context, multi-turn conversations to efficiently explore and understand content across Drive, other Workspace apps, and the web.

Key features include:

Dedicated conversations: Engage in focused discussions about specific sets of files and folders. By grounding your questions in the relevant content, you get more precise, actionable answers.
Persistent conversation history: Easily pick up where you left off. Your past chats are saved, allowing you to quickly revisit previous insights about specific folders or projects without starting over.
Secure and compliant: Ask Gemini in Drive is built directly into the Drive architecture, it never copies or replicates your files. It honors your existing data protection and security controls, including access permissions, DLP policies, and IRM, ensuring Gemini only accesses content you are authorized to see.

This feature will roll out in English and an additional 28 languages over the next several weeks.

Getting started

Admins: This feature is available by default if Gemini for Workspace in Drive is enabled.
End users: You must have Workspace smart features enabled to use Ask Gemini in Drive. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Ask Gemini in Drive.

Rollout pace

Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) started on June 26, 2026

Availability

Business: Business Standard and Plus
Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
AI Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education

Resources

Google Drive Help: Use Gemini in Drive for research & analysis

Create fully native and editable presentations with Gemini in Google Slides

2026-06-30T08:02:27.330-07:00

Try the following to create more relevant, compelling presentations in less time:

Add a prompt: In the Slides side panel, add a prompt to generate a presentation.
Ground it in your content: Add as many reference files directly from Drive as you need to provide context.
Stay on-brand: Attach an existing deck to use as a style reference to ensure your presentation matches your desired look and feel.
Refine the plan for your presentation: Answer any follow-up questions to refine the presentation’s tone, style, content, or audience. You will also have the chance to edit or approve the presentation outline before the actual slides are created.

Note: At launch, this feature will be supported in English only.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about generating a presentation with Gemini.

Note: Through at least August 1, 2026, Workspace customers will get promotional access to higher limits for creating multi-slide presentations using Gemini in Google Slides, allowing users to experiment with this feature. Users will see a notification when they use this feature to inform them of the limited higher promotional access period. Per-user usage limits will apply after that date; we’ll provide more information in the Help Center in advance of updated usage limits going into effect.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) started on June 29, 2026

Availability

Business: Business Standard and Plus
Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
Education Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education
Other Add-ons: AI Expanded Access*

*Once promotional limits are no longer in effect, users with AI Expanded Access add-on licenses will have higher limits on usage of Gemini in Slides.

Resources

Google Slides Help: Generate presentations with Gemini in Google Slides
Google Workspace Updates Blog: Reimagining content creation with Gemini in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive

Data regions support for the Gemini app now available

2026-06-29T12:58:12.665-07:00

Beginning today, the Gemini app adheres to your organization’s data regionalization requirements. As with Google Workspace, admins have the flexibility to configure controls for EU storage and processing, US storage and processing, or both, including granular settings down to the organizational unit (OU) level.

Data regions are critical for ensuring many customers can meet their own internal requirements, as well as other legal, regulatory, and data sovereignty requirements by controlling the geographical location of their data at rest. Expanding these controls to the Gemini app allows our customers to adopt Gemini broadly in their organization with confidence that their data is being processed and stored in the location they require.

Getting started

Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about data regions, choosing a geographic location for your data, setting up advanced settings for data regions, and what data is covered by data regions.
End users: There is no end user setting for this feature.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Available now

Availability

Enterprise: Enterprise Plus (provides in-region processing and storage capabilities)
Education: Education Plus and Education Standard (provides in-region storage capabilities only)
Other Editions: Frontline Plus (provides in-region processing and storage capabilities)

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Data regions: Choose a geographic location for your data
Google Workspace Admin Help: What data is covered by a data region policy?
Google Workspace Admin Help: About Assured Controls and Assured Controls Plus

Assign mobile device management admin privileges based on organizational unit

2026-06-29T12:40:12.339-07:00

Previously available in beta, we’re now making this feature generally available, with improvements to the way devices are displayed to help admins view and manage their devices more efficiently.

Example experience for an admin with OU-level permissions

Getting started

Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about administrator roles and delegating device management administrator privileges.
End users: There is no end user impact or action required.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on June 29, 2026

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Create an admin role for an organizational unit
Google Workspace Admin Help: Delegate device management administrator privileges

Educators and students can now share Gemini Canvas creations directly to Google Classroom

2026-06-29T11:17:11.661-07:00

Educators and students of all ages can now seamlessly attach Gemini Canvas artifacts, like websites, quizzes, interactive games, infographics, and more, to Google Classroom assignments and posts. Right from Gemini Canvas, users can click on the “Share to to Classroom” button. This update allows users to enrich their classroom communication and coursework by embedding interactive materials directly into their existing workflows.

By removing the friction of exporting or linking external files, this feature helps teachers diversify their lesson materials and enables students to share creative outputs more efficiently. The integration ensures that rich, interactive media is easily accessible to everyone in the class, supporting a more engaging and dynamic digital learning environment.

Getting started

Admins:

The ability to share Gemini Canvas artifacts will be ON by default and can be managed via a new Admin console setting. Additionally, sharing is governed by your organization’s existing Drive sharing policies. If Drive content is set to be shareable outside the organization, your Gemini assets will be as well. Visit the Help Center to learn more.
To share Gemini Canvas artifacts to Google Classroom, students and educators must also be in a group or OU with Gemini set to On. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning Gemini on or off for users.

End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. If enabled by your admin, you can share your Gemini canvases and media to Classroom, select Share > Share to Classroom > select the class and/or assignment you want to share it with. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Gemini.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Available now

Availability

Education: Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus

Resources

Google Workspace Updates Blog: Share chats, canvases, and generated media from the Gemini app securely via Google Drive
Google Workspace Admin Help: Turn conversation sharing on or off
Google Workspace Admin Help: Turn the Gemini app on or off

Updated admin setting for improved video quality in Google Meet

2026-06-29T10:05:55.507-07:00

Previously, the ‘Limit video bandwidth’ setting only limited video bandwidth on the uplink; it now limits bandwidth on the downlink as well. In addition, we’re improving quality for two-person calls by increasing the uplink bandwidth usage in this scenario.

Updated setting for Meet default video quality

Getting started

Admins: Your existing settings will remain applied. Visit the Help Center to learn more about configuring default video quality.
End users: There is no end user setting for this feature.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 29, 2026

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers

Resources

Google Admin Help: Manage Meet settings (for admins)
Google Admin Help: Configuring default video quality

Google Workspace Weekly Recap - June 26, 2026

2026-06-26T11:52:29.514-07:00

Troubleshoot formula errors quickly with Gemini in Google Sheets

We’re excited to introduce a new Gemini in Sheets capability that enables you to diagnose and fix formula errors in one click. When you encounter a formula error, Gemini can analyze the surrounding data structure to help provide an easy-to-understand explanation of the core issue alongside a corrected version of the formula. | Learn more.

Enhanced security monitoring with expanded Admin password reset alerts

In Alert Center, we are expanding the existing “Super Admin password reset” alert into a broader Admin password reset alert. With this update, the alert will now cover password resets for all administrator roles within your organization. | Learn more.

Join Google Meet calls from Safari on iOS devices

Google Apps Script is now a Google Workspace core service with enterprise-grade data protection

Google Apps Script is officially a Google Workspace core service. Covered under the Google Cloud Terms of Service and Google Workspace for Education Terms of Service, Apps Script now offers the same enterprise-grade data protection, robust administrative controls, and standard technical support that safeguards other core services. | Learn more.

Connect to Google Meet hardware with room codes now in Early Preview

Updates to Gemini in Google Classroom

We are introducing several updates to the Gemini tab in Google Classroom designed to make its tools even more helpful for teachers. These changes make it easier for educators to collaborate with AI and create visual aids from any device, while expanding options for refining lesson plans. | Learn more.

Stricter classifications for Google Groups to enhance data security and privacy

Earlier this year, we announced changes to Google Groups to enhance data security and privacy. The changes, which are rolling out now. | Learn more.

Read Along in Google Classroom is now available to all education users to support foundational literacy

Streamline your data backups with incremental exports for Google Workspace

Google Workspace administrators can now utilize incremental exports when backing up organizational data. Instead of re-exporting their entire organization's data, admins can export frequent snapshots of their data into their organization’s own Google Cloud Storage (GCS) bucket. | Learn more.

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

Streamline your data backups with incremental exports for Google Workspace

2026-06-26T08:00:46.011-07:00

Key benefits include faster completion times, reduced Google Cloud Storage consumption and costs, and the ability to establish more frequent backup schedules to mitigate the risk of potential data loss.

Specifically, admins can schedule automated exports for Gmail, Drive, and Chat, with the flexibility to scope data by organizational unit (OU), group, or specific users. They can initiate:

Periodic full backups - establishing a baseline snapshot through regular full exports

Quarterly (every 3 months)
Semi-annually (every 6 months)
Annually (every year)

Frequent incremental backups - supplementing the baseline with frequent incremental backups, such as backing up data from the "last x days" every "y days"

Capture data from the last 5 days, running every 3 days
Capture data from the last 7 days, running every 5 days

Getting started

Admins: Super Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about exporting your organization’s data and incremental exports.
End users: There is no end user impact or action required.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 24, 2026

Availability

Enterprise: Enterprise Plus customers with Assured Controls and Assured Controls Plus

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Set up an incremental data export
Google Workspace Admin Help: Export all your organization's data

Read Along in Google Classroom is now available to all education users to support foundational literacy

2026-06-25T09:58:19.271-07:00

Read Along in Google Classroom, an AI-powered literacy tool that provides in-the-moment support to students as they read aloud, is now available to all Google Workspace for Education users at no cost. We believe this will open access to literacy tools for millions of students, and help educators and education leaders achieve better learning outcomes and progress on foundational literacy.

Read Along is designed to build students' speaking, listening, and decoding skills. It offers flexible learning modes, allowing students to practice aloud with real-time feedback, listen to stories, or enjoy books independently. To help emerging students transition from simply "learning to read" to "reading to learn," Read Along includes questions directly in the material to continuously strengthen comprehension as well as decoding support through word-breakdown.

Educators can use Read Along in Google Classroom to provide personalized reading practice for every student. The insights dashboard showing individual student and class-wide progress can help inform instruction and make it easier to create tailored reading activities based on student needs.

With this update, all Google Workspace for Education users will have access to:

A tailored reading experience in Google Classroom: Educators can easily create interactive reading activities right within Classroom, giving students in-the-moment support while getting actionable insights related to their reading skills.
Real-time reading support: Learners get help with pronunciation as they read aloud and get word breakdown support.
Class and student insights to inform instruction: View information on accuracy, speed, comprehension, phonics skills, and progress for individual students and the entire class.
An extensive content library: Choose from over hundreds of books across eight languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Thai, Indonesian, and Malay. This includes content such as Heggerty decodables, ReadWorks articles for higher-grade learners, and localized publisher titles like Turma da Mônica in Brazil.
Multilingual support: For students learning English, the reading buddy can provide real-time support in both English and their native language so they can practice their vocabulary. Native language support is available in Spanish, Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Indonesian, and Malay.
Story creation with Gemini: With help from Gemini, educators can create differentiated reading activities tailored to phonics skills needing practice, specific topics, and reading levels.
Existing content: Add existing class content to better tailor real-time student support and insights with Read Along.

Advanced analytics, like viewing student’s progress over time or across assignments and the ability to extract data via BigQuery, are only available with Education Plus and Teaching & Learning add-on.

Getting started

Admins: If you became a Google Workspace for Education customer on or after July 7, 2024, Read Along will be ON by default. If you became a Google Workspace for Education customer before July 7, 2024, you’ll need to enabled Read Along in the Admin console. Read Along can be disabled at the domain and OU level. It can be enabled at the group level even if it is disabled at the OU level. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning Read Along on or off for users.
End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about Read Along in Classroom.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Rolling out now, with expected completion by July 3, 2026

Availability

Education: Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus
Education Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education; Teaching and Learning; Endpoint Education
Other Editions: Nonprofits

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Turn Read Along on or off for users
Google Classroom Help: Read Along in Google Classroom

Stricter classifications for Google Groups to enhance data security and privacy

2026-06-24T14:22:05.362-07:00

Earlier this year, we announced changes to Google Groups to enhance data security and privacy. The changes, which are rolling out now, include:

Stricter “internal” and “external” classifications for Groups
Clearer visual indicators for whether a group contains external members
Changes to how emails are shown within Google Groups
Additional settings granularity to control who can add external users (admins only, or admins and end users)
Changes to how admins can add external users via Groups APIs

API changes

While we originally announced that admins would have to change the classification of a group before being able to add external members to Groups marked as internal, we’re updating that behavior to prevent issues with synced groups. When an admin attempts to add an external member to an internal group via the Cloud Identity or Admin SDK Directory API, or when they sync data from a third-party identity provider via API, the group settings will be automatically updated to allow admins to add external members.

Getting started

Admins: To ensure a smooth transition, existing groups will be automatically classified based on their current membership, so there will not be any changes in access. You can review and adjust these labels directly in the Admin console or via the Groups Settings API to match your organization's security needs.
End users: There is no action required for end users.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Rolling out now, with expected completion by July 1, 2026

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Changes to internal and external classifications in Google Groups

Updates to Gemini in Google Classroom

2026-06-24T13:48:48.660-07:00

Mobile availability

We know educators and students use Google Classroom on the go on their mobile devices, so we are excited to announce that the Gemini tab is now available in the Classroom Android and iOS apps, making these features more accessible to teachers and higher education students. For educators, the following features are available in the Classroom mobile app: Generate a quiz, Brainstorm project ideas, Craft a compelling hook, Tackle common misconceptions, and starter prompts for the Gemini app. All Gemini starter prompts and personal class notebooks in the student Gemini tab are available in the Classroom mobile app.

Tools to generate visual resources

Powered by Nano Banana 2, Google’s newest image generation model, these starter prompts help teachers create visuals that illustrate complex topics for students:

Create an infographic
Draw a comic strip
Visualize a concept

Teachers can also personalize three new starter prompts to generate a slide deck for a given concept and grade level using Gemini’s Canvas tool:

Create a presentation
Create an interactive activity
Convert a file to Google slides

Getting started

Admins: As an administrator of your organization's Google Accounts, you can control who is allowed to use Gemini in Google Classroom to generate content and resources. These capabilities are only available to users who are verified as teachers and as 18 years of age or older in your institution’s age-based access settings. Visit the Help Center to learn about managing access to Gemini in Classroom and the option to turn the service on or off for users in your Admin console.
End users: Navigate to the Gemini tab in the navigation bar in Google Classroom. When using generated content, you should always review the outputs as AI can make mistakes and refine the output so that it fits your context and local policies before assigning to students. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Gemini in Classroom, and check out these resources for teachers, including this resource with tips and best practices for trying Gemini in Classroom.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Available now

Availability

Education: Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Manage access to Gemini in Classroom
Google Classroom Help: Learn about Gemini in Classroom

Connect to Google Meet hardware with room codes now in Early Preview

2026-06-23T11:57:59.663-07:00

Google Meet users can now connect to nearby conference room hardware by entering a 5-character room code on their personal device. Meet recently launched Connect Room using proximity-based detection to identify nearby hardware. This update provides a reliable manual fallback when ultrasound is unavailable or disabled. Users will see a "Connect with room code" button on their device’s pre-call screen, which allows them to enter the alphanumeric code displayed directly on the hardware’s screen.

This feature ensures that meetings remain accessible particularly for private or ad-hoc sessions where automated detection might fail. To maintain security and prevent accidental connections, users must physically confirm their presence by tapping the room hardware screen after entering the code. The room code itself is designed for clarity and security, refreshing every few minutes to ensure only those in the room can initiate the connection.

For IT administrators, this update reduces troubleshooting overhead by providing a built-in alternative for rooms with complex acoustic environments or restricted proximity settings. By streamlining the connection process, organizations can ensure that employees spend less time managing hardware and more time collaborating effectively.

Note: This feature is only available to users in domains on the Rapid Release track attempting to connect to devices enrolled in Early Preview. We’ll provide an update on the Workspace Updates blog when we begin a broader rollout.

Getting started

Admins: To preview this feature, your domain must be on the Rapid Release track and have devices enrolled in Early Preview. Visit the Help Center to learn more about enabling Early Preview for your Meet hardware devices.
End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about connecting with room codes.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release domains: Rolling out now to Meet hardware devices enrolled in Early Preview, with expected completion by June 30, 2026

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices

Resources

Google Meet Help: Use Connect room feature in Google Meet
Workspace Updates Blog: Seamlessly join meetings on Google Meet hardware with “Connect room”

Google Apps Script is now a Google Workspace core service with enterprise-grade data protection

2026-06-23T09:31:06.212-07:00

More about Apps Script

Apps Script is a cloud-based JavaScript platform that enables users to customize, automate, and extend Google Workspace applications like Sheets, Docs, and Forms, as well as build custom solutions and add-ons. You can use it to:

Create custom menus, dialogs, and sidebars within Sheets, Docs, and Slides.
Write custom functions for Sheets to automate complex calculations.
Build internal add-ons to streamline organizational workflows and integrate with third-party APIs.

Getting started

Admins:

If you already have Apps Script enabled: No action is required. Your organization will automatically benefit from these new core service protections and technical support.
If you previously restricted Apps Script: If you turned Apps Script off due to compliance, security, or support concerns, you can now enable the service to provide secure, custom automation for your users. Visit the Help Center to learn how to manage Apps Script access for your organization.

End users: No action is required. Visit the Help Center to learn more about getting started with Apps Script.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Available now

Availability

Apps Script is now available as a core service for all Google Workspace customers

Resources

Google Workspace Developer Documentation: Apps Script
Google Workspace Admin Help: Turn Apps Script on or off for users

Join Google Meet calls from Safari on iOS devices

2026-06-23T08:53:32.441-07:00

Prior to this update, iOS users without the Gmail or Meet apps were unable to participate in Google Meet sessions on their mobile devices. Now, iOS mobile device users can join meetings directly through Safari, without needing to install an app. The process is now seamless; individuals without a Google account can simply provide their name to request entry into the call.

In this animation, an iPhone user has received a link to join a Meet call. They click on the link and immediately join via their Safari browser.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: If an iOS user attempts to join a Google Meet call and doesn’t have the Gmail or Meet app installed, they’ll be automatically directed to join via Safari.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 23, 2026

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts