U-M Google Updates

New Google Docs assistive writing features

6/5/2020

Google has announced new assistive writing features that are coming to Google Docs on the web. 

Autocorrect
With Autocorrect, misspelled words will automatically be corrected while typing and denoted with a grey, dashed underline. As you continue typing, this dashed line will disappear. It is currently only available for Google Docs on the web in English. See Correct your spelling & grammar in Google Docs for more information.

GIF of the new Autocorrect feature in Google Doc.

Smart Compose 
Similar to Smart Compose in Gmail, this feature helps you compose content faster by using machine learning to offer suggestions as you type. It is currently only available for Google Docs on the web in English. See Use Smart Compose in Google Docs for more information.

Screenshot zoomed in on a Google Doc with Smart Compose

If you would like to disable these features:

  1. Open a document in Google Docs. 
  2. At the top, select Tools and then select Preferences. 
  3. To turn Smart Compose off, uncheck Show Smart Compose suggestions. To turn Autocorrect off, uncheck Automatically correct spelling. If you would like to turn off additional autocorrection features, uncheck the box beside each feature you want to disable in this menu (e.g., Automatically capitalize words).
  4. Finally, click Ok. You may need to refresh Google Docs for these changes to take effect.

According to Google, this feature should have begun showing up in U-M Google on June 1, 2020, and could take 15 days or longer to become fully visible.

Communicate externally in Google Chat

5/27/2020

Google has announced that soon you will be able to start conversations in Google Chat with people outside the University of Michigan! You will be able to chat with them by either sending a direct message or adding them to a room. However, while you can add external users to rooms and direct messages, you cannot include external users in group messages.

Furthermore, any one-to-one conversations you have had with external users in classic Google Hangouts will now also appear in Google Chat as new messages are sent.

To use Google Chat, people outside the University of Michigan need to have a Google account. These users will have an “External” badge in Chat, so you will always know whether you’re sharing information with the right people.

Screenshot of list of people with the External badge in Google Chat.

Additionally, you’ll need to designate a room as "External" when you create it. You will not be able to change this setting after the room is created. This means you won’t be able to add external users to any rooms created before this launch, as those will remain "internal." 

To designate a room as “External” when creating it, check the box next to “Allow people outside your organization to join”.

Screenshot of creating a room in Google Chat and designating it as External

To learn more about Google Chat and its features, see Getting Started with Google Chat.

According to Google, the external chat feature began showing up in U-M Google on May 26, 2020. The classic Hangouts feature began showing up on May 18, 2020. Each could take 15 days or longer to become fully visible.

New sharing interface in Google Drive

5/26/2020

Google has announced they are updating the interface you use to share files from Google Drive (Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms) on the web. This will replace the previous interface used to share files and manage members of shared drives.

GIF showing you how to access and use the new sharing interface/dialog in Google Drive.

Major changes include:

  • Separated, task-focused interface: The new sharing dialog highlights common tasks like sharing a file, changing permissions, and viewing file access. The redesign visually separates link sharing with people versus groups to help prevent accidental changes to link permissions.
  • Quick “Copy link” button: A “Copy link” button has been added to make it easier to get the link without worrying about accidentally changing link permissions. 
  • Easily see current access: The new interface more clearly shows who currently has access to the file, making it easier to quickly review and change permissions as needed. 

According to Google, this feature should begin showing up in U-M Google on May 26, 2020 and could take 15 days or longer to become fully visible.

To learn more about Drive sharing at U-M, see Best Practices for Sharing in Google Drive.

The new Google Sites is now the default

5/21/2020

Google has changed the default landing page for Google Sites. Now when you visit sites.google.com, instead of taking you to classic Sites, you will be taken to new Sites.

Screenshot of the notification you receive when you go to sites.google.com for the first time

If you want to continue to use or manage your classic Sites, you can still do so by visiting sites.google.com/classic or clicking the button in the lower-left corner of the new Sites page:

Screenshot of the "Back to Classic Sites" button at sites.google.com

This change began showing up in U-M Google on May 20, 2020, but it may take some time to become fully visible to everyone in the domain.

Learn more about new Google Sites:

Additional improvements to Google Meet

5/13/2020

Google has released several new features for Google Meet that will make remote learning and collaboration more seamless.

Meeting control features:

You can now Mute or Remove/Hang Up a meeting participant if you are the meeting host. Only the meeting creator or Google Calendar event owner will be allowed to mute or remove/hang up other participants in a meeting. This ensures that the host can't be removed or muted by others participating in the Meet session. See Hangouts Meet improvements for remote learning for more information.

Tiled layout:

You can now see up to 16 people on your screen at the same time in Google Meet with the Tiled layout option. This feature is currently only available in Meet on the web.

To change the layout:

  1. Click the three dots in the lower-right corner.
  2. Select Change layout.
  3. Select Tiled.

High-quality audio/video sharing:

You can now share high-quality videos with audio content in a Google Meet session by using the new Present option to share “A Chrome tab”. Now, when you use this feature with video content playing, everyone in the meeting will see and hear the video and audio being shared. Note: This feature does not work if you’re presenting a browser window or your whole computer screen. Visit the G Suite Learning Center to learn more about presenting videos during Google Meet sessions.

GIF showing how to share a Chrome tab in Google Meet

According to Google, these features should be available now in U-M Google.