U-M Google Updates

Update your pronouns in U-M Google

11/14/2024

You can now update and share your pronouns on your U-M Google account. If you choose to display your pronouns in Google, they’ll appear when someone views your contact info or hovers over your profile picture in Gmail, Chat, or other Google products. Pronouns will appear in the language they were set, regardless of current language settings.

To update your pronouns:

  1. Go to your Google Account personal info page and log in with U-M Weblogin if prompted.
  2. Click the Pronouns row under "Basic info."
  3. Select from the list of pronoun suggestions or click Add custom pronouns to add your own.
    1. If adding custom pronouns, enter them in the text field that appears and click Save.
    2. You can also choose not to have pronouns appear by selecting No pronouns set from the list (which is the default for all U-M Google accounts).
  4. Select how you'd like your pronouns shared in Google under "Choose who can see your pronouns."
    1. Only you: Your pronouns are private, and you can only view them.
    2. Your organization: Your pronouns are visible to every person within U-M Google.
    3. Anyone: Anyone (both at U-M and external) can view your pronouns when they communicate with you or view the content you create in Google.

Note: Pronouns will only appear next to your picture in Google Meet if you have access set to Anyone and you're using Meet on the web (mobile users won't be able to view pronouns). Refer to the Google Help Center for more information.

Refer to the ITS knowledge base for more information on updating your pronouns in other ITS services.

Final Reminder: New annual renewal process for Google Shared Accounts and shared drives

11/6/2024

As a final reminder, you are now required to renew your Shared Accounts and shared drives annually using the ITS Shared Account Manager and ITS Shared Drive Manager tools. These processes are similar to the existing MCommunity group renewal process, where Shared Account owners and shared drive Managers will be notified 30 days before the Shared Account or shared drive expires and asked to use the respective tool to renew it once a year.

If you own or manage a Shared Account or shared drive, you should have received multiple targeted messages from ITS since September with more details on initiating the renewal process. Shared Accounts and shared drives must be imported and renewed before December 6, 2024, to prevent deactivation and deletion.

Refer to Renew a Shared Account and Renew a Shared Drive for detailed instructions. For more general information on the processes, refer to Shared Accounts in U-M Google and Shared Drives in U-M Google.

Final Reminder: Less secure apps access goes away on September 30

9/19/2024

As a reminder, Google announced that they will be turning off access to less secure apps and removing the Less Secure Apps setting on September 30, 2024. Less secure apps are third-party, non-Google apps that access your U-M Google account with only your @umich.edu email address and U-M password (not through U-M Weblogin). Common examples include Outlook 2016 or older and Apple Mail. These apps may use the Less Secure Apps setting to allow them full access to your account, which puts it at an additional security risk. To continue using these types of apps with your U-M Google account, you must switch to a more secure type of access called OAuth, which most modern applications use today.

If you do not take action by September 30 to reconnect your apps using OAuth, the less secure app(s) you’ve connected to will start showing an error message indicating that the username and password you entered are invalid, consequently preventing you from logging in to these apps via this method.

ITS does not support using third-party, non-Google applications with U-M Google accounts or provide direct support for connecting to OAuth with them. Instead, we have created a detailed guide to help you determine if you are using less secure apps to access your U-M Google account and how you can switch to OAuth access.

Reminder: The Google Jamboard service is retiring on December 31, 2024

9/19/2024

As a reminder, Google has announced that the Jamboard retirement processes will begin on October 1, and the service will be officially shut down on December 31, 2024.

On October 1:

  • The Jamboard service will become view-only.
    • You can no longer create new Jamboard files (“Jams”) or edit existing ones on any platform, including the web, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Jamboard devices.
    • Google will begin automatically converting existing Jams to PDFs. The PDFs will be saved in the same Drive location as the Jam.
      • Google informed us that PDF conversions are done on a “best-effort basis.” If you would like to ensure your Jams are converted before the service is shut down on December 31, we recommend exporting your Jams (as PDFs or PNGs) manually as soon as possible.
      • The PDF will have the same created and last modified dates as the original Jam.
      • The PDF will be shared with the same collaborators as the original Jam.
      • Once a PDF has been created via conversion, any changes to the original Jam file, such as file location, will not be carried over to the PDF.
      • If ownership of the Jam was transferred to a new individual, but the new owner has not accepted it, the original owner will receive the PDF in Drive.
      • After your Jams are converted to PDFs, the original Jam files will remain in Drive until December 31.
  • Jamboard devices will go into “offline mode.” Jams can no longer be opened/edited, and Google will stop releasing security updates and new features for the device. If you own a Jamboard device on campus, ITS has contacted all owners via targeted email with more information.

On December 31, the Jamboard service will become unavailable on every platform and existing Jam files will be permanently deleted.

ITS doesn’t offer an alternative solution to replace the Google Jamboard whiteboarding service or device. If you are interested in another whiteboarding service or device, you should explore other third-party solutions within your unit.

New annual renewal process for Google Shared Accounts and shared drives

9/11/2024

In an effort to improve the lifecycle management of Google Shared Accounts and shared drives, you will now be required to renew your Shared Accounts and shared drives annually using the ITS Shared Account Manager and ITS Shared Drive Manager tools. These processes will be similar to the existing MCommunity group renewal process, where Shared Account owners and shared drive Managers will be notified 30 days before the Shared Account or shared drive expires and asked to use the respective tool to renew it once a year.

If you own or manage a Shared Account or shared drive, you should have received a targeted message from ITS with more details on initiating the new renewal process. Shared Accounts and shared drives must be imported and/or renewed before December 6, 2024, to prevent deactivation and deletion.

Refer to Renew a Shared Account and Renew a Shared Drive for detailed instructions. For more general information on the processes, refer to Shared Accounts in U-M Google and Shared Drives in U-M Google.