What is new in Google Workspace – [Last Update September 2025]

What is new in Google Workspace – [September 2025]

Time for the freshest Google Workspace news! In this article, you will find the upcoming enhancements to Google’s suite of productivity tools, many of which are powered by AI and the Gemini model. Key updates include Video Overviews in NotebookLM, new tools in AppSheet, and improved file classification in Drive. Additionally, users can expect audio versions of Docs, new AI image editing in Slides and Vids, and usability improvements in Calendar and Meet. Let’s dive in!

1. AI-Powered Productivity

Video Overviews and Studio Panel Upgrades in NotebookLM

On August 4th, NotebookLM introduced Video Overviews, which allow users to transform documents into AI-narrated explainer videos that include visuals. Building on the existing Audio Overviews, this update offers a more educational and visual experience. Users will also be able to generate multiple Audio Overviews and share content with users from the same domain via links.

New AI Task Powered by Gemini in AppSheet Enterprise Plus

AppSheet Enterprise Plus users can now incorporate a new AI Task, powered by Gemini, into their automations. This AI Task enables the automatic extraction of key information from photos, the parsing of complex PDFs, as well as categorisation, routing, and prioritisation of requests. This enhancement substantially boosts AppSheet’s automation capabilities by integrating advanced AI for data processing from various sources.

See it in action!

Enhanced Google Drive’s AI Classification

Google Drive’s AI classification feature has been enhanced with multi-model support, enabling administrators to train up to five models, an increase from the previous limit of one. This provides greater flexibility to train models specific to organisational needs, improving data classification consistency and aiding in implementing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) rules. The feature also comes with a refreshed UI for on-demand training.

2. Communication & Scheduling

Easier Access to Google Calendar Booking Pages

Google Calendar is improving scheduling by introducing easier access to appointment booking pages. Users can now access their booking pages directly from the Calendar sidebar (both on web and mobile). Furthermore, users who have not yet set up a schedule will now find a pre-configured booking page ready for them. This default page automatically uses their working hours and avoids conflicts with existing events, making it much simpler to schedule one-on-one meetings with people outside their organisation.

This is where you can find it:

Share Calendar Booking Pages Directly via Gmail

Google Calendar now allows users to share appointment booking pages directly within emails when composing in Gmail. This integration eliminates the need for multiple tabs, reducing back-and-forth scheduling exchanges. The feature uses AMP technology to update available slots in real-time.

This is how it works:

Automatic Room Check-in in Google Meet with Proximity Detection

To simplify joining a meeting on a laptop from a conference room, Google Meet is introducing automatic room check-in. Using ultrasound proximity detection, your laptop’s microphone detects a signal from the room’s hardware before you even join the call. This automatically highlights the ‘Use Companion mode’ button in the meeting’s green room, guiding you to the correct option. By clicking this, you are instantly joined in echo-free Companion mode and simultaneously checked into the room, streamlining the process and preventing disruptive audio feedback. This feature is enabled by default for all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware.

See the proximity detection in action:

Language Expansion for Suggested Next Steps in Google Meet

Google Meet’s “suggested next steps” feature, which uses AI to automatically capture notes and action items, is expanding its language support to include French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. This expansion allows for the automatic capture of these key meeting elements when speaking these new languages, improving organisation and follow-up.

Gemini Summarisation for Unread Messages in Google Chat

Google Chat is adding the ability for Gemini to summarise unread messages within direct messages, group conversations, and spaces. This feature extends Gemini summarisation beyond the home tab and shared files, helping users to quickly catch up on conversations. Although initial summaries sometimes had inaccuracies, they have significantly improved with advancements in AI models.

This is how you can catch up with old messages:

3. Content Creation & Document Intelligence

“Listen to Your Documents” Feature in Google Docs

Google Docs is introducing a new audio feature, powered by Gemini. It allows users to create audio versions of documents. Both readers and authors can use it —readers via a “Listen to this tab” and authors via “Audio buttons”—to listen to the content, which helps absorb information and catch errors. This feature is a literal reading of the document, not an AI-digested overview like NotebookLM provides. It functions as a useful accessibility tool, helps with multitasking, and can be used for proofreading documents by listening to them aloud.

Turn your written contentt into audio:

Personalised Illustrated Storybooks with Gemini

Gemini allows users to create personalised, illustrated storybooks with read-aloud narration. You can generate unique 10-page storybooks from prompts. Custom audio, photos, and files can be added for visual storytelling.

This feature is great for creating engaging, custom educational and imaginative content. It can be particularly useful for educators and families.

4. Image Creation and Editing

AI Image Editing in Google Slides and Vids

Google Slides and Google Vids are receiving new AI image editing features powered by Gemini, including the capability to replace and expand image backgrounds. This is crucial for helping users without design skills create professional presentations and visuals. It allows them to use simple prompts to add features like studio lighting or backgrounds.

Image Editing in Gemini App

Gemini has new, powerful image editing capabilities. Users can now edit photos with prompts, combining images, changing context, location, and details. Nano Banana is the latest upgrade to image generation in the Gemini app, allowing users to edit images based on prompts, using context and detail. The tool offers creative and practical business applications, such as enhancing fuzzy product images or creating mockups. The feature is on by default, but it is not available to users under 18.

Click “after” to see the power of Gemini!

5. Video Creation and Editing

Video Editing from Google Drive with Google Vids

Users can now open existing videos stored in Google Drive and perform basic trims and edits directly using Google Vids. This in-product integration provides a convenient way to quickly modify video content.

Video Creation from Google Slides in Google Vids

Google Vids’ “Help me create” feature now allows users to include Google Slides presentations as reference material when constructing prompts. Users can generate videos directly from existing Google Slides presentations, incorporating the deck’s themes, colours, images, and relevant video content. This feature significantly accelerates video production, rapidly moving from a pre-existing deck to a nearly complete video. It also allows for copying and pasting slides into Vids for seamless transitions.

Video Editing with Transcript in Google Vids

Google Vids introduces a feature that allows users to edit videos based on their transcripts. This functionality enables the automatic detection and removal of filler words like “ums” and pauses. It transforms lengthy post-production editing into a task achievable in a couple of clicks and allows users to set custom filter words.

See the power of video editing with your transcript:

Veo 3 Video Generation from Images

Veo 3, a tool that previously generated short videos, now allows users to upload an existing image and request that it be turned into an animated video with added audio based on prompts. The powerful capability to animate photos of people creates stunning and emotional results. However, for now, this feature is not available in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom.

AI Avatars in Google Vids

Google Vids offers the ability to create AI avatars that speak the user’s words, serving as a realistic alternative for producing instructional or onboarding videos when the user does not want to appear on camera. It provides a fast, consistent way to create polished video content for various needs like training, announcements, and product demos, without requiring cameras or complex coordination. Users can create up to 20 avatars per week, with a maximum length of 20 seconds.

6. Administration & Security Updates

Exporting Gemini Usage Reports to BigQuery

Gemini usage and log reports can now be exported to BigQuery, moving beyond the previous limitation of being available only in the admin console. This allows businesses to get richer data for detailed analysis. It can be used in security investigations and overall user AI adoption monitoring to identify training needs.

“Warn” Option for Context-Aware Access

Context-aware access, a zero-trust security feature that detects the state of a device upon login, now includes a “warn” option. This allows administrators to notify users that their device does not meet the established criteria without immediately blocking access to the environment. This capability represents a vital step in change management, allowing admins to measure non-adherence and avoid a flood of support tickets, whereas previously the only options were to block or allow access. This feature is not on by default; it’s a configurable option for admins.

New Approval Workflow to Request Access to Unconfigured Third-Party Apps

This feature allows users to request access to third-party applications that are currently blocked by the environment’s administration policies. After receiving the request, the administrator can review and unblock the application. It streamlines the process for users to obtain necessary apps without submitting separate support tickets, allowing administrators to review legitimate requests efficiently. The feature will be ON by default and can be enabled at the organisational unit level.

7. Events

GCD (Google Cloud Day) 2025

GCD 2025 is coming to 8 cities! This Devoteam flagship event is a fantastic opportunity for C-level executives, heads of data, AI, and engineers to take part. Given the significant technology shift occurring with AI, GCD 2025 will offer customer sessions, panel discussions, and opportunities to connect with peers and share ideas. Attendees can learn about the latest innovations and see Google Cloud technology in action.

See what is happening near you and secure your spot!

Google Agentspace Webinar Series

Missed our September Agentspace for industries series? Get access to the recording below:

What is new in Google Workspace – [June 2025]

Keep your team informed with the latest updates across Google Workspace. We are introducing significant advancements in AI integration with Gemini, general communication enhancements and updates for Workspace Administrators. This article is based on our recent webinar, ”What’s new in Google Workspace? Q2 2025”, held on June 12, 2025. 

Gemini’s Deeper Integration

Gemini now offers intelligent assistance by analysing and distilling key information from your various documents and conversations.

• Upload PDFs and Images for Deep Research: Users can upload PDFs and images directly into Deep Research. It also proactively suggests related resources in reports. This feature was released to all users with Gemini and is on by default with no admin control.
  

• Summarise and Ask Questions About Videos in Drive: Users can now get summaries and ask questions about video content, such as “Summarise this video” or “List action items from this meeting recording,”. The feature is not on by default; admins need to turn on smart features and personalisation, and end users need to double-click a video and click “Ask Gemini”. This feature is currently only available in English.

• AI-Powered Summary Cards in the Gmail App: Available on Android and iOS devices. This update streamlines how users review and interact with emails on the go, with summary cards appearing at the top of email content. To access this, users need to have smart features and personalisation turned on. Admins can control the default personalisation setting.
• Google Chat Conversation Summaries in New Languages: Preview summaries in the Google Chat home view in French, Italian, Japanese, and Korean with the help of Gemini. This feature helps users prioritise important conversations and catch up quicker. It is off by default.
• Use “Catch me up” to See What’s New in Google Drive Files: Stay up to date on the latest changes to your files. This feature provides a high-level overview of important changes across documents in Drive or a synopsis of main changes and comments in a particular file since it was last opened. It is on by default if Smart Features personalisation is enabled.

• Upload Code Folders and GitHub Repos to Gemini: Users can now upload code folders or import their GitHub repositories directly into the Gemini app. This allows Google Workspace users to improve code understanding, and generate, debug and improve code. The code folder upload is on by default.

• Generate fully editable charts using Gemini in Google Sheets: Users can now edit generated charts using Gemini. The feature is off by default.
• Generate AI-Powered Video Clips with Sound in Google Vids: You can generate video clips with sound using Veo 3 in Google Vids by heading to vids.google.com. The feature is on by default, but admins can disable it at the organisational level.
• Get AI Summaries of Google Form Responses: This feature helps users quickly gain insights from responses to Google Form short-answer or paragraph questions. Gemini will use the context of the form title, description, question, and responses to generate a summary with key themes and takeaways. It is on by default as long as Smart Features personalisation is enabled.
• Create Google Forms Instantly from a Prompt: You can quickly create a new form using Gemini by entering a prompt describing the form or referencing supporting Docs, Sheets, Slides, or PDFs. Gemini will then generate a draft form, incorporating details from referenced files, that can be used instantly or further customised. At this time, this feature does not support the generation of multi-section forms or quiz-specific settings. It is on by default as long as Smart Features personalisation is enabled.

Communication & Collaboration Enhancements

• Track Video View Counts with New Google Drive Analytics: Users can now measure engagement on videos uploaded to Drive by seeing the total number of times a video is opened under a new “Analytics” section within the Details panel. To access this, users go to a video file in Google Drive, open the video, click on the three-dot menu, select Details, and locate the new “Analytics” section. This feature is available for all Google users and is turned on by default.

• Present Directly from Your Camera in Meet: Present video content and live feeds, stream produced video content, and share live feeds from external video sources. The update also includes improvements to screen sharing functionality. This feature is available for all users and licenses and is on by default.

Key Updates for Google Workspace Administrators

• Control Gemini Data Location with Data Regions: This feature ensures customers can meet internal, legal, regulatory, and data sovereignty requirements by controlling the geographical location of their data. Admins can configure data regionalisation for Gemini features in Google Workspace. This feature is available for eligible Enterprise users. Admins can reach out to Devoteam for assistance with configuration.

What is new in Google Workspace – [April 2025]

Keep your team productive and secure with the newest updates from Google Workspace, as discussed in the recent  ‘What’s new in Google Workspace?’ webinar. This session highlighted significant advancements in AI integration with Gemini, stronger security through Chrome Enterprise Premium, and important administrative updates.

Unlock Gemini’s Intelligence Across Your Workflow

Google Gemini is now more deeply integrated into Google Workspace, offering intelligent assistance in various applications 

• Quickly Understand Chat Files: You can now use Gemini to summarise Docs, Slides, and Sheets directly within Google Chat. A simple button in the file preview generates a summary in the side panel, helping you grasp key information without switching applications. This requires enabling smart features and personalisation in the admin console.
• Effortlessly Add Events from Gmail to Calendar: Gemini can detect calendar-related details in your emails and provides an “Add to calendar” button. Clicking this opens a side panel where you can quickly save the event to your Google Calendar. Currently, this feature supports English only and does not apply to emails with pre-existing event extractions or automatic guest inclusion.
• Revolutionise Sheets with AI Formulas: An exciting experimental feature, the formula “=AI()”, allows you to use natural language prompts within Google Sheets formulas for tasks like sentiment analysis and data formatting. This is currently in the alpha stage and is only available to users who previously had Gemini licenses and participated in the alpha program.

• Smart Image Handling in Slides: Google Slides will soon feature intelligent image resizing, using AI to adjust images while preserving their layout and proportions when you add more content. This enhancement will be available to all Slides users.
• Context-Aware File and Folder Creation in Drive: Gemini will be able to suggest and create folders and files within Google Drive based on the context of your discussions in the side panel.
• Expanded Language Support for Global Teams: “Help me write” in Gmail now supports Italian, German, and French, in addition to Portuguese and Spanish. The Gemini side panel in Google Chat now supports Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Japanese, French, and Korean. For Google Slides, the side panel with Gemini is available in these seven languages plus an additional 21 languages. Note that image generation in Slides remains in English, and the side panel language is determined by your Google account settings.
• Interact Dynamically with Gemini in Canvas: Canvas, a new interface within gemini.google.com, provides a space for iterative prompting and real-time feedback on generated content, including documents and website code.
• AI-Powered Summaries in Google Docs: You will soon be able to insert an AI-generated summary at the top of your Google Docs using the “@” symbol. This summary will automatically update with document changes and will be clearly labelled. This feature began rolling out on 17th March, with full availability expected by 7th April 2025.
• Enhanced Capabilities in NotebookLM Plus: For users needing advanced AI research assistance, NotebookLM Plus offers new features like mind map generation from your data, language output selection, and support for Context-Aware rules. Importantly, NotebookLM is now part of the Google Workspace suite and includes an SLA.
• Conduct In-Depth Research with Gemini: The Deep Research feature in Gemini leverages Google Search to provide comprehensive information on various topics, complete with source citations and export options to Sheets or Docs. This demonstrates “agentic AI” by using external tools to gather and synthesise information.

Strengthen Your Organisation’s Security with Chrome Enterprise Premium

Chrome Enterprise Premium (CEP) provides a robust layer of security for enterprise browsing.

• CEP ensures secure enterprise browsing as the new standard, protecting corporate data while enabling secure work on any device from anywhere.
• It helps to reduce the risk of data exfiltration through data loss prevention features.
• Key capabilities include real-time protection against phishing and malware. It also includes controlled access to critical applications using Zero Trust security principles.

Key Updates for Google Workspace Administrators

• Enhanced Google Vault Data Retention Management: Google Vault is changing how it handles data retention in Chat, especially in conversations involving users from different Google Workspace environments. The retention policy of the user who initiated the conversation will now be prioritised. While the underlying data in Vault remains unchanged, users might see messages disappear from their Chat view based on the sender’s retention settings.
• Unified Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Across Services: Google is unifying DLP rules to apply consistently across Google Workspace services, including Chat and Mail, in addition to Drive. This means your DLP policies can now protect data more comprehensively.
• Google Vault Now Supports Gemini Prompts: Google Vault can now support the Gemini app (gemini.google.com), allowing administrators to conduct matters and searches on Gemini prompts from 7th February 2025. However, setting retention policies or purging Gemini prompts is not yet supported, and this applies only to the Gemini app, not side panel integrations.
• Introducing Google Drive Inventory Reporting: A new Google Drive inventory reporting tool is available in beta. This tool generates a comprehensive report of all your Drive content and files. Due to the large data volume, it requires a connection to BigQuery. Setting this up proactively is recommended for efficient data investigations. Access to this beta feature requires a request.
• NotebookLM Integrated into Google Workspace with SLA: NotebookLM is now officially part of the Google Workspace suite. This integration includes a Service Level Agreement (SLA), providing greater reliability and support. Additionally, NotebookLM now supports Context Aware rules, allowing administrators to define access policies based on various contextual factors.

What’s new in Google Workspace – [September 2024]

What’s new in Google Workspace – [September 2024]

Google Workspace’s Q3 2024 updates signal a clear vision for the future of work: a future where collaboration is seamless, data is readily accessible, and AI empowers employees to achieve more. With a whirlwind of at least 10 new features across communication, collaboration, admin, and Gemini, Google Workspace has rolled out a suite of updates for Q3 2024 that promise to redefine user experience. Here are the key updates you need to know:

Communication

• Custom Recurrences and Guest Invitations for Appointment Scheduling: Users can now set custom recurrences for appointment schedules, such as bi-weekly or monthly meeting slots. You can also invite guests to meetings you schedule using appointment scheduling. This is available for most Google Workspace SKUs.
• Redesigned Meet Interface: Google Meet has a new look! The meeting controls are now at the bottom of the screen. Look out for more changes to the interface coming soon. These updates just change the look of Meet, not how it works.
• Automatic Picture-in-Picture Mode in Meet: The picture-in-picture mode, which shows participants in a separate window when switching tabs, is now automatic. However, it’s not possible to start a screen share while in picture-in-picture mode.
• New Centralised “Threads” Section in Chat: A new “Threads” section in the top right corner of Google Chat displays all followed threaded conversations, including those the user has replied to or wants to keep up with. Previously, only unread threads were visible.

Admin

• Combining Context-Aware Access and DLP: Admins can now combine context-aware access and Data Loss Prevention (DLP). This means they can restrict access to certain files based on your location or the device you’re using, even if you normally have access to the service (like Google Drive).
• Upgraded Labels Feature: Labels now support up to 10 fields of data and a badge list. This means you can use labels in more ways, like for visual representation and metadata.
• AppSheet Admin Console Now Available in AppSheet Core: The AppSheet Admin Console, which provides an overview of users, licensing, and usage within AppSheet, is now available in AppSheet Core. Previously, this was limited to enterprise customers.
• Google Drive Inventory Reporting in BigQuery: You can now export Google Drive inventory data to BigQuery for analysis. This helps admins with governance and compliance, giving them insights into data classification, access, and usage.

Collaboration

• View and Structure Google Forms Data as a Table in Sheets: Google Sheets automatically opens new Google Forms data as a table, bringing format and structure to the data. If you have sheets already connected to a form, you can now convert them into a table format.
• Send Emails about Files to Collaborators Using the Sharing Dialogue: Users can now email collaborators about files they own or edit directly from the sharing dialogue in Workspace apps. The feature allows adding a custom message and selecting recipients based on their permissions.
• Multiple Selections in Dropdown Chips in Google Sheets: Dropdown chips in Google Sheets can now accommodate multiple selections, which is helpful when dealing with multiple project milestones or similar scenarios.

Gemini

• Take Notes for Me in Google Meet: Gemini can now take AI-powered notes during Google Meet calls. A summary of the meeting is added to the calendar invite as a Google Doc. This feature is currently only available in English, but support for other languages is planned.
• Gemini now has Gems: Named ‘Gems’ this tool lets you create specialised experts that you can customise for your goals and tasks. They remember your instructions and can save you time on repetitive tasks. Think of them as your own personal assistants with deep expertise in certain areas. You can’t share Gems with others yet, but it’s something lots of people are asking for!
• Admins access greater visibility: Admins can now see how individual users are using Gemini in the Admin console. This helps identify power users and those who might need more training or support. The reports can be filtered by organisational unit or group and can be exported for further analysis.

Ready to use the full potential of Google Workspace for your team?

Talk to Devoteam’s experts today. We’ll help you figure out what you need and create a plan just for you. Our mission? To help you smoothly transition to an AI-powered workplace.

Google Workspace Services

Customer References

What’s new in Google Workspace – [June 2024]

What’s new in Google Workspace – [June 2024]

Communication is Key

• Find relevant messages faster: Google Chat will now display Avatars next to unread threads in the conversation view. This will help you spot who sent the latest messages in your threads without needing to open them, helping you identify important messages faster.
• Schedule like a pro: Google Calendar now allows for up to 20 co-hosts per appointment, appointment scheduling on secondary calendars, and expanded delegate access. Plus, the new “Check calendars for availability” function can check your availability on multiple calendars from different accounts, helping you find the perfect meeting time.
• Brand your Gmail: Gmail’s layout feature allows you to design custom layouts for all your mails that match your company’s branding with logos, colours, fonts, and more. You can even share your creations with colleagues for a cohesive look.
• Never miss an important link: Google Meet now lets you pin messages in the chat, ensuring everyone sees critical information like shared links.

Enhanced Collaboration

• Search smarter, not harder: Refined search chip functionality in Google Drive lets you filter files across your entire drive with greater precision.
• Share video highlights: Help your colleagues jump straight to the most important part of a video with Google Drive’s new time-stamped video sharing links.
• Organise your feedback: Effortlessly manage and filter comments in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides with the new comment sorting and filtering options.
• Record presentations with ease: The new presenter recording feature in Google Slides lets you seamlessly record yourself delivering your presentation directly within Google slides!
• Put yourself in the picture: Captivate your audience with the Google Slides speaker spotlight feature, allowing you to embed your Google Meet video feed directly into your presentation. This provides a whole host of new creative possibilities for your remote presentations.

Admin Wins

• Space Management Simplified: Admins rejoice! The Space Management Tool boasts a revamped user interface for easier navigation. Plus, you can now add multiple members and groups at once, review detailed space settings, and manage invited members.
• Effortless Email Migration: A brand new feature allows admins to migrate email data between Google Workspace accounts.
• Data Control at Your Fingertips: Admins now have the power to create local data storage exports, specifying the geographic location or locations to store your company’s data. access settings for your organisation’s data. Choose continuous or one-time exports for complete control.
• Granular Audit Access: Expanded delegation options for the Audit and Investigation Tool allow you to restrict access levels to audit data based on the specific application.
• Fine-tuned Group Management: Group admin roles can now be assigned for specific security or non-security groups, providing more granular control over group management.

Ready to use the full potential of Google Workspace for your team?

Talk to Devoteam’s experts today. We’ll help you figure out what you need and create a plan just for you. Our mission? To help you smoothly transition to an AI-powered workplace.

Google Workspace Services

Customer References

What’s new in Google Workspace – [January 2024]

What’s new in Google Workspace – [January 2024]

Watch the full video here.

Google Calendar: Tame the Schedule, Embrace Efficiency:

• A more consistent experience for the guest list in Google Calendar. Google has enhanced the presentation of meeting attendee names in Calendar invites and email updates. Currently, you may observe only email addresses or, in some instances, a combination of email addresses and names within a calendar invite. Moving ahead, you can expect to find an increased inclusion of names in the calendar invite, encompassing individuals within your organisation, as well as guests with whom you have previously interacted
• API access for power users: Unlock automation potential with the Calendar API. Manage out-of-office settings and focus time events with ease, streamlining your workflow and maximising productivity.
• Full-screen focus: Conquer your to-do list and dive into full-screen task lists directly on Calendar, removing distractions and empowering you to tackle your day with full focus. 

Google Meet: Elevate your meeting experience with Google Meet enhancements:

• Uncompromising clarity: Immerse yourself in meetings with stunning Full HD video in group meetings, ensuring every detail, from presentations to whiteboard scribbles, comes through razor-sharp.
• Boost your confidence: Feeling a little self-conscious on camera? Google’s subtle portrait touch-up on mobile devices gently enhances your appearance, putting you at ease and ready to shine.
• Enhanced interactivity: For those who prefer to observe, the improved Google Meet viewer mode now enables smoother interaction and participation, even without being in the spotlight. Empower meeting hosts and co-hosts with the ability to seamlessly elevate a viewer to a meeting contributor during picture-in-picture mode. This feature enhances flexibility, allowing hosts to efficiently adjust participant rights without exiting PiP mode, saving valuable time.
• Developers, listen up: The Google Meet API is now in Developer Preview, opening up a world of possibilities for custom integrations.

Google Chat: Boost your communication efficiency 

• Say goodbye to repetitive tasks: Smart replies automatically suggest concise responses to common messages, saving you time and effort. Need to acknowledge an update or reschedule a meeting? Smart replies have you covered.
• Declutter your workspace: Tame message overload with the space management tool, allowing you to bulk delete unused or outdated Chat spaces in a breeze.
• Find what you need instantly: Experience enhanced communication efficiency with our redesigned navigation panel, seamlessly integrating direct messages and spaces. Introducing shortcuts, a novel framework designed to keep you effortlessly organized with your messages. The “home” feature minimizes friction by providing a centralized hub for catching up on new activities across all conversations. For further streamlining, easily filter for unread messages to tailor your view and prioritize essential communication. 
• Seamless collaboration between Chat and Drive: Take action on Drive requests and comments directly within Chat, eliminating context switching and keeping workflows uninterrupted.

Google Drive: Enhance your workflow and security:

• Future-proofed data management: Stay ahead of evolving privacy regulations with updates to third-party cookie requirements in Drive. Devoteam is here to guide you through these changes and ensure your data remains secure.
• Boost your creativity and organisation: Spice up your presentations with playful GIFs and stickers in Slides. Drive now lets you filter files by people or groups, streamlining collaboration and information discovery.
• Automate and simplify with smart tools: AppSheet smart chips in Docs empower you to automate repetitive tasks and workflows, saving valuable time and effort.
• Navigate with ease: Drive’s refreshed homepage offers a more intuitive and efficient way to find what you need.
• Effortless scanning on the go: The upgraded Google Drive scanner on Android and iOS devices makes capturing documents faster and simpler than ever.
• Sheets fans rejoice: Get ready for the next generation of automated data entry in Sheets, designed to elevate your data analysis and reporting power.

Admin Power-Ups: Strengthen governance and security with enhanced Admin Console tools:

• Gain clarity on access control: Monitor Mode sheds light on how Context-Aware Access policies impact your users, enabling informed decision-making and policy refinement.
• Simplify user management: Streamline user onboarding and information synchronization with seamless External Directory integration.
• Empower iOS device management: User enrollment and Apple Volume Purchase program support simplify iOS device deployment and control.
• Mitigate insider threats: Chronicle’s advanced risk detection capabilities safeguard your organization against internal data breaches and security incidents.
• Comprehensive data archiving: Google Vault now encompasses Google Calendar data, ensuring complete control and preservation of important information.

Gmail: Enhance your communication with an expanded emoji palette: 

Gmail’s refreshed emoji picker offers a wider range of expressive options, allowing you to more accurately capture your tone and intent in email messages. Celebrate achievements with playful confetti, offer reassurance with a virtual hug, or convey a spectrum of emotions beyond traditional text. This expanded functionality empowers you to build deeper connections and create more nuanced communication, even within the written format.

To Summarise: 

The end of 2023 brought significant advancements to Google Workspace. Calendar offers enhanced guest list clarity, API access for automation, and full-screen focus mode. Google Meet shines with Full HD video for groups, subtle portrait touch-up, and improved viewer/contributor interactions. Drive boasts future-proofed data management, playful presentation options, and automated workflows. Admins gain power with Monitor Mode, External Directory integration, and advanced risk detection via Chronicle.

Ready for More? Dive into Beta Programs with Devoteam!

Can’t get enough of cutting-edge features? Devoteam, your go-to Google Workspace partner, is here to guide you through the world of beta programs. 

• Reach out to your Devoteam contact or representative to join the beta
• Re-watch the Google Workspace Update webinar here
• Put these features into a wider strategic context with the 10 Benefits of Google Workspace

So, what are you waiting for? Explore these updates, join the beta programs with Devoteam.

Ready to use the full potential of Google Workspace for your team?

Talk to Devoteam’s experts today. We’ll help you figure out what you need and create a plan just for you. Our mission? To help you smoothly transition to an AI-powered workplace.

Google Workspace Services

Customer References

What’s new in Google Workspace – [December 2024]

What’s new in Google Workspace – [December 2024]

On the 15th of January 2025, Google Workspace announced that Google AI will be accessible to all businesses by including it in Workspace Business and Enterprise plans.

From the 29th of January 2025, Gemini will be automatically turned on in your Google Workspace environment (if it wasn’t already). Google Workspace users will be able to:

• Use AI assistance across all of their favourite working tools including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet, Chat, Vids and more.
• Interact with Gemini Advanced and build Gems, custom AI experts that help complete tasks and workflows based on the user’s inputs.
• Access NotebookLM Plus, an AI research assistant.

As a leading Google Cloud partner, Devoteam works with you to create a custom strategy that fits your needs and goals. This includes:

• Identifying the best ways to use Gemini in your organisation.
• Develop training programs that fit your team’s learning styles.
• Providing ongoing support to ensure a smooth transition and confident users.

Experts in change management will help you communicate Gemini’s benefits, address any concerns, and build a culture where everyone embraces this new technology.

Google Workspace‘s Q4 2024 updates include new features and improvements across communication, collaboration, admin, and Gemini for Google Workspace. These updates aim to streamline workflows and make things easier for users.

Here are the key updates:

Jump Start Program for Chrome OS

Jump Start, a new program with Google gives you 40 hours of help. The goal? To plan and set up ChromeOS, plus you’ll get 20 support tickets for free. To join, you need to activate 40 licences and haven’t bought a Chrome licence in the last two years.

Communication

• Huddles: Google Chat is calling. It now features instant-on, audio-first meetings called Huddles, powered by Google Meet. This feature lets users quickly start audio meetings directly within Google Chat, eliminating the need to switch between applications. Users can also add videos or share their screens if needed. Huddles is available across all Google SKUs and Google enabled it by default for users with Google Meet turned on.
• Custom Sections in Google Chat: You can now organise your Google Chat conversations into custom sections. This lets you filter group chats and spaces by project, team, or topic, making it easier to find what you need. This feature is available for everyone and Google turned it on by default.
• Reply to messages straight from your Google Chat home screen! You don’t even need to open individual conversations. This means you can answer messages faster and keep track of lots of chats more easily. Even better, it is already active for every SKU.

Collaboration

• New Building Blocks in Google Docs: Google Docs has new building blocks to make work easier! These include task trackers, contact lists, and decision logs. They give you a structured way to manage projects, hiring, and other tasks. Your admin might need to turn on Google Tasks for the task tracker to work.
• Image Creation in Google Docs with Gemini: Google Docs users with access to Gemini can now generate images directly within their documents and cover pages using Gemini’s image generation capabilities. This allows users to create unique visuals tailored to their content without needing external image editing tools. This feature is enabled by default. It is available for all Gemini for Google Workspace licenses.
• Restricted Audience for Google Forms: Within the publish settings in Google Forms, you can now restrict who can respond to the user group or target audience. This can be useful to ensure that only relevant users fill in a form.
• Google Drive Chat App: The Google Drive Chat app allows users to respond to comments and change sharing settings within Chat.
• Referencing Tables in Google Sheets: you can now reference a table’s name in a formula. This means that if someone moves the table, the formula will follow.
• E-signatures in PDFs: You can now add e-signatures to PDFs within Google Drive and send them out for signature.

Admin

• Restrictive Scopes for Third-Party Apps: Admins can now create more restrictive scopes for third-party applications, choosing which service and which scopes an application has access to.
• Vault Takeout and Export for Client-Side Encryption: Vault legal holds, takeout, and data export is now available when using client-side encryption by using a certificate to unencrypt the files.
• Policy Visualisation: A new visual cue will indicate the security limitations on a document in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Videos, and Drive.
• DLP for Gmail: You can now apply Data loss prevention (DLP) rules and labels to Gmail. According to these rules, emails can be restricted, revoked, or prevented from being sent.
• Drive Inventory: It is now possible to export a historical inventory of all drive content and sharing settings to Big Query.

Gemini

• Gemini App on Mobile: The Gemini mobile app is now available for Google Workspace users on both Android and iOS. However, Android for Work profiles are not supported.
• Calendar Integration with Gemini: The Gemini side panel in Gmail now allows users to schedule events in their calendar and view upcoming meetings.
• Gems and Offline Files: You can now use Gemini with uploaded offline files, including text, Word documents, Excel files, and TSVs. Add up to 10 files, each maximum 100 megabytes in size.

Ready to use the full potential of Google Workspace for your team?

Talk to Devoteam’s experts today. We’ll help you figure out what you need and create a plan just for you. Our mission? To help you smoothly transition to an AI-powered workplace.

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