U-M Google Updates

Reminder: Classic Google Sites editing ends June 1, convert to new Google Sites ASAP

4/5/2022

As a reminder, the ability to edit your classic Google Sites ends on June 1, 2022, and Google will begin deactivating classic sites on July 1, 2022.

Convert 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 when Google begins the deactivations. 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 Sites to new Sites.

Caution: Key classic Google Sites features and functionality are still missing in new Google Sites. As a result, the conversion process is not one-to-one, and it will likely break parts of your site. Until Google brings these key features over to new Sites, you will need to adjust your sites accordingly post-conversion. Visit the Google Sites Help Center to learn more about what to expect when you convert a classic Site to a new Site.

Additional resources:

Reminder: New Gmail integrated view becomes default in April

3/29/2022

According to Google, your Gmail experience will automatically switch to the new “integrated view” in April. They have not provided us with a specific date for this change, only that it is expected to take place in April.

Minimalistic artist rendition of the new Gmail integrated view. There are lines connected to text that state what each new feature is

You should be able to switch back to the original Gmail view from your settings. However, we recommend that you remain in the new view as it will be irreversible later in 2022. For more information on the new view, including the entire proposed timeline and common issues, refer to New Gmail Integrated View Information and Timeline.

To learn more about how to use the new view, visit the Google Help Center.

The new Gmail integrated view on the web

3/15/2022

In an effort to merge Google Chat and Meet further with Gmail, Google has announced a new “integrated view” for Gmail on the web.

Minimalistic artist rendition of the new Gmail integrated view. There are lines connected to text that state what each new feature is.

According to Google, you may have already begun to notice a notification appear in the lower right corner of Gmail inviting you to try the new experience before it becomes the default in April 2022. (Note that you may need to reload the browser tab after clicking the Try it now button to view the update.) For more information on the new view, including the entire proposed timeline and common issues, refer to New Gmail Integrated View Information and Timeline.

Notification in Gmail asking you to try the new integrated view

To learn more about how to use the new view, visit the Google Help Center.

Important: You will continue to have access to Google Chat and Meet separately at their respective locations.

U-M Google February Monthly Summary

3/8/2022

The monthly U-M Google summaries inform the university community of new Google releases and previously communicated updates.

Updates:

Now, after a query is entered, users can use “search chips” (i.e., advanced search filters) to surface more relevant results based on: 

  • File type
  • People
  • Location of file
  • Last modified date
  • File titles only
  • Tasks

Additionally, you’ll notice various other improvements: 

  • Spelling suggestions along with search chips 
  • Ability to clear search chips on their own or together with the query
  • Additional date options for the “Last modified” chip

Learn more about finding files in Google Drive.

Animated GIF of a cursor clicking through the new search chips filters in a Google Drive search

You can now add a text watermark to your documents in Google Docs. Additionally, when working with Microsoft Word documents in Docs, text watermarks will be preserved when importing or exporting your files. Learn more about adding watermarks in Docs.

Animated GIF of a cursor adding a watermark to a document in Google Docs

When a user deletes a message in an unthreaded Google Chat space, a placeholder message and timestamp will be added to the conversation indicating the deletion. Learn more about how to delete a message in Chat.

You can now see and manage your overdue tasks in Google Calendar. If you have uncompleted tasks that were due in the past 30 days, you will have an all-day entry that will tell you how many tasks are pending from that timeframe. Clicking on that entry brings up the list of pending tasks that you can directly edit or mark as complete. This feature will be on by default for anyone that uses tasks in Calendar and can be turned off by hiding tasks in Google Calendar. Learn more about creating and viewing tasks in Calendar.

  • Japanese grammar suggestions for Google Docs

You can now view Japanese grammar suggestions in Google Docs.

Google has made improvements to the search experience in Google Chat on the web. Some improvements include: 

  • People suggestions based on your chat activity when you click into the search bar. 
  • Intelligent suggestions for people, spaces, and group messages when you begin typing in the search bar.

Learn more about searching for Chat messages and spaces.

Previously Communicated:

 None for the month of February!

U-M Google January Monthly Summary

2/8/2022

The monthly U-M Google summaries inform the university community of new Google releases and previously communicated updates.

Updates:

  • Set your working location in Google Calendar

Working locations allows you to indicate where you’re working from directly on your calendar. This feature is off by default and can be turned on from the settings menu. You may be shown an onboarding dialog with the option to enable the feature the next time you visit Google Calendar. Learn more about setting your working location in Calendar.

New set your working location onboarding dialog box in Google Calendar

You can now set tasks to repeat in Google Calendar and customize the recurrence schedules, similar to other event types in Calendar.

  • PPTX file limit increase in Google Slides

You can now import Microsoft PowerPoint (.PPTX) files up to 300MB into Google Slides using Office editing mode. Previously, 100MB was the maximum. Learn more about Microsoft Office editing in Google Drive.

Last year, Google announced the ability to add page breaks before paragraphs in Google Docs on the web. Now, this function is available on mobile devices. You can mark a paragraph to always begin on a new page with the “Add page break before” option in Google Docs. Learn more about adding page breaks in Docs.

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. Press the "A" icon in the Chat compose bar to expand the formatting toolbar. Learn more about adding formatting to Google Chat messages.

Google Chat text field, Wednesday is highlighted.

If you open a potentially suspicious or dangerous file in Google Drive, Google will display a warning banner to help protect you from malware, phishing, and ransomware. These warnings are already available when opening Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings.

Example yellow warning banner on a PDF in Google Drive.

Previously Communicated: