U-M Google Updates

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:

U-M Google March Monthly Summary

4/21/2021

The monthly U-M Google summaries inform the university community of Google releases. We communicate important information throughout the month.

Updates:

Google has expanded tile view layouts for Google Meet on iOS and Android to match the current experience on the web. With this update, you can now see up to 8 video feeds on phones and see up to 48 video feeds on some iPads.

Google has made it easier to find the original source file for Google Drive-stored video or audio files embedded in a Google Slides presentation. You can now click the “link to Drive” button on an embedded video or audio file to open the source file in Drive.

Screenshot of two example slides in Google Slides. Red circle around the "link to drive" icon on each slide.

To prevent unauthorized users from responding on your behalf to Google Calendar event invitations, you’ll now be required to be logged in to use any of the RSVP hyperlinks in Calendar invite emails. Previously, organizers or anyone with a specific invitee's invitation copy could respond on behalf of that invitee. Refer to the Google Help Center to learn more about responding to event invitations.

When using Jamboard on the web, you can now: 

  • See the version history, 
  • Create named versions, and 
  • Restore a previous version of a Jam file.

GIF, web interface for Jamboard, open on an example Jam showing different types of rulers. Cursor moves and clicks the three dots icon in top right corner and selects "See version history"

Google has introduced a new way to view and manage notifications in the Google Drive mobile app for Android. With this update you can: 

  • See all your notifications in one place, even without device notifications enabled.
  • Choose filters to control the types of notifications you get.
  • Delete and dismiss notifications you don’t want.
  • Take actions like sharing files directly from notifications.
  • Show more file information directly from the notification.

Open the Google Drive mobile app, navigate to “Priority” and find the “Notifications” tab on the top of the screen. Refer to the Google Help Center to learn more about Google Drive notifications.

You can now snooze Google Calendar desktop notifications directly from the notification itself. By default, snoozed notifications will reappear one minute before the scheduled meeting, but you can change this timing in your Calendar settings. You can also “re-snooze” a notification for an additional five minutes as many times as you’d like until the meeting ends. This feature will be on by default if you have desktop notifications enabled. You cannot remove the option to snooze notifications, but you can change the timing of snoozed notifications. Refer to the Google Help Center to learn more about changing and turning off Calendar notifications.

You'll now see an anchor icon in Google Sites when editing a section that includes a background image. When selected, you can choose what point to anchor the image on or if the image should be centered.

Google has updated how some search operators work in Google Drive. This includes adding new search operators and changing the behavior of some existing search operators. You’ll still be able to perform all the same searches, just the operators you’ll use for them may change. The specific changes are:

  • “from:” will now return files shared with you by the specified email address. Previously, it would have returned files owned by that email address.
  • “to:” will now return files that you have shared with the specified email address. Previously, it would have returned all files that the email address had permissions to view, comment, or edit.
  • “sharedwith:” is a new search operator which will return files that the specified email address owns or has permission to view, comment or edit.
  • “owner:” returns files owned by the specified email address. There is no change to this operator, but you can use it to return the results for which you would previously have used the “from:” operator.

Refer to the Google Help Center to learn more about advanced search features in Google Drive.

Google has updated the presenter toolbar in Google Slides When presenting, now you’ll see options for: 

  • Selecting the previous or next slide.
  • Selecting any slide from the picker.
  • The three-dot overflow menu, which will display options for opening speaker notes, autoplay, caption preferences, and more.

GIF, example Google Slides presentation, in presentation full-screen mode. Cursor clicks the change slide button in the lower left corner, then clicks the three dot icon in same location. Finally, it hovers over the nested menu to show nested sections.

Previously Communicated:

U-M Google February Monthly Summary

3/30/2021

The monthly U-M Google summaries inform the university community of Google releases. We communicate important information throughout the month.

Updates:

When you search for an email address in Gmail, you will now see all emails associated with that specific address and any aliases with which it’s associated. (These results will be pulled from the To, From, CC, and BCC fields and the content of emails.)

Google Meet now allows you to double-check that your external devices (i.e., webcams, microphones, etc.) are properly configured and connected and that your network connectivity is stable before joining a Google Meet session. When a problem is detected, you’ll see a warning and tips for troubleshooting common issues, like granting your browser permission to use the microphone or webcam. Visit the Google Workspace Help Center to learn more about previewing how you look and sound before a video call and troubleshooting performance in Google Meet.

Screenshot of the new Google Meet device check. "Camera is off" video screen on the left, under that is the text button "Check your audio and video" with a red box around it. On the right side is the meeting details with the "Join now" and "Present" buttons.

In Google Docs, you’ll now see out-of-office information when replying to or mentioning other users in a comment. This will appear on both single-person and multi-person comment threads. Visit the Google Workspace Help Center to learn more about setting your OOO status and sharing your calendar.

On the left is a comment thread in Google Docs, showing a half-written tagged comment and the new OOO notice about "Comment". It is the same on the right side, except this comment thread has multiple in it.

Meeting hosts can now mute everyone all at once in Google Meet. The meeting host is the only user in a Meet session who can use the “Mute all” feature. Once all participants are muted, the meeting host cannot unmute them; users will have to unmute themselves. According to Google, this feature will only be available for hosts who are joining from a desktop browser but will be launching on other platforms in the coming months. Visit the Google Workspace Help Center to learn more about muting participants in Google Meet.

 

Google Meet meeting hosts can now choose to keep others in the session or to end the session for everyone.

GIF showing a fake Google Meet session, a dialog box prompt asking if you'd like to end the call for all or leave it open. Ends with the usual Google Meet session quality rating.

  • More options for sharing your availability in Google Calendar

Google has added two new ways to customize your availability in Google Calendar. Specifically, you can: 

  • Create repeating out-of-office events. 
  • Split your working hours into multiple segments each day. 

At the moment, working hour segments will only be available on the web, and repeating out-of-office events will only be available on the web and Android devices. Visit the Google Workspace Help Center to learn more about splitting your working hours or creating repeating out-of-office entries in Google Calendar. 

Google has added two new ways to make finding comments and action items that require your attention in Google Docs on the web easier.

  • New comment activity since you last viewed a document will be “badged” with a blue dot. Additionally, when you hover over the blue dot, you’ll see a “New” banner appear.
  • In the Comments history, Google has added filtering options. You can now sort comments by “For you,” “All comments,” or “Resolved.” Visit the Google Workspace Help Center to learn more about using comments and action items.

 

  • New hyperlink experience in Google Docs

Google has changed the look and feel of the dialog box that appears when adding a hyperlink to text in Google Docs. You can now add links to bookmarks and headers within the document without needing to copy the link first by clicking “In this document.”

Screenshot in Google Docs, shows the new dialog box that appears when attaching a link to a word. It now lists recent Google Docs and links you visited.

Previously Communicated:

Note: We apologize for the delay in communicating the February summary this month - March has been busy!! - Madi :)

Notice: End of IE11 support for all Google Workspace apps

3/4/2021

Google has announced that they will be ending Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) support for all Google Workspace apps on March 15, 2021. To avoid any possible disruptions in service, such as degraded performance or security vulnerabilities, please switch to a supported browser (i.e., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge) before that date. This change comes after the announcement in August 2020 that Microsoft will be ending IE11 support for all Microsoft 365 applications by August 2021.

If you are still accessing the Google Workspace apps via IE11, you should have already begun to notice a banner from Google informing you to upgrade your browser by March 15.

"Gmail won't be supported on Internet Explorer after March 15th, 2021" and then links to supported browsers.