You can now use originality reports on Google Slides files, which were previously only available for Google Docs.

Originality reports allow students and teachers to compare work against billions of web pages and books on the internet, making it easier to ensure academic integrity of the work. It can be used when submitting or receiving files within Google Classroom and Assignments.

Getting started

• Admins: There is no admin control for this feature 
• Teachers: Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to turn on originality reports in Classroom.
• Students: Visit the Help Center to learn more about running an originality report on your work in Classroom or Assignments.

At Google Cloud Next 2021, we announced additional protections to safeguard against abusive content. If a user opens a potentially suspicious or dangerous file in Google Drive, we will display a warning banner to help protect them and their organization from malware, phishing and ransomware. These warnings are already available when opening Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings. 

You now can add rich formatting to Chat messages, such as bold, italics, or underlines. Rich text can also be accessed using standard keyboard shortcuts. 

Simply press the "A" icon in the chat compose bar to expand the formatting toolbar. 

Activating rich text editing from the compose bar

Rich text editing is open and applied

Last year, we announced the ability to add page breaks before paragraphs on web. Now, this function is available on mobile. 

You can mark a paragraph to always begin on a new page with the new “Add page break before” option in Google Docs. This is particularly useful if you want certain paragraph styles to always create a new page such as titles, subtitles, or headings. 

Page break before paragraph on mobile

This also means that you can import and export Microsoft Word and other third-party documents that have “Page break before” applied to paragraphs and Docs will retain that formatting. 

In 2021, we pre-announced Companion mode in Google Meet, which is designed to seamlessly connect those in meeting rooms with their remote teammates, giving everyone access to interactive features and controls, while leveraging the best of in-room audio and video conferencing capabilities.

Beginning today, you can use Companion mode on the web when joining a meeting using Google Meet hardware or the Nest Hub Max. Companion mode allows you to access interactive features and controls such as chat, screen sharing, hand raising, polls, host controls and more.

Companion mode is designed to be similar to a full video call on web, so that you can navigate the interface faster while avoiding audio feedback.

You can join a meeting using Companion mode from the green room before your meeting or by using g.co/companion. If you intend to immediately share content, you can simultaneously join the meeting and present with Companion mode by using g.co/present.

Join Companion Mode by selecting “Use Companion mode” under Other joining options

Use g.co/companion to join meetings on your calendar or by entering your meeting code. 

Who’s impacted

End users

Why it’s important

Hybrid meetings and classes are growing as some begin to return to office or school, while others remain remote. Companion mode fosters collaboration equity for all attendees regardless of where they’re joining a meeting from. Companion mode complements functionality on Google Meet hardware and Nest Hub Max by enabling attendees to:

• See a presentation up close, 
• Participate in chat,
• Initiate polls or vote, 
• Raise hands with their names associated, 
• Use host controls,
• Enable captions and translations in their preferred languages. 

All Google Meet users can connect to meetings using Companion mode on the web. The availability of features, such as hand raising, depends on your Google Workspace edition. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Meet feature availability across Google Workspace editions.

Additional details

You’ll notice prompts on Meet hardware and Nest Hub Max devices for Companion mode when chat messages are sent or other interactive activities are initiated in a meeting.  

The tiles of participants using Companion mode will be hidden from the video grid to maximize screen space for video feeds unless they raise their digital hand. Additionally, in the meeting roster, those using Companion mode will be identified as such. 

Using Companion mode will count as an additional meeting participant and the overall meeting participant count. For example, if you join using a Meet hardware device and use Companion mode on your laptop, it is treated as two meeting participants.

Companion mode users in the call are indicated in the participant roster.

External meeting guests and meeting participants without Google accounts can use Companion mode and g.co/companion, but they’ll need to ask to join the meeting.

Getting started

• Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
• End users: 
• This feature will be available by default. You can join a meeting on the web using Companion mode from the green room before your meeting.
• Alternatively, use g.co/present to present directly from the web using Companion mode.
• Note: Your audio and mic will automatically be muted—we recommend using meeting room hardware for audio and video to avoid feedback. Additionally, the chat panel will be open by default.
• Use this Help Center article and video guide to learn more about using Companion mode in Google Meet.

Rollout pace

Companion Mode on web and g.co/companion

• Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 13, 2022  
• Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 27, 2022 

Note: For Google Workspace Individual customers and users with personal Google accounts, there will be a gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 13, 2022.

Activity notifications on Google Meet hardware and Nest Hub Max 

• Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 2, 2022 
  

Use this post in our community forum for more information on rollout progression and additional FAQs.

Availability

• Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers
• Also available to Google Workspace Individual customers, as well as users with personal Google accounts

Resources

• Google Workspace Learning Center: Improve collaboration equity in hybrid meetings with Companion mode
• Google Workspace Learning Center: Companion Mode Quick Start Guide
• Google Cloud Blog: How to make hybrid meetings more inclusive 
• Video Overview: Google Meet Companion mode
• Google Workspace Hybrid Work Handbook
• Google Meet Community: Use Companion mode for inclusive hybrid meetings
  

We’ve made several improvements to the issue detection engine which notifies admins about peripheral and connectivity issues in their Google Meet hardware fleet. These improvements will make alerts more reliable and cut down on noise and false signals.

Furthermore, we’ve made a number of significant visual changes to the Google Meet hardware section of the Admin console in order to display more detailed information regarding device issues.  We expect these new features will allow admins to better troubleshoot issues in their fleets.  They include:

• Issue history page
• Device list quick-filters
• Issue detail sidebar
• New aggregated issue count columns

See below for more information.

You can also surface richer information about device issues in the sidebar by clicking an issue from the Device list or Device detail page. This information includes:

• Description
• Type
• Detection time
• Closed time
• Duration
• Related events
• Troubleshooting recommendations

Additionally, we’ve added two new columns to the Device list page: Device issues in last 28 days and Peripheral issues in last 28 days, which can help you isolate persistently problematic devices in your fleet. To add these columns to your current view, you can select the appropriate quick-filter or manually use the column management widget.

Google Classroom teachers can now export their grades to Follett Aspen, a third-party Student Information System (SIS). Grade export is a one-way information push that allows:

• Admins to establish a connection between their district SIS and Google Classroom, and configure export settings that apply to Google Classroom teachers.
• Teachers to manually link new or existing Google Classroom classes to their SIS, and push returned assignments and grades from Google Classroom.

This is only available to users in the United States and Canada. Additionally, there is no additional cost associated with this functionality.

Who’s impacted

Admins and teacher end users

Why it matters

This feature expands the interoperability between Google Classroom and Follett Aspen SIS in the United States and Canada. Grade export saves teachers time and duplicative work by keeping their SIS in sync with fewer manual steps.

Getting started

• Admins and teacher end users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about exporting grades to SIS. 
  

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: This feature is available now for all users.

Availability

• Available as a core service to Google Workspace Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Education Plus. 
• Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers

Resources

• Google Help: Export grades to your SIS
• Google Help: Connect Classroom to your SIS
• Google Help: Troubleshoot SIS grade export
• Google Help: FAQ for SIS grade export

Roadmap

• This feature was listed as an upcoming release.