In September, we introduced Google Cloud, a portfolio of products, technologies, and services designed for enterprises. Following that announcement, we’re rebranding our Google Apps Directory Sync tool to better reflect the wide variety of products and services it supports. Going forward, Google Apps Directory Sync will be known as Google Cloud Directory Sync. In addition to this change, the latest version of Google Cloud Directory Sync will include the features and fixes described below.

What’s new

• The GCDS interface now shows only those sync features supported by your domain type. 
• The tool uses the latest Java JRE v1.8, which by default uses TLS v1.2 for HTTPS connections. 
• The GCDS EULA has been updated to include customers who may use a domain covered by the Managed Google Domain Terms.

What’s fixed

• “Force new users to change password” is now properly set on account creation. 
• Group memberships are now added properly on initial sync with group creation. 
• Instead of displaying “Connected failed - null” when there is a connection error testing SMTP notifications, GCDS now displays a proper error message. 
• Random passwords for accounts are no longer synced on the first and subsequent syncs; they are now set on the first sync only. 
• Users are now properly provisioned with the defined default password. 
• You can now re-authorize GCDS using a different account, even if GCDS has a valid auth token. 
• You can now perform a sync in GCDS, even if you haven’t configured email notification settings.
• Instead of displaying the raw HTML EULA when installing from the command line, the installer now displays the plain text EULA. 

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

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

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

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

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action required

More Information
Help Center: About Google Cloud Directory Sync
Help Center: What’s New in Google Cloud Directory Sync


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Today, we’re announcing that as of February 1, 2017, we will discontinue service for Drive for Mac/PC desktop app versions 1.27 and lower. Going forward, we will officially discontinue service for any Google Drive for Mac/PC versions older than one year.

Newer versions of the Drive desktop app offer several performance and security updates. To ensure the highest quality experience for your users, we recommend that you take the following actions as soon as possible:

• If you manage your users’ installations, upgrade by following the instructions in the “Install Google Drive for Mac/PC” Google Apps Administrator Help Center article.
• If users have installed the client on their own, direct them to the “Install Google Drive for your Mac/PC” Drive Help Center article for end-users.

OS X and Windows users may check what version of Google Drive they are using by clicking on the Drive for Mac/PC menu, clicking on the three-dots icon, and then clicking About. Users still on versions 1.27 and lower after February 1, 2017 will no longer be able to sync files between Google Drive and local storage using Google Drive for Mac/PC.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be contacting domain administrators whose users currently use older versions of Google Drive for Mac/PC and provide guidance on the appropriate migration path.



Launch Details

Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Editions:
Applicable to all G Suite editions

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

Impact:
End-users using Google Drive for Mac/PC versions 1.27 and older

Action:
Change Management/FYI

More Information
Help Center

When collaborating with your team in apps like Gmail and Calendar, you’re able to quickly look up their information by tapping on their profile photo. Today, we’re rolling out an improvement to this integration on Android devices by surfacing new information from the domain directory, including job title, manager, department, and location.

Now when you tap on somebody's profile photo, the information that’s available in the domain directory will be shown in the new “Directory” card, making it easier to understand that person’s job function.




This feature is enabled for any G Suite domains which have the domain directory enabled from the Admin console.


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

If your organization uses non-Gmail email server software, you can use the SMTP relay servicesetting to route outgoing mail through Google. This setting enables you to filter messages for spam and viruses before they reach external contacts and to apply G Suite email security settings to outgoing messages. However, if a spammer is able to get the username and password of a user at your domain, they may also be able to use the SMTP relay service to send messages on behalf of your domain.

With this launch, when Gmail detects abuse of the SMTP relay service by a domain’s user, we will now send admins a list of the users affected as well as some steps to identify why this problem is occurring. If a user is affected by this issue, admins should run virus scans on all of the user’s devices and make sure that their password is changed to prevent further abuse. It’s important to action these messages as soon as possible, because spam messages from these accounts can damage your domain’s email reputation to other mail providers and could have other negative effects on your mail flow.

This is our first step to let administrators know when we’ve detected abuse. We will be looking for other ways to keep your domain’s email reputation safe in the future.


Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in 2 weeks

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

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

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI


More Information
Help Center

If your domain has enabled non-admin user password recovery from the Admin console, then you may have decreased your help desk tickets by giving users an automated way to reset their password. Starting October 25, 2016, we’re extending non-admin user password recovery to include email addresses, an extension to our phone numbers launchfrom last year.
Getting Started

• Non-admin user password recovery launchedover a year ago as default OFF for new G Suite domains, and you can enable the feature by Organizational Unit from the Admin console under Security settings.

Security Best Practices
If you’ve enabled this feature for your domain, we’d like to remind you of the following resources for administrators we’ve updated with this launch:

• Employee departure security best practices
• Set password strength and user password recovery

Note: For G Suite for Education domains that are Primary/Secondary institutions, only administrators will be shown the prompt for email address and phone number.



Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release on October 25, 2016

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

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More information

• Set password strength and user password recovery
• Employee departure security best practices

The table of contents in Google Docs makes it easy to organize and navigate long and complex documents. Starting today, you have the option to include page numbers in these tables, a frequent request from G Suite customers. To do so, simply select the numbered option when inserting a table of contents from the Insert menu.

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: Add a title, heading, or table of contents in a document

Note: all launches are applicable to all G Suite editions unless otherwise noted

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One common request we’ve heard from customers is for an integrated search experience for the content you care about, regardless of what app you’re in. Beginning this week, we’ll be rolling out an integrated search experience in Gmail, Google Calendar, Groups, and Drive on the web for G Suite Basic and G Suite Business customers to make finding the content you care about easier.

This new search experience uses Google’s latest technologies to make searching for content more intelligent than ever. The search results you’ll see will change depending on what you’re trying to accomplish and also which services are enabled for your domain. Typically, search results in the top portion will be the same type as the application you’re using, and below, you’ll see related documents, contacts, calendar events, or emails that are most relevant to what you’re searching for.


Please note: At this time, the integrated search experience will be rolled out only to G Suite Basic and G Suite Business customers (formerly called Google Apps for Work and Google Apps Unlimited).


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

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

Impact:
All end users on G Suite Basic and G Suite Business

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

Check out the latest "What's New in G Suite" newsletter [pdf] for a roundup of all G Suite launches from September 2016.

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


Note: all launches are applicable to all G Suite editions unless otherwise noted

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Many administrators who use admin quarantines have requested email notifications when mail messages are quarantined. Beginning this week, we’ll be rolling out a new setting in the admin quarantine that will let you do just that. These email notifications will make it easier to quickly take action on certain email quarantines which may be more severe than others.
Based on your organization’s needs, you can enable notifications per each quarantine. Once enabled, admins will receive an email notification within an hour of when an email is quarantined. The frequency and timing of the alerts will vary based on how often new quarantined mail arrives, but will never be more than once hourly. We recommend only enabling email notifications for the quarantines that need to be actioned immediately.

The newest versions of the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps for Android make it possible to retrieve trashed files you unexpectedly need or accidentally delete. Simply select Trash from the navigation menu in your Docs, Sheets, or Slides app, and you’ll be given the option to restore or permanently delete any files that you’ve trashed.



Visit the Google Play Store to download the latest Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps for Android and check out the new functionality.

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: Delete a document, spreadsheet, or presentation

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

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
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