Google Workspace Updates

Manage workflows and automate processes with the new Google Docs API

Monday, February 11, 2019

What's changing

With the new Docs API, there are more ways to build services that better support your business and improve your workflows. For documents that require consistency, collaboration, and accuracy — like invoices, proposals, contracts, and reports — the API will help automate common word processing tasks with the real-time editing and collaboration of Docs.

Who’s impacted

Developers

Why you’d use it

Some ways you could use this API are:

Create documents automatically

Use the Docs API to automate document creation, like creating all of the blank invoices you need for a particular quarter with a single click. Documents that require a template, like legal documents or contracts, can be automated based on user input and monitored with the API as well.

Manage workflows

Use the Docs API to add user or system-provided data to a document at various stages of a process. Programmatic edits to the same document over time, or to multiple documents at once, can simplify your workflows.

Sync with your content management systems

From internal wikis to blog content, you can import and export document details seamlessly between Google Docs your employees are editing and your content management systems. For example, publishing platforms can now allow their customers to compose and collaborate in Docs to drive content to their sites.

How to get started

For more information and how to get started, see the Docs API developer site.

Additional details

See our post on the Cloud Blog for more details and examples of how G Suite customers are using the API.

The Docs API will round out a complete set of APIs across all G Suite editor applications along with the Sheets API and the Slides API.

Helpful links

Availability

G Suite editions

Available immediately to all G Suite editions.

On/off by default?

The API is available and accessible by default to all G Suite users.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

What's changing

Who’s impacted

Developers

Why you’d use it

Some ways you could use this API are:

Create documents automatically

Use the Docs API to automate document creation, like creating all of the blank invoices you need for a particular quarter with a single click. Documents that require a template, like legal documents or contracts, can be automated based on user input and monitored with the API as well.

Manage workflows

Use the Docs API to add user or system-provided data to a document at various stages of a process. Programmatic edits to the same document over time, or to multiple documents at once, can simplify your workflows.

Sync with your content management systems

From internal wikis to blog content, you can import and export document details seamlessly between Google Docs your employees are editing and your content management systems. For example, publishing platforms can now allow their customers to compose and collaborate in Docs to drive content to their sites.

How to get started

For more information and how to get started, see the Docs API developer site.

Additional details

See our post on the Cloud Blog for more details and examples of how G Suite customers are using the API.

The Docs API will round out a complete set of APIs across all G Suite editor applications along with the Sheets API and the Slides API.

Helpful links

Learn more about the Docs API
Here’s how G Suite customers are using the Docs API
Learn more about the Sheets API
Learn more about the Slides API

Availability

G Suite editions

Available immediately to all G Suite editions.

On/off by default?

The API is available and accessible by default to all G Suite users.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Refresh BigQuery data in Sheets using Apps Script and Macros

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 5, 2019.
Scheduled Release domains: Full Rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 19, 2019.

G Suite editions

Available to G Suite Business, G Suite Enterprise, G Suite for Education, G Suite Enterprise for Education, and Drive Enterprise.
Not available to G Suite Basic and G Suite for Nonprofits

On/off by default?

This feature will be ON by default.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

What's changing

Recently we launched the BigQuery data connector to allow users to easily import data from larger datasets into Sheets. Now, you can use tools like Apps Script and the macro recorder to schedule automatic updates within Sheets to the connected BigQuery data.

Who’s impacted

End Users

Why you’d use it

Stay on top of the latest and greatest data critical to your business by automatically refreshing the BigQuery data in your sheet.

For example, you can set sales data to automatically refresh so that it’s ready for analysis at the beginning of each day. You can also auto-update data in preparation for key meetings or presentations that occur on a weekly or monthly basis. Or you could set a trigger to auto-update your data each time you open the spreadsheet.

How to get started

Admins: No action required.
End users: Here’s how to schedule a refresh on the data pulled in by the BigQuery data connector:

Record a macro to refresh your data

On your computer, open a spreadsheet that contains data connected to BigQuery in Google Sheets.
Record a macro from a different tab then the one you want to refresh.
After you start recording, switch to the tab you want to refresh.
At the bottom left, click Refresh.
Click Save.

Schedule your macro

At the top, click Tools > Script editor.
At the top, click Edit > Current project’s triggers.
At the bottom right, click Add trigger and select your options.
Click Save.

Additional details

For key permissions for the BigQuery data connector see here.
As always, use sharing permissions to control who can view, edit or share your data.

Helpful links

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 5, 2019.
Scheduled Release domains: Full Rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 19, 2019.

G Suite editions

Available to G Suite Business, G Suite Enterprise, G Suite for Education, G Suite Enterprise for Education, and Drive Enterprise.
Not available to G Suite Basic and G Suite for Nonprofits

On/off by default?

This feature will be ON by default.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Get G Suite product update alerts by email
See the G Suite launch release calendar
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Additional Thai fonts available in Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Quick launch summary

We’ve expanded our font offerings for Thai users in Docs, Sheets, and Slides by adding several fonts that are part of the Thai “National Fonts” collection. This collection of fonts has been distributed and used by the Government of Thailand as public and official fonts since 2007. We updated the collection so that it could be part of Google Fonts in 2019.

The complete list of new fonts is below:

Bai Jamjuree
Chakra Petch
Charm
Charmonman
Fah Kwang
K2D
KoHo
Kodchasan
Krub
Mali
Niramit
Sarabun
Srisakdi

These updated fonts are now available in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides with modern OpenType technology, expanded weights and more harmonious designs between Latin and Thai scripts.

These fonts will be made default in the drop down menu for users who have their Google language preference set as Thai.

G Suite editions
Available to all G Suite Editions.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Quick launch summary

Bai Jamjuree
Chakra Petch
Charm
Charmonman
Fah Kwang
K2D
KoHo
Kodchasan
Krub
Mali
Niramit
Sarabun
Srisakdi

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Get G Suite product update alerts by email
See the G Suite launch release calendar
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Whitelist trusted apps for your domain to ensure apps work properly

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Different apps will implement updated app permission controls at various times over the next several months. Some apps will make this change immediately, but the most commonly used apps will implement them after April 2019. To minimize disruption, we recommend admins whitelist trusted apps before April.
G Suite editions
Available to all G Suite editions.
On/off by default?
Whitelisting apps is OFF by default. Apps can be enabled at the domain level.
Stay up to date with G Suite launches

What’s changing

To give end users more granular control over what account data they choose to share with each app, we’re changing how users give apps permissions to access their information. See our Google Developers blog post for more details on what’s changing. These changes may impact how well an app functions should a user choose not to provide certain permissions.

As a result, we recommend that G Suite admins whitelist apps they trust and want their users to be able to use.

Who’s impacted

Admins only

Why you’d whitelist apps

Whitelisting an app means admins assign permissions at the domain level, and that end users don’t have to make choices on permissions for those apps. By whitelisting apps admins can ensure apps have the permissions they need to work properly.

How to get started

Helpful links

Help Center: Whitelisting connected apps

Availability

Rollout details

Get G Suite product update alerts by email
See the G Suite launch release calendar
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Easily enter building locations into the Admin console

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Additional details

Check out the Help Center for complete instructions on adding locations for all three of these methods and read the documentation on how to add building addresses via the API.

Helpful links

Help Center: Set up buildings, features, and other resources

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 6, 2019
Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 6, 2019

G Suite editions
Available to all G Suite editions
On/off by default?
This feature will be ON by default

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

What’s changing

You can now input addresses, instead of latitude and longitude coordinates, to enter the locations of your office buildings in the Admin console. This is a more efficient and reliable ways for you, as a G Suite admin, to manage international office locations.

Who’s impacted

Admins only

Why you’d use it

Adding address information immediately unlocks automatic correction of room and resource time zones based on building address. This ensures that you have correct data in the room insights dashboard. Additionally, with this change we’ll now automatically set the correct time zones for all resources in these buildings, and help ensure you see accurate usage by time of day in the room insights dashboard.

In the future, this information will also power other intelligent features such as:

How to get started

Admins: There are three ways to input this information:

Directly from the Admin console user interface: In the Admin console under Manage Resources > Manage Buildings, you can enter addresses directly and be shown a Google map to confirm their location. This is recommended for entering a small number of buildings at a time.
Bulk upload via CSV file: This is also in the Admin console under Manage Resources > Manage Buildings. The bulk upload spreadsheet supports a general address format, so you can verify your locations in many countries and regions.
Upload via the Building Resources API.

End users: No end user impact.

Additional details

Check out the Help Center for complete instructions on adding locations for all three of these methods and read the documentation on how to add building addresses via the API.

Helpful links

Help Center: Set up buildings, features, and other resources

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 6, 2019
Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 6, 2019

G Suite editions
Available to all G Suite editions
On/off by default?
This feature will be ON by default

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Changes to Google Groups settings starting May 6, 2019

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

What’s changing

In May 2019, we’ll make some changes to the settings in Google Groups. In response to your ongoing feedback, we are updating Groups’ settings to make it easier for you and your users to manage and configure groups. Specifically, we will remove settings and features that are rarely used, and combine settings that cover similar functionality. These changes will affect the groups.google.com interface and also the APIs used to manage groups.

Your existing groups may be affected by the upcoming settings changes. When the changes take effect, we’ll update the settings for existing groups. These updates may change how groups can be accessed and used.

Use this Help Center article to see details of these changes and see how you can prepare for the update.

The changes will start to roll out on May 6, and may take up to 15 days to reach all domains.

Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why you’d take action

Some users who are not group owners or group managers but who currently have access to specific group management features may lose that access. We recommend you audit groups in your organization and adjust the settings before May 6 to make sure these users don’t lose access.

When the new settings take effect:

Existing group settings will be updated to conform to the new controls available.
Group owners will still be able to change the settings that apply to their group at any point.
New groups will be subject to the same default controls that they are today.

How to get started

Additional details

In the next few days, users will see an in-product message about the upcoming changes when they use Groups. The message will direct them to the Help Center for an overview of the changes and change timeline.

Most groups will be affected in some way by these changes. You can use the Groups API to get a list of all groups and get a list of group owners in your organization, which might help you prepare for the changes.

Helpful links

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 6, 2019
Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 6, 2019 G Suite editions Available to all G Suite editions On/off by default? This feature will be ON by default.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Manage and distribute Android apps when using basic mobile management

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

The ‘Work Apps’ tab in the managed Google Play store has the G Suite apps and other apps whitelisted by admins.

Helpful links

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on Feb 5, 2019
Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on Feb 5, 2019

G Suite editions:
Available to all G Suite editions.

On/off by default?
This feature will be OFF by default until app management is set up, and can be enabled at the domain, OU, or group level.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Get G Suite product update alerts by email

See the G Suite launch release calendar

Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

What’s changing

You can now manage Android apps for your users when using basic mobile management. Previously, you could only do this if you used advanced mobile management.

Who’s impacted

Admins only

Why you’d use it

With basic mobile management you can now:

Organize apps in the managed Google Play store
Automatically install apps on users' devices
Create web apps
Create private apps

See below for more info.

How to get started

Additional details

Organize apps in the managed Google Play store:
To help your users find the apps they need, you can organize apps into collections. These collections appear on devices in the “Work apps” section in the managed Google Play store.

Automatically install apps:
With basic mobile management you can now automatically install apps on your users’ devices. Use our Help Center to find out how to manage app preferences. Note that preventing users from uninstalling apps, and some other advanced features, require advanced mobile management.

Create web apps
You can now create and manage web apps in the Admin console. Web apps look like native apps and can make web pages easier to find and simpler to use on mobile devices. You can also distribute web apps the same way you distribute native apps–by adding them to collections in a managed Google Play store or automatically installing them on users’ devices.

Create private apps
You can now create private Android apps directly from the Admin console. Simply upload the APK and give the app a title. The app will appear in the managed Google Play store within minutes. You can also install the app directly on your users’ devices (see above). Previously, it took several hours to create and publish an app, and you had to create a Play Console account, provide a credit card, and fill in many other fields before the app would be available to your users.

The ‘Work Apps’ tab in the managed Google Play store has the G Suite apps and other apps whitelisted by admins.

Helpful links

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on Feb 5, 2019
Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on Feb 5, 2019

Get G Suite product update alerts by email

See the G Suite launch release calendar

Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Automatically provision users with three additional apps

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Who’s impacted

Admins only

Why you’d use it

When auto-provisioning is enabled for a supported third-party application, any users created, modified, or deleted in G Suite are automatically added, edited, or deleted in the third-party application as well. This feature is highly popular with admins, as it removes the overhead of managing users across multiple third-party SaaS applications.

How to get started

Admins: For more information on how to set up auto-provisioning, check out the Help Center.
End users: No action needed.

Helpful links

Help Center: Automated user provisioning
Help Center: Using SAML to set up federated SSO

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility starting on Feb 4, 2019.
Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility starting on Feb 4, 2019.

G Suite editions

G Suite Education, Business, and Enterprise customers can enable auto-provisioning for all supported applications
G Suite Basic, Government, and Nonprofit customers can enable auto-provisioning for up to three applications

On/off by default?
This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the OU level.
Stay up to date with G Suite launches

What’s changing

We’re adding auto-provisioning support for three new applications:

Boomi
Keeper
SpaceIQ

Who’s impacted

Admins only

Why you’d use it

How to get started

Helpful links

Help Center: Automated user provisioning
Help Center: Using SAML to set up federated SSO

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility starting on Feb 4, 2019.
Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility starting on Feb 4, 2019.

G Suite editions

G Suite Education, Business, and Enterprise customers can enable auto-provisioning for all supported applications
G Suite Basic, Government, and Nonprofit customers can enable auto-provisioning for up to three applications

On/off by default?
This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the OU level.
Stay up to date with G Suite launches

What's New in G Suite - January 2019

Monday, February 4, 2019

Check out the latest "What's New in G Suite" launch recap (pdf) for a roundup of all G Suite launches from January 2019.

Archive and translated versions (coming soon for January issue)

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Check out the latest "What's New in G Suite" launch recap (pdf) for a roundup of all G Suite launches from January 2019.

Archive and translated versions (coming soon for January issue)

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Useful Links

Join the official community for Google Workspace administrators

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.

______________

Learn about more Google Workspace launches

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

______________

Updates

Easily take action in Gmail with new right-click context menu options

Manage workflows and automate processes with the new Google Docs API

What's changing

Who’s impacted

Why you’d use it

How to get started

Additional details

Helpful links

Availability

Refresh BigQuery data in Sheets using Apps Script and Macros

Availability

Additional Thai fonts available in Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Quick launch summary

Whitelist trusted apps for your domain to ensure apps work properly

Easily enter building locations into the Admin console

Additional details

Helpful links

Availability

Changes to Google Groups settings starting May 6, 2019

Manage and distribute Android apps when using basic mobile management

Helpful links

Availability

Automatically provision users with three additional apps

Who’s impacted

Why you’d use it

How to get started

Helpful links

Availability

What's New in G Suite - January 2019

Filter by product

Filter by date

Subscribe by feed

Subscribe by email

Localized Google Workspace Updates

Useful Links

Join the official community for Google Workspace administrators

Learn about more Google Workspace launches