Google Workspace Updates: March 2016

Activate link sharing quickly via the “Get sharable link” icon in Drive web

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

To prevent accidental over-sharing, the user will see an animation when clicking the toggle switch that makes it clear that the permissions are being changed to allow the link to be shared with view access with those who will be receiving it. In addition, there is a confirmation message that appears on the screen, alerting users of the change in permissions, and giving them the option to easily undo it.

*Note: this post was edited on April 5, 2016 to reflect a change in the default behavior

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

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Google Drive allows users to easily share files with collaborators through access control permissions and sharable links. With this launch, we are making it even easier to turn on file sharing in Drive on the web. Just select a file and click on the “Get sharable link” icon on the top right-hand side menu. You’ll then have the option to turn on link sharing with one click on the toggle switch.* The sharing link will then be copied to the clipboard for easy distribution and will provide view access to anyone in your domain who receives the link.

*Note: this post was edited on April 5, 2016 to reflect a change in the default behavior

Enable the new Google Contacts for your users from the Admin console

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

After enabling this feature, when users next visit Google Contacts they will see the new UI and a “warm welcome” splash page will guide them through the new features.

Key improvements

Easily get rid of duplicates: No one likes having duplicate contacts, but they inevitably crop up. So we’ve rebuilt our “Find duplicates” feature from the ground up to provide a quick and painless way to clean up your duplicates.

Improved Domain Directory: The directory is easier to navigate through a more intuitive and faster “infinite” scroll.

Automatically Updated Contacts: Users can keep their contacts up to date automatically with shared information from the domain directory, Google+ (if enabled), and more. In addition, Google Contacts also now supports high resolution photographs.

Limitations and switching back to the old Contacts

The following features are not yet available in the new Google Contacts:

User Custom Fields
Contact delegation
Editing group email preferences
Print

When people try to use these features, they will be prompted with a message that these features are not supported as of yet and presented with a link to go back to the old Google Contacts.

To opt-out and switch back to the old Google Contacts, users can click More > Leave the Contacts preview from the left-hand navigation of the Google Contacts preview.

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

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

Impact: All end users

Action: Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
FAQ: Contacts preview

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

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Last year, we launched the new Google Contacts preview to consumer users with several time-saving improvements, such as a rebuilt “Find duplicates” feature, automatic updating of contacts with shared Google profile information, as well as a fresh look and feel. Now, we’re pleased to announce that several new improvements have been added at the request of Google Apps users and we’re making it possible for Apps admins to enable the Google Contacts preview for their users from the Admin console.

Getting started with the new Google Contacts preview

This new Admin console setting is off by default, giving admins full flexibility to enable the new Contacts preview on their own schedule. To enable this feature in the Admin console, click on Apps > Google Apps > Contacts> Advanced settings. Once enabled, all users will see the new Google Contacts by default and will have the ability to switch back to the old Google Contacts by using the “Leave the Contacts preview” link from the More section of the left-hand navigation menu.

After enabling this feature, when users next visit Google Contacts they will see the new UI and a “warm welcome” splash page will guide them through the new features.

Improved Domain Directory: The directory is easier to navigate through a more intuitive and faster “infinite” scroll.

Limitations and switching back to the old Contacts

The following features are not yet available in the new Google Contacts:

User Custom Fields
Contact delegation
Editing group email preferences
Print

When people try to use these features, they will be prompted with a message that these features are not supported as of yet and presented with a link to go back to the old Google Contacts.

Mobile device management and more with the Google Admin app for Android

Monday, March 28, 2016

In addition to these MDM features, the latest Admin app for Android automatically stores your preferences in the Cloud. Should you get a new device or uninstall (and then reinstall) the Admin app, your preferences will be restored.

Check out the Help Center for more information, and download the latest version of the Admin app for Android on Google Play.

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

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

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Manage your users' devices from an Android device

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The latest version of the Google Admin app for Android brings many of the mobile device management (MDM) capabilities you love on your computer to your mobile phone or tablet. With this launch, you don’t need to be at your desk to view a list of your domain’s managed devices and to activate, block, delete, or wipe them. Because many of these actions may impact the security of your organization’s data, it’s important to be able to perform them anywhere, anytime. Now you can.

Searching for settings, articles, and more in the Admin console now quicker and easier

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Check out the Help Center article below for more information on how you can save time searching the Admin console.

Please note that this feature is currently available for English-language searches only. Support for additional languages is coming soon; stay tuned!

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

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

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Use natural language search

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We know that it often takes too long to find the item you’re looking for in the Admin console. To simplify your searches, we’re launching natural-language-based, “free form” queries in the Admin console. Starting today, you can pose questions in everyday language or enter commonly used words into the Admin console search box, then choose from a list of suggested results to navigate directly to your intended destination. There’s no need to jump from page to page! In addition to the tasks, users, and groups that would previously show up as search results, you’ll now see specific settings and prominent Help Center articles listed as well.

Change your filters, themes, and layouts in the Google Sheets and Slides apps for iOS

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Change the theme or layout of a presentation in the Google Slides iOS app.

Check out the Help Center articles below for more information.

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Sort and filter data on iPhone and iPad
Help Center: Customize a slide with layouts and themes

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New versions of the Google Sheets and Slides apps for iOS are available in the App Store. With these updates, you can now:

View and modify existing filters in the Google Sheets iOS app.

Change the theme or layout of a presentation in the Google Slides iOS app.

Check out the Help Center articles below for more information.

Support for more file formats in the Google Sheets and Slides Android apps

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

In the Slides Android app, you can now:

Send a copy of or download the slide you’re currently viewing as a .JPEG, .PNG, or .SVG file from the Share & export menu.

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: View and create spreadsheets on Android
Help Center: Use the Google Slides app for Android

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Updated versions of the Google Sheets and Slides apps for Android are now available on Google Play. Check out what’s new below:

In the Sheets Android app, you can now:

Send a copy of or save a spreadsheet as an HTML web page file (provided in a .ZIP folder) from the Share & export menu.

Save the sheet you’re currently viewing as a .CSV or .TSV file from the Share & export menu.

View Google Drawings in spreadsheets (note that Drawings will not be visible in frozen rows and columns).

In the Slides Android app, you can now:

Send a copy of or download the slide you’re currently viewing as a .JPEG, .PNG, or .SVG file from the Share & export menu.

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: View and create spreadsheets on Android
Help Center: Use the Google Slides app for Android

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Swipe to preview, reverse sort, and instantly edit with your favorite third-party apps in the new Google Drive for Android app

Monday, March 21, 2016

Reverse Sort: We’ve heard feedback that you want more flexibility in how files are sorted. We’re adding the popular request to allow reverse sorting. Simply tap the sort column at the top of Drive to swap the sort order.
Instantly edit with your favorite apps: If you have an editor app installed on your device, you can now jump into the editor directly from the file preview in Google Drive. This is great if you want to make changes on the fly and have those changes saved back to Google Drive. Some common editor apps include Google Photos, Google Docs, and more.

Launch Details

Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Get the latest Google Drive Android app on Google Play

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

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A new version of the Google Drive for Android app is available in Google Play. New features include:

Swipe to preview: You can now swipe through your Drive folders faster while in preview. This lets you quickly scan through all your favorite Google Drive files.

Reverse Sort: We’ve heard feedback that you want more flexibility in how files are sorted. We’re adding the popular request to allow reverse sorting. Simply tap the sort column at the top of Drive to swap the sort order.
Instantly edit with your favorite apps: If you have an editor app installed on your device, you can now jump into the editor directly from the file preview in Google Drive. This is great if you want to make changes on the fly and have those changes saved back to Google Drive. Some common editor apps include Google Photos, Google Docs, and more.

Connect with more people using Google Hangouts video calls

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Google Hangouts video calls make it easy to connect and interact to get things done. With today’s update, to make it easier to connect with more people, we’re raising the participant limit for Hangouts video calls from 15 to 25 for Google Apps customers.

To help ensure a high quality experience on a variety of computers, only the 10 most active video call participants will have their video feeds visible at the bottom of the screen at any given time.

No action is required to make use of this new participant limit. Check out the Help Center for more information on Hangouts video calls.

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

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

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Set expiration dates for access to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides files

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

This functionality, coupled with the Information Rights Management (IRM) features we launched last July, should significantly increase the security of your organization’s documents and information.

Please note that you’ll only be able to set expiration dates for users with comment or view access; you will not be able to set expiration dates for file owners or users with edit access.

IMPORTANT: This feature will roll out gradually over the course of two to three months; please note that you may not see the feature in your domains until mid- to late Q2 2016.

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

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (2–3 months for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Change your sharing settings in Google Drive
Help Center: Share Google Drive files and folders

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We know that businesses today don’t operate in isolation; employees work not only with one another, but with third-party vendors, clients, customers, and other businesses as well—and often on a temporary basis. To keep your organization’s information safe in these situations, we’re introducing the ability to set an “expiration date” for specific user access to files in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

For instance, imagine your business hires an outside contractor for a project lasting three months. To complete the job, that contractor needs to view a spreadsheet containing the contact information of your employees. Following this launch, you’ll be able to share your employee list in Sheets with the contractor, give them view access only, and set that access to expire when their contract does (in three months). If the contractor attempts to open the spreadsheet after the expiration date has passed, they’ll be denied access.

Easy and secure single sign-on for popular work apps

Monday, March 14, 2016

Millions of Google Apps for Work customers rely on Google to protect their employees’ login information for Google Apps services like Google Drive and Gmail. With this and previous launches, we’re extending that ease and security to additional applications that businesses rely on.

SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) 2.0 allows individuals to use their Google login credentials to sign in to various enterprise cloud applications. In October 2015, we launched support for SAML 2.0 for more than 15 popular SaaS providers, including Salesforce, Workday, and Dropbox. Today, we’re excited to announce that several additional apps are now pre-integrated with our systems, including Microsoft Office 365, Facebook at Work, Concur, Box, and Slack. This adds to the hundreds of apps we already support through the Google Apps Marketplace and OpenID Connect.

This launch not only makes the sign-in process easier for employees, it simplifies the management of end user IDs and passwords for Apps admins as well. For SAML set-up details and a full list of pre-integrated apps, please visit the Help Center.

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

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

Impact:
Admins and end users

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Using SAML to set up federated SSO
Google for Work Blog

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Create better presentations and collaborate more easily on documents with the latest Google Slides and Docs apps for Android

Thursday, March 10, 2016

In the Docs Android app, you can now select, copy, and comment on content in Print Layout view.

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Edit and view text from right to left
Help Center: Print a document, spreadsheet, or presentation

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

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New versions of the Google Slides and Docs apps for Android are now available on Google Play.

In the Slides Android app, you can now create and edit presentations that read from right to left, a necessity when presenting in languages such as Hebrew and Arabic.

In the Docs Android app, you can now select, copy, and comment on content in Print Layout view.

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Edit and view text from right to left
Help Center: Print a document, spreadsheet, or presentation

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

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Improved Trash support and folder colors in the Google Drive for iOS app

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Organize your files in Google Drive
Delete and restore files in Google Drive
Get the latest Google Drive iOS app in the App Store

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An update to the Google Drive for iOS app is coming to the App Store. New features will include:

Trash View: You’ll now have the ability to view, restore and delete items in your trash from within the iOS app.

Folder Colors: You can now view and modify your Google Drive folder colors on the fly.

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Organize your files in Google Drive
Delete and restore files in Google Drive
Get the latest Google Drive iOS app in the App Store

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

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Navigate documents quickly and easily with the outline tool in Google Docs

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

It can be difficult, not to mention time-consuming, to navigate lengthy, complex documents. To make that process easier, today we’re launching an outline tool in Google Docs on the web and Android. Displayed in a pane to the left of the page, this outline features headers for each section of your document, making it simple to quickly jump from section to section. If you haven’t manually applied headers, no worries—we’ll do it for you, intelligently detecting the logical divisions within your work. You can then edit or remove these headers as necessary.

This launch will also allow you to move through documents on your Android phone or tablet at super speeds. When you begin scrolling on your mobile device, a small navigation handle will automatically appear. Touching that handle will display the entire document’s structure, allowing you quickly skip from section to section, instead of slowly swiping up and down.

To surface an outline in your document, simply click Tools > Document outline in Docs on your computer or select Document outline from the overflow menu on your Android device. Check out the Help Center article below for more details.

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

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

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Change to Mail Service in Apps Script

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Posted by Saurabh Gupta, Product Manager, Google Apps Script

(Cross-posted on Google Apps Developer Blog)

There are two ways to send email in Apps Script: MailApp's sendEmail and GmailApp's sendEmail method. One of the differences between these two methods is that the MailApp’s sendEmail method doesn’t require the developer to be a Gmail user. For example, a Google Apps customer who doesn’t use Gmail, but uses Apps Script instead, can send emails through MailApp but not GmailApp.

Starting on September 13, 2016, users with free public Google Accounts (consumers) and Google Apps for Education and Google Apps Free edition users, will be required to have Gmail access to send messages through Apps Script’s Mail Service. Consumers can enable Gmail on their Google account after signing-in—note your Gmail will then become the primary address of your Google account. Administrators of Google Apps domains (Education and Free edition only) can use the Admin console to turn on Gmail for their domain.

This change does not require any updates to your code. You can continue to use MailApp as before; just make sure that you have signed up for Gmail. We realize that sometimes these changes are disruptive to our developers, but we can assure you that we put lot of care and deliberation into this process.

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Export Google Docs files as EPUB publications

Monday, March 7, 2016

Check out the Help Center for more information.

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Download a file

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

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EPUB is the most widely supported file format for publishing accessible documents and digital books, allowing people to consume long-form content in their preferred apps on a diverse range of screen sizes and devices, including smartphones, tablets, and eReaders. To make it easier for authors, publishers, and academic institutions to create works that can be consumed digitally, today we’re launching the ability to export Google Docs files as EPUB publications. Simply go to the File menu > Download as > EPUB Publication (.epub).

Updated version (v4.2.0) of Google Apps Directory Sync

Thursday, March 3, 2016

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

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

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action required (download the latest version of GADS)

More Information
GADS Overview
What’s New in GADS

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A new version (v4.2.0) of Google Apps Directory Sync (GADS) is now available:

What’s New

API update

GADS now uses the latest version of the Admin SDK Calendar Resource API.

Replace primary domain name with secondary domain name

Added new feature to enable administrators to replace the primary Google Apps domain name with a secondary domain name for all GADS operations.

What's Fixed

See the Help Center for a breakout of numerous bug fixes

Check out the Help Center for more details and download the latest version of GADS.

Automatically assign Google Apps licenses to new employees based on their organizational units

Thursday, March 3, 2016

We know that many of you work at large and organizationally complex companies, where different teams need different Google Apps products and services. This can make onboarding new employees a time-consuming and tedious process.

Today’s launch should make that process significantly easier, by allowing you to automatically assign licenses for Google Apps products and services at the organizational-unit (OU) level (until today, you could assign licenses at the OU level, but those licenses would not automatically apply to new users). This will be particularly useful if different employees in your organization need different Google Apps products, like Vault or Drive storage, or editions, like Google Apps for Work or Google Apps Unlimited. Note that you can still automatically assign licenses at the domain level.

Starting today, if you turn Auto-Licensing ON for a particular Google Apps product or service in a particular OU, all users currently in and subsequently added to that OU will receive that license. Users in child OUs will also inherit that license, unless you choose to override the setting. The Auto-Licensing setting can be found in the Admin console (Billing > Subscriptions); for more explicit instructions, check out the Help Center.

Auto-Licensing for OUs.png

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

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

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Set automatic licensing options for an organization

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

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New templates in Google Docs: designed by experts, made for you

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

(Cross-posted on the Google for Work Blog.)

We launched a collection of templates in Docs, Sheets, and Slides in September to give your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations the extra polish they deserve. Today, we’re adding to that collection with new templates designed by five experts in their fields. All templates are available on the web and on Android and iOS.

For your big ideas, at work and on the go
Intuit's QuickBooks software helps small business owners get more out of financial planning with tools like automated budgeting, tax time reports, and payroll. Use the new annual business budget template by QuickBooks in Sheets to easily manage your budget so you can focus on building your business.

GV provides venture capital funding to bold new companies. In the fields of life science, healthcare, artificial intelligence, robotics, transportation, cyber security, and agriculture, GV’s companies aim to improve lives and change industries.The new GV pitch template in Slides helps entrepreneurs share their vision, based on proven presentation tactics.

And, in the bestselling book, Made to Stick, brothers Chip and Dan Heath revealed that “sticky” messages of all kinds draw their power from the same main traits. In their big idea template in Slides, they use these principles to help you build and deliver your most memorable presentation yet.

For a head start, at school and beyond
Reading Rainbow, the third-longest-running children's TV series in US history and award-winning digital service, has been inspiring children to read for more than 30 years. Reading Rainbow created a lesson plan and a book report template in Docs to help teachers and students get things done.

The Google Science Fair (GSF) is an annual online science and engineering competition open to teens globally. In the competition, young scientists have tackled issues like world hunger, life-threatening diseases and the energy crisis. Use GSF’s science fair template in Slides for a head start on your next project—or for this year’s GSF.

Jump-start your next project with these easy-to-use templates in Docs, Sheets, and Slides—available on the web and on your Android device or iPhone. Let us know what you create!

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

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

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Employees can view and access their apps from the new User Hub

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

With this launch, an employee can quickly and easily see a list of the Google and third-party apps they have access to, like Gmail, Drive, SurveyMonkey, and more, at apps.google.com/user/hub. This page features links to all the apps currently turned on for that user, as well as a section dedicated to those apps that have been whitelisted by their admin but not yet installed. This should encourage employees to use their enabled apps more often and to finally check out those apps they haven’t yet tried (especially the mobile versions, which will be easier to access). New users will also be directed to apps.google.com/user/hub during the onboarding process.

Note that an individual must be signed in to their Apps for Work account to access apps.google.com/user/hub. Check out the Help Center for more information.

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

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

Impact:
Admins and end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Customize your User Hub interface

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

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Easily convert text to columns in Google Sheets

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

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

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

Impact:
All end users

Action: Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center

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

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We know that copying data and pasting it into a spreadsheet can be a pain if the data does not separate neatly into columns. With that in mind, today we're launching a feature in Google Sheets that allows you to split delimited data (e.g. data separated by commas) from one column across multiple columns.

There are a few ways you can split delimited data across columns. For example, you can select the columns you want to split, and click Data > Split text to columns. A menu will then appear underneath the data, allowing you to split the data using commas, semicolons, periods, spaces, and even custom separators.

In addition to the “Split text to columns” option, you can also format cells containing delimited data using a contextual menu that appears immediately after you’ve pasted data, as shown in the animation below. You can choose a custom separator through this method also. See the Help Center to learn more.

What's New in Google Apps newsletter - February 2016

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

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

Newsletter Archive & Translated Versions (coming soon for February issue)

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

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User custom fields from the directory coming to the Google Contact Manager

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

In the profile above, Profession, Active Projects, and Languages were stored in the "TeamInfo" schema.
If you’d like to start using user custom fields, the Directory API is already available in Python, Go, Java, Apps Script, PHP, and more, giving administrators flexibility over what fields to add for users. To control whether fields are shown to all domain users or just specified users, use the readAccessType property.

If you’ve already added user custom fields, in the coming weeks, any user-visible custom fields that Google Apps administrators have added through APIs will now be visible to users as custom fields in the Contact Manager at contacts.google.com. To update the schema, use the Directory API.

Limitations

Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook users will not see custom fields in the Global Address List.
Custom fields are not yet supported in the new Google Contacts preview.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release on March 31, 2016.

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
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Update: This feature is now live on a gradual rollout. Please allow 3 or more days for feature visibility.

Today, Google Apps administrators use custom fields in the domain directory to store information like Projects, Teams, Languages, and whatever else their organization needs. Showing these fields to users within the Google Contacts user interface has been a popular feature request for many domain administrators, because having this information accessible helps users connect more easily.

In the coming weeks, the Contact Manager at contacts.google.com will now show user custom fields from the domain directory. User custom fields will respect the permissions that the domain administrator has set.

Example:

If you have user custom fields which you’ve set as only visible to administrators and users, this field will only be visible in the Contact Manager to the specified users.
If you have fields which are visible to anyone at the domain, then these fields will now be shown in the Contact Manager to users within the domain.

In the profile above, Profession, Active Projects, and Languages were stored in the "TeamInfo" schema.

If you’d like to start using user custom fields, the Directory API is already available in Python, Go, Java, Apps Script, PHP, and more, giving administrators flexibility over what fields to add for users. To control whether fields are shown to all domain users or just specified users, use the readAccessType property.

If you’ve already added user custom fields, in the coming weeks, any user-visible custom fields that Google Apps administrators have added through APIs will now be visible to users as custom fields in the Contact Manager at contacts.google.com. To update the schema, use the Directory API.

Limitations

Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook users will not see custom fields in the Global Address List.
Custom fields are not yet supported in the new Google Contacts preview.

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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.

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Updates

Updated version (v4.2.1) of Google Apps Directory Sync

Activate link sharing quickly via the “Get sharable link” icon in Drive web

Enable the new Google Contacts for your users from the Admin console

Mobile device management and more with the Google Admin app for Android

Searching for settings, articles, and more in the Admin console now quicker and easier

Change your filters, themes, and layouts in the Google Sheets and Slides apps for iOS

Support for more file formats in the Google Sheets and Slides Android apps

Swipe to preview, reverse sort, and instantly edit with your favorite third-party apps in the new Google Drive for Android app

Connect with more people using Google Hangouts video calls

Set expiration dates for access to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides files

Easy and secure single sign-on for popular work apps

Create better presentations and collaborate more easily on documents with the latest Google Slides and Docs apps for Android

Improved Trash support and folder colors in the Google Drive for iOS app

Navigate documents quickly and easily with the outline tool in Google Docs

Change to Mail Service in Apps Script

Export Google Docs files as EPUB publications

Updated version (v4.2.0) of Google Apps Directory Sync

Automatically assign Google Apps licenses to new employees based on their organizational units

New templates in Google Docs: designed by experts, made for you

Employees can view and access their apps from the new User Hub

Easily convert text to columns in Google Sheets

What's New in Google Apps newsletter - February 2016

User custom fields from the directory coming to the Google Contact Manager

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