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What’s changing
Currently, admins can create, publish, and utilize Google Drive labels to apply file level classifications. This helps users organize, find, and comply with company policies as it relates to Drive items. 

This week, we’re expanding the automated classification capabilities of Drive labels to support setting default label values in addition to the current admin ability to apply labels by default. With automated classification, label admins can construct rules that add labels when files are created or when file ownership is transferred.

This update helps organizations ensure critical labels are applied to files at file creation. Using labels can serve as a condition for enforcing certain policies, such as Data Loss Prevention.


Who’s impacted 
Admins 


Why it matters 
With default field values, admins can now be more specific with their label configuration. In addition, this feature provides more flexibility with policy controls while creating a default policy standard within an organization. 


Getting started 
Rollout pace 
Availability 
  • Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, Education Standard customers 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Education Fundamentals, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Nonprofits, and Frontline, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • Not available to users with personal Google Accounts 
Resources 
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Note: This blog post outlines upcoming changes to Google Currents for Workspace users. For information on the previous deprecation of Google+ for users with personal Google accounts, please see this post. 

What's Changing
Last year, we announced plans to wind down Currents, to focus efforts on community experiences that are better integrated with the rest of Google Workspace. To help our customers manage this transition, we published detailed guidance for Workspace administrators and enabled customers to opt-in for automated migration of Currents data to spaces in Google Chat. 


We are nearing the end of this transition. Beginning July 5, 2023, Currents will no longer be available. Workspace administrators can export Currents data using Takeout before August 8, 2023. Beginning August 8th, Currents data will no longer be available for download. 


Although we are saying goodbye to Currents, we continue to invest in new features for Google Chat, so teams can connect and collaborate with a shared sense of belonging. Over the last year, we've delivered features designed to support community engagement at scale, and will continue to deliver more. Here is a summary of the features with additional details below: 

This month, we’re enabling new ways for organizations to share information across the enterprise with announcements in Google Chat. This gives admin controls to limit permissions for posting in a space, while enabling all members to read and react, helping ensure that important updates stay visible and relevant. Later this year, we plan to simplify membership management by integrating Google Groups with spaces in Chat, enable post-level metrics for announcements, and provide tools for Workspace administrators to manage spaces across their domain. 

New announcements feature in Google Chat on mobile device
Announcements in Google Chat

Adding a Google Group during space creation in Google Chat.
Managing space membership with Google Groups






We’ve already rolled out new ways to make conversations more expressive and engaging such as in-line threading to enable rich exploration of a specific topic without overtaking the main conversation and custom emojis to enable fun, personal expression.

A space in Google Chat with in-line threaded conversations.
In-line threaded conversations


Creating a custom emoji in Google Chat on a mobile device.
Discover and join communities with up to 8,000 members




We’ve also made it easier for individuals to discover and join communities of shared interest. By searching in Gmail, users can explore a directory of available spaces covering topics of personal or professional interest such as gardening, pets, career development, fitness, cultural identity, and more, with the ability to invite others to join via link. Last year, we increased the size of communities supported by spaces in Chat to 8,000 members, and we are working to scale this in a meaningful way later this year. 

A directory of spaces in Google Chat for users to join.



As communities grow, it’s essential to provide tools for content moderation and data management. Last year, we introduced space managers, a community lead with abilities to moderate conversation and manage membership, and last year at NEXT, we rolled out data loss prevention (DLP) for Chat. We will continue to enhance community health and data security for Google Chat. 


Our partner community is extending the power of Chat through integrations with essential third-party apps such as Jira, GitHub, Asana, PagerDuty, Zendesk and Salesforce. Many organizations have built custom workflow apps using low-code and no-code tools, and we anticipate that this number will continue to grow with the GA releases of the Chat API and AppSheet’s Chat app building capabilities later this year.



For teams to thrive in this rapidly changing era of hybrid work, it’s essential to build authentic personal connections and a strong sense of belonging, no matter when or where individuals work. We will continue to make Google Chat the best option for Workspace customers seeking to build a community and culture for hybrid teams, with much more to come later this year. 


Who's impacted
Admins and end users


Why it’s important
The transition from Currents to spaces in Google Chat removes a separate, siloed destination and provides organizations with a modern, enterprise-grade experience that reflects how the world is working today. Google Workspace customers use Google Chat to communicate about projects, share organizational updates, and build community.


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What’s changing
We’re introducing improvements to the web Google Drive location picker that enable you to quickly and efficiently select a location to organize files and folders. The updates include a new visual experience and helpful suggestions when moving files and folders or adding shortcuts to items in Drive. Specifically you’ll notice: 
  • “Suggested”, “Starred”, and “All locations” tabs. Upon navigating into a folder location, the tabs are replaced by a back button and the name of the location 
  • Details for the selected folder paths, an option to create a new folder, and an image notification if you’re moving something into an empty folder 
  • Suggested locations and the option to reject the suggestion, which immediately removes it from the list 
  • Streamlined navigation that adds an inline button to complete the action of moving a file in one click 
  • A label if a folder is “view only” and explanations for why you might face an error when moving a file, such as not being the owner of a file 

Who’s impacted 
End users 


Why it’s important 
This update improves upon the current Drive picker experience, allowing you to organize files, folders, and shortcuts in Drive in a more effective manner. 


Getting started 
  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to use Google Drive. 
Rollout pace 
Availability 
  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • Available to users with personal Google Accounts 
Resources Roadmap 
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What’s changing
Last year, we announced a beta for a new tool in Google Classroom called practice sets. Educators can transform new and existing content into engaging and interactive assignments. With autograding built in, teachers can receive performance insights and snapshots into student progress. 


Students get real-time feedback as they complete practice sets, so they know whether they’re on the right track. If they get stuck and need support, they can see automated hints and video suggestions, which are selected based on a learning skill added by the teacher. 


We’re excited to announce that practice sets are now generally available in English in Google Classroom to Google Workspace for Education Plus and Google Workspace for Education Teaching and Learning customers.


Who’s impacted
Admins and end users 

Why you’d use it 
While every student learns in their own way, practice and specific feedback can help them learn more effectively. Assignments can be completed with a variety of tools for input, such as a mouse, stylus, touchpad, or math keyboard depending on how a student works best. With practice sets, educators can more easily get insight into which concepts need more instruction time and when to move on, giving them performance trends and insights to shape future lesson plans. 

Visit the Teacher Center to learn more about practice sets via our online course.


Additional details 
A key part of teacher workflows is sharing their content. Now, teachers can share practice sets with verified teachers in their Google Workspace, and leverage one another's curriculum with their own students. Speak to your admin to become a verified teacher. 

Getting started 
  • Admins: Practice sets are enabled by default, but admins need to add teachers to the verified teacher group in order for them to receive a shared practice set from other teachers in their Google Workspace. 
  • End users: To access practice sets, go to Google Classroom > Practice sets > Create (or practicesets.classroom.google.com). Visit the Help Center to learn more about Practice sets. 
Rollout pace 
  • This feature is now available. 
Availability 
  • Available to Google Workspace for Education Plus and Google Workspace for Education Teaching and Learning Upgrade 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Education Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • Not available to users with personal Google Accounts 
Resources 

Roadmap 
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What’s changing

Last year, we made numerous improvements to Google Sites, including the addition of a spacer option, a density theme setting, and stylized social media links. Today, we’re announcing even more enhancements that improve upon collaboration within Sites and give you even more control over the layout of your Site’s content. 

New collaborators’ cursors will appear when Site editors are typing within a text tile. This will help you and others know who is working on what while in edit mode of a Site. 


Display your content with more flexibility by adding page frames and adjusting your Site width for desktop viewing within custom themes. Page frame colors are customizable and width options include: 
  • Normal (Default): Designed for more spread out Sites with less content 
  • Full: Designed for dense, content-heavy Sites 
  • Wide: Designed for Sites that fall between normal and full 

Set a Site width:
site width
Enable page frames:

Lastly, we’re adding alignment options to buttons, allowing you to align buttons left, center, or right within a group. Aligned buttons shrink to fit their text, allowing a button to be narrower than the group containing it. 
Getting started 
  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: 
    • Collaborators’ cursors will appear automatically in Site edit mode. 
    • To adjust the width of a Site or add a page frame, navigate to Themes > Custom > Edit > Spacing > Width > and/or Show page frame. Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating a custom theme. 
    • To align a button, navigate to the Insert menu and insert a button. Drag and drop a button to the appropriate section in the Site and choose the alignment option that best works for your Site. 
Rollout pace 
Collaborators’ cursors: 
Page frame and customizable site width: 
Button alignment: 
Availability 
  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • Available to users with personal Google accounts 
Resources 
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What’s changing 
In 2022, we introduced Access Approvals, which enables customers to control when Google support personnel can access specific data during support and general maintenance. Beginning today, we’re introducing additional options that provide customers even more control over these data interactions: 
  • Specify: Google support personnel can indicate which specific product data they need access to - for example: Gmail data only, instead of all Workspace Data. 
  • Access duration: Specify a time limit wherein data can be accessed. 
  • Control: Revoke previously granted access if no longer applicable. 
  • Context: Denote the reason an access request was approved or denied, or why a previously approved request was revoked, to streamline the process for future requests.




Who’s impacted
Admins


Why it’s important
We know it’s essential that our customers have visibility and control over their systems and data and how they’re accessed by any third party, including Google. Introducing additional controls for our customers helps ensure that their data is accessed in an explicitly consensual manner that best suits the needs of their business.


Read more about Sovereign Controls for Google Workspace, Client-side encryption, data regions, and Access Management capabilities, for more information on how we provide our customers solutions to reach their digital sovereignty goals. 


Getting started
Rollout pace


Availability
  • Access Approvals is part of Google Workspace Assured Controls, which is available as an add-on for Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers only. For more information, contact your Google account representative. 
Resources

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What’s changing We recently announced new capabilities for Space Managers to ensure effective conversations within Google Chat. To build upon those features, we’re also giving Space Managers the ability to configure spaces for sharing organizational announcements. Using the new announcement-only configuration, message posting and other capabilities are limited to designated Space Managers, who can: 
  • Create a space with restricted post setting 
  • Post 
  • Reply in thread 
  • Add files 
  • Designate another member as a Space Manager 
  • Modify the space settings 
A space must be configured as announcement-only during initial set-up by clicking “only Space Managers can post.” However, at any time, an existing Space Manager can assign the role of Space Manager to another space member, allowing them to post messages and perform other tasks as noted. 


Who’s impacted 
End users 


Why you’d use it 
Announcements facilitate one-way controlled communication in Google Chat. This can be important in a variety of scenarios, such as using a space for bulletin board-like updates rather than a resource for conversation. 


Additional details 
We’re moving the “Allow people outside of your organization to join” to the Advanced section of the space creation settings. 

Getting started 
  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about optimizing Chat spaces for your organization. 
  • End users: 
    • Upon creating a space, navigate to the Advanced settings and select the “Only Space managers can post” option. You cannot modify the setting to restrict posting to Space Managers after a space is created. 
    • If you are not a Space Manager, the following will appear in the Chat text bar: “Posting is limited to Space Managers.” 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating an announcement space and your role as a Space Manager. 

Rollout pace Web: 
Mobile: 
Availability 
  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • Not available to users with personal Google Accounts 
Resources 
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What’s changing 
To help you find relevant documents faster, we’re introducing user personalization boost and click boost for the Cloud Search API. These boosts tailor search results based on the way users interact with search results: documents that have been clicked on by the user in the past, or clicked on by other users for similar queries, will rank higher in search results.


Getting started
  • Admins and developers: The feature is available by default. Use this guide to learn more about the use of personalization boost and click boost in Cloud Search ranking.
  • End users: There is no end user action required — when configured by your admin, you’ll automatically see more personalized, relevant search results.

Rollout pace
  • This feature is available now.

Availability
  • Available to Google Cloud Search Customers

Resources

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2 New updates

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are fully launched or in the process of rolling out (rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete), launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time (if not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete), and available to all Google Workspace and G Suite customers.


Google Meet Hardware Chrome OS M103
On April 10, 2023, Chrome OS M103 will land in the Stable release channel. This includes performance and stability improvements, security patches and key updates such as: 
  • The kernel version has been revised to 5.4 for GMH compute devices
  • The Series One audio bar firmware was upgraded
  • The Series One touch controller has stability improvements
  • Re-enablement of the Logitech Rally Bar firmware update screen, and more.
For details, see this article in our Help Center. Going forward, we’ll share Chrome OS updates as they’re available in our Weekly Recap. | Available for Google Workspace customers on supported GMH compute units. Note that Series One Desk 27 and Series One Board 65 devices will update to M103 at a future date — we’ll provide an update here on the Workspace Updates Blog at that time. 

Expanding language support for grammar suggestions
Grammar suggestions in Google Docs and Gmail are now available in more languages:
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • Norwegian
  • Swedish 
Language will be detected automatically and you'll see applicable grammar suggestions, helping you write faster, more accurately, and with more confidence. Visit the Help Center to learn more about grammar suggestions in Google Docs and Gmail respectively. | Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains complete for Google Docs. Rolling out to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains now for Gmail.


Previous announcements

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.


Use speaker separation for a more dynamic meeting experience on Pixel 7 devices
If you’re using Google Meet with a Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro device, you can opt to use speaker separation for your meetings. When turned on, you’ll hear the audio of other participants from different directions based on their position on screen. | Learn more. 


Completed rollouts

The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog post for additional details.


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What’s changing 
If you’re using Google Meet with a Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro device, you can opt to use speaker separation for your meetings. When turned on, you’ll hear the audio of other participants from different directions based on their position on screen. This makes it easier to distinguish different speakers and hear where they’re coming from for a more immersive, dynamic experience. 



Getting started 

Rollout pace 

Availability 
  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers

Resources 
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