U-M Google Updates

New look and feel coming to U-M Google Meet

5/19/2021

Google has announced a refreshed Google Meet desktop experience with updates to video feeds, the viewing and presenting experience, and the bottom bar.

Video tiles

  • Your self-view now appears in the bottom right of the grid view.
  • Hover over your self-view tile to choose between a tile in the grid view or a floating picture. You can also resize, reposition, and hide it.
  • When someone speaks, their tile is outlined in blue.
  • When there are more participants than can be shown on the grid, a tile is added to show you who’s on the call.

Viewing and presenting experience

  • You can now see what you are presenting and other participants at the same time while in Google Meet.
  • Unpin the content you or others share to see more participants..
  • Participant names are always visible regardless of meeting size.

Bottom bar

  • Meeting dial-in codes, attachments, the participants list, chat, and other controls are at the bottom right.
  • Controls are consolidated in one place with descriptions upon hover.
  • The “Leave call” button is on the right, away from the microphone and camera buttons.

Refer to Get to know the new Google Meet interface for more information on these changes.

Important: If you currently use any Chrome extensions that interact with Google Meet (including the Grid View extension), your experience could be impacted. Uninstalling these extensions could resolve any issues that may occur.

According to Google, this feature should have begun to show up in U-M Google on May 13, 2021, and could take 15 days or longer to become fully visible. You can expect to see a banner at the top of your screen before joining a Google Meet session when the new interface has arrived in U-M Google.

Additional Resources

Reminder: Convert your classic Google Sites to new Sites

5/19/2021

Google ended classic Google Sites creation on May 15, 2021. Moving forward, new Google websites can only be created in new Google Sites. This change also applies to copying existing sites, creating sites using the Sites API, or any other form of site creation in classic Sites.

For further details on Google’s proposed timeline for classic Google Sites retirement, refer to Classic Google Sites Retirement Timeline.

We highly encourage you to begin converting your classic Google Sites to new Google Sites as soon as possible. The longer you wait to make the transition, the greater the possibility for data loss in 2022.

If you currently own a classic Google Site, refer to Convert Your Classic Google Sites to New Sites for more information on how to convert your classic Google Sites to new Google Sites.

Additional resources:

Reminder: Classic Google Sites creation ends May 15

5/6/2021

As a reminder, Google announced that classic Google Sites creation will end on May 15, 2021. After May 15, new Google websites can only be created in new Google Sites. This change also applies to copying existing sites, creating sites using the Sites API, or any other form of site creation in classic Sites.

For further details on Google’s proposed timeline for classic Google Sites retirement, refer to Classic Google Sites Retirement Timeline.

We highly encourage you to begin converting your classic Google Sites to new Google Sites as soon as possible. The longer you wait to make the transition, the greater the possibility for data loss in 2022.

If you currently own a classic Google Site, refer to Convert Your Classic Google Sites to New Sites for more information on how to convert your classic Google Sites to new Google Sites.

Additional resources:

New interface for Google Chat on the web

4/26/2021

Google announced changes to the interface of Google Chat on the web (i.e., chat.google.com) and the Google Chat standalone app. The new interface is similar to that of Google Chat in Gmail.

In addition to the visual interface updates, you should see the following changes on Chat on the web:

  • In Chat rooms, you can now access shared files and tasks via tabs at the top of the room.
  • The quick access side panel on the right side of the page, like in Gmail and Calendar, has been added.
  • The ability to search for conversations and people is now under the “+” icon on the left-side navigation.
  • You can use the search bar at the top of the page to look for content across all rooms and direct messages. To search, click on the search button at the top right corner of the room/direct message.
  • The Chat and Rooms sections on the left-side navigation bar are static, allowing you to scroll within each section. You can also readjust the height of each of the sections.
  • The ability to toggle between full-screen view and pop-up view for both rooms and direct messages.
  • Added integration with Google Meet so you can join or start a call directly from Chat.
  • Pinned chats and rooms are now at the top of the Chat and Rooms sections instead of in a separate Pinned section.

Graphic, at top text is "Old Google Chat" followed by a screenshot of the old web interface for Google Chat. Underneath this, arrow icon, then text that reads "New and improved Google Chat" with an image of the new web interface for Google Chat.

According to Google, this feature began showing up in U-M Google on March 24, 2021, and could take 15 days or longer to become fully visible.

Classic Google Sites creation ends May 15, 2021

4/22/2021

Since the release of new Google Sites in 2016, Google has been planning to retire classic Google Sites and replace it with new Sites. Google has recently announced their timeline for doing so. According to Google, the changes begin on May 15, 2021, with the end of classic Sites creation. After May 15, new Google websites can only be created in new Sites. This change also applies to copying existing sites, creating sites using the Sites API, or any other form of site creation in classic Sites.

Google’s Timeline

  • May 15, 2021 - The ability to create new classic Sites will be turned off.
  • December 1, 2021 - The ability to edit your remaining classic Sites will be turned off.
  • January 1, 2022 - The ability for users to view the content of a classic Site will be turned off.

If you do not convert your classic Google Site before January 1, Google will automatically transition it as follows:

  1. Download the site as an archive and save it to your Google Drive.
  2. Replace the site with a draft in new Google Sites for you to review and publish if desired.
  3. Delete the classic Site once Google has downloaded and replaced it.

We are highly encouraging the university community to begin converting their classic Google Sites to new Google Sites as soon as possible. The longer you wait to make the transition, the greater the possibility for data loss in 2022.

Refer to Convert Your Classic Google Sites to New Sites for more information on how to convert your classic Google Sites to new Google Sites.

Additional resources: