This change helps to make sure that messages are only threaded when there is a definite relationship between them.
How to get started
Admins: No action required.
End users: No action required. You’ll see these changes roll out on Gmail on the web and on mobile apps.
Additional details
If you are managing a system that sends email notifications to users and want your emails to be threaded in Gmail conversation view, then you have to ensure that your notifications:
Have the same subject
Have reference headers that reference IDs seen earlier in the thread, or have references headers that consistently refer to the same message ID
Additionally, if you don’t want your messages to be threaded in Gmail, you can either have different subjects or send each message with a unique References header value that will never match another message.
In addition to using swipe actions to quickly triage your email, you can also use the same actions to triage your notifications as well. For example, if you like to snooze emails, you can press firmly (3D Touch) or long press on a Gmail iOS notification, and click on "Snooze" directly to pick the date and time when to snooze the email until.
Availability
Rollout details
Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 28, 2019
Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 28, 2019
The new plugin will bring Drive to the Outlook interface
Who’s impacted
Admins and end users
Why you’d use it
Drive File Stream offers an easy way to integrate Microsoft Office and Google Drive. The latest versions (30.1 and up) will include the new Outlook plugin that will make it easier for users to:
Save attachments from Outlook to Drive
Attach Drive files to Outlook messages
Ensure recipients always have access to Drive links sent in Outlook emails
Drive File Stream already makes it easy to save to the local Drive File Stream folder through the regular “Save” menu.
By ensuring your users are using the new plugin before June 26, 2019, there will be little to no disruption to their workflows.
Users of the Drive for Office plugin will see an in-product notification, pictured below, starting on March 27, 2019. This will encourage them to update to the new plugin to continue using Drive from Outlook.
Admins: Dynamic email in Gmail Beta is available as an opt-in to all G Suite customers. Admins can opt-in to the beta by going to the Admin console and navigating to Apps > G Suite > Settings for Gmail > User settings. Here they will be able to select the option to Enable dynamic email.
End users: Once dynamic email is activated in the Admin console, users will begin seeing dynamic emails from senders who have adopted AMP for Email.
Additional details
This feature is currently only available in Gmail on the web, with mobile coming soon. Email senders who wish to send dynamic emails must register with Google before their messages appear for end users. For more information on how dynamic email works with Vault, check out the Help Center.
For text message, alerting is only sent out when an issue is detected, not on close.
Who’s impacted
Admins only
Why you’d use it
The improved alerts provide additional information to help admins proactively manage their network and devices for improved availability and end-user experience.
How to get started
Admins: To enable the Hangouts Meet hardware alerts:
In the Admin console, go to Devices > Google meeting room hardware > Settings and policies
Select the organization for which you want to change the settings for alerts
Enter contact details — email(s) and/or mobile phone number(s)
Select delivery methods for connectivity status alerts and peripheral alerts: Click Save to apply the settings
End users: No action required
Additional information
Both alert types are optional and delivery can be enabled individually by email and/or text message (SMS) (US/Canada numbers only). The email format is intended for easy integration with automated ticketing systems.
We’re launching a beta program for a new feature that allows users to search for Google Drive files that they have access to when using the Chrome Omnibox (search/URL box). Users in the beta can now search for files in Drive by owner or type, where previously they could only search for a title or URL of a webpage. This feature is similar to what users see when searching for files in Google Drive.
Admins for G Suite Business, Enterprise, and Enterprise for Education can apply for the beta.
Who’s impacted
Admins only
Why you’d use it
This feature will give users faster access to the files and data they need while searching in Google Chrome. Users will now be able to see Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDFs, and other file type suggestions from both “My Drive” and “Shared with Me” when searching in Chrome browser. This will help people get work done faster.
How to get started
Admins: No action required, this beta is now closed and no longer accepting new applicants.
End Users: No action required.
Additional details
This feature will be available to users signed into a Chrome profile on any operating system: Chromebook, Mac, Windows, etc.
From here, Admins can set the ability for users to access Viewers and Viewer trend activity in the dashboard to ON/OFF. To learn more about file activity visibility, see this article in the Help Center.
In Editors: Within the Activity dashboard, the “View time” tab has been renamed to “Viewers.” From this tab, document owners can see the last time users with Edit access viewed the file and take action to follow-up. To learn more about view history in Docs, Sheets, and Slides, see this Help Center article.
We’re also changing the icon for the Viewers tab — previously it was a clock, now it will be a person. This change is to better indicate the purpose of this tab, which is viewer history, not time viewers spent in the document.
Availability
Rollout details
Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on March 19, 2019.
Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on March 19, 2019.
Tap again to bring up menu: Insert > Tap the “+” at the top of the screen > Image > Image in cell
Select an image from the options presented to you.
Additional details
You can have multiple cells containing an image in a Sheet, but note that only one image per cell is possible at the moment.
Images inside cells will be associated with a row and move along with the data—so, if you move rows, filter or sort them, the images will move with the content in the row, unlike previously when images would sit on top of the grid.
Using the formatting and alignment tools, you can pin the image to a specific corner of the cell or set the alignment how you’d like. By default, images will align to the bottom left corner of the cell.
When you open Tasks on the web or your mobile app, you’ll see a prompt to copy your existing reminders over to Tasks. You can also trigger this manually by opening the overflow menu in the top right.
You’ll be able to select which list in Tasks you’d like to add them to, or create a new list.
You can also indicate whether or not you’d like these reminders to be deleted once they are copied.
Additional details
New time features Every task now has two time-based properties, date and start time, that are available in the edit screen of each task.
These tasks will then show up in Google Calendar on the web at their specific time, as long as you have the “Tasks” calendar enabled on the left-hand side. If you’ve enabled mobile notifications, you'll also get notified for tasks at their scheduled dates and times in the Tasks mobile apps (Android/iOS). For tasks that have a date, but don’t have a time, you’ll get notifications at 9am local time.
If a task wasn’t marked as completed, you’ll get a second notification at 9am the day after a task was due.
Importing reminders into Tasks This import tool will pull your reminders (from Inbox/Gmail, Calendar, or the Assistant) into Tasks.
When importing reminders into Tasks, we’ll copy over the title, date, time and recurrence of the reminder. Please note, reminders with locations associated will not be imported. Additionally, this is a one-time import and not a constant sync.
Availability
Rollout details
Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on March 18, 2019
We’ve heard from you that being able to see who booked a room for a meeting is crucial in order to easily reach out to the creator to ask if they would be open to swap the room or change the meeting time.
Please note, the information such as the description and title of the event will still be hidden to ensure no sensitive information is shared.
Availability
Rollout details
Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on March 18, 2019
Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on March 18, 2019
2-factor authentication options in the G Suite Admin console
Additional details
How users can configure 2-Step Verification once the policy is enforced Users with the new policy applied will not be able to add SMS or voice based codes as an option - either when enrolling in 2-Step Verification for the first time or later at myaccount.google.com. A user enrolling in 2-Step Verification for the first time will see the screen below. This first provides an option to set up Google Prompt, as well as ‘Choose another option’ which will let them add a Security Key instead.
Avoid user sign-in issues Users affected by the new policy who have SMS/Voice as the only 2SV method on their account will not be able to sign in. To avoid this lock-out situation, see our Help Center to get tips for how to ensure a smooth transition to an enforcement policy.
Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 14, 2019.
Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 14, 2019
G Suite editions Available to all G Suite editions
On/off by default? The new policy is not enabled by default. Admin needs to explicitly choose to apply this policy on a OU / Group basis, like the other existing 2SV enforcement policies.
This Material redesign is part of a larger effort to bring the look and feel of our G Suite apps together as a whole, with ease-of-use in mind.
Some improvements you’ll see include:
New Home tab and bottom navigation
Similar to Drive on the web, the Home tab will surface the files that are most important to you, based on things like:
The last time you accessed or edited a file
Who specific files are frequently shared with
What files are used at specific times of day.
A more intuitive bottom navigation bar that features options to switch between Home, Starred, files shared with you (Shared), and all files (Files), allowing for quicker access to your most important items.
Expanded search bar
The search bar is now more accessible across the application, including from the Team Drives page.
My Drive, Team Drives and Computers in Files view
Team Drives will be now be displayed as a tab next to My Drive in the Files view. Users will also see a Computers tab if they have backed up content from a local machine to their account.
New account switching experience
The feature to switch accounts is moving from the left navigation menu to an icon in the top right.
Revised actions menu
A revised actions menu attached to every file and folder emphasizes the most frequently used actions at the top. Toggles for starred and offline are now changed to buttons.
Who’s impacted
End users
Why you’d use it
We know that mobile devices are critical to getting work done, whether it’s at our desk, in a meeting, sending an email, or collaborating. Drive is not just a way to backup files to the cloud, but a critical way to easily share work, make last minute changes to content, or review important content on the go. The Drive Mobile redesign aims to make these workflows easier.
How to get started
Admins: No action required.
End users: You’ll see the new look coming your way soon.
Additional details
iOS users will begin seeing the redesign starting on March 12, 2019. Android users will see the redesign starting on March 18, 2019.
Migrating existing Calendar events This change will take place gradually as users join affected meetings. They will see a migration banner notifying them future occurrences will be on Meet. After the end of the call, all participants will get an updated event information with the new meeting details. Single instance (non-recurring) Calendar events will remain unchanged.
If your meeting doesn’t migrate Some of your meetings may not automatically update to Meet. When this happens, you’ll see a banner in the video call notifying end users to update the Calendar event to Meet. This may happen for complex Calendar event setups, such as if different events have the same video link.
In the Google Cloud Community, connect with Googlers and other Google Workspace admins like yourself. Participate in product discussions, check out the Community Articles, and learn tips and tricks that will make your work and life easier. Be the first to know what's happening with Google Workspace.
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.
