U-M Google Updates

Google Fusion Tables to Shut Down in December

9/30/2019

 

Google launched Fusion Tables almost nine years ago as a research project in Google Labs, later evolving into an experimental product. For a long time, it was one of the few free tools for easily visualizing large datasets, especially on a map. Since then, Google has developed several alternatives, providing deeper experiences in more specialized domains.

To continue focusing on these areas, Google will shut down Fusion Tables and the Fusion Tables API on December 3, 2019. Embedded Fusion Tables visualizations — maps, charts, tables, and cards — will also stop working that day. Maps using the Fusion Tables Layer in the Maps JavaScript API v3.37 began to see errors in August 2019.

Next Steps:

  • Learn about alternative tools
    Several new Google tools have been developed over the years, and you can visit the Help Center to learn which ones fit your use case.
  • Download your data
    Filter by “type:table” to pull up a list of your tables in Google Drive. Download data from an individual table by following these instructions. If you have a lot of tables, download all your data in one step via Google Takeout.

Google Hangouts Chat on Hold

9/27/2019

In February, Google announced plans to transition from classic Hangouts to Hangouts Chat. Hangouts Chat is a workstream collaboration tool that allows for team-based discussion, bots, and more. Google provided a timeline of changes and initially stated they would start retiring classic Hangouts in October 2019. However, there have been delays as Google listened to critical customer feedback that more time and improvements are needed to ensure the best transition possible. As a result, Google is officially postponing the transition date (i.e., phase 4 in this timeline) to no sooner than June 2020.

While Hangouts Chat is generally available from Google, it is not currently enabled in U-M Google. We continue to use Classic Hangouts as there are several key features missing from Hangouts Chat, including:

  • Integration with Gmail
  • Chatting with users outside of U-M Google
  • Indication that messages have been seen
  • Improved mobile applications

According to Google, these will be included in Hangouts Chat before it begins to retire classic Hangouts in 2020.

We continue to monitor progress and regularly engage with Google about this. If key features and improvements are included in Hangouts Chat earlier than June 2020, ITS will re-evaluate enabling it in U-M Google.

REMINDER: Dynamic email in Gmail tomorrow!

9/18/2019

As previously communicated, we will be turning ON dynamic email in Gmail tomorrow for the U-M Google domain. For more information on what dynamic email is, check out last week’s communication.

As a reminder, you can turn dynamic email OFF for your individual account by following these steps:

  • At the top right of your Gmail, click the gear icon and then Settings.
  • Next to Dynamic email, uncheck the box next to Enable dynamic email.
  • At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.
Note: Located next to Images in the Settings menu (and above Dynamic email), the Always display external images setting must also be enabled for dynamic emails to be displayed. If you currently have this setting disabled, it will be re-enabled when dynamic email is switched on but can be disabled again if you choose to turn off dynamic email for your account.

Improved Working Hours in Google Calendar

9/17/2019

Google has announced updates to the feature in Google Calendar that helps you let colleagues know when it’s best to work with you: Working Hours.

Note: If you have not already turned on Working Hours, you will be prompted to do so when the feature is rolled out. You will see a dialog box with an estimate of your working hours, which you can confirm via Got it or change. You can disable the feature by selecting Settings in this dialog.

If you’d like to disable Working Hours, you can do so in Google Calendar by following these steps:

  • From your calendar, click the gear icon and select Settings from the drop-down list.
  • Click Working hours under General in the left sidebar to find the option to disable.

The updates to this feature include:

  • Working Hours now show in grid view. When you schedule a meeting with other Calendar users, their working hours will be shown in the calendar grid. 
  • New warning note for event creators. If you try to schedule an event outside the working hours of one or more guests, you’ll now see a notification. 
  • Working Hours are ON by default. Working Hours will now be turned on for all users by default. You can turn it off at any point in Calendar’s settings.

According to Google, this feature should begin showing up in U-M Google on September 16th and could take up to 3 days or longer to become fully visible.

New out of office visibility in Gmail

9/16/2019

Google has announced a new feature for out of office visibility in Gmail. Now, when you have an out of office event on your Google Calendar, a notice of that out of office status will appear in Gmail when an individual tries to contact you via email. Also, while you’re writing an email, Google will display a banner in the email compose window stating that the recipient is out of office and when they expect to be back.

These notices will automatically start showing up when anyone whose calendar you have access to has an out of office event scheduled.

Caution: Do not use Gmail’s native out of office message feature. This feature is not compatible with MCommunity groups.

If you’d like to disable sharing of your calendar availability to other G Suite apps, you can do so in Google Calendar by following these steps:

  • From your calendar, click the gear icon in the top right to access your Calendar settings and select Settings
  • Under Settings for my calendars in the left sidebar, select the calendar you wish to disable sharing on
  • Next, select Access permissions and uncheck Show calendar info in other Google apps, limited by access permissions.

According to Google, this feature should begin showing up in U-M Google on September 16 and could take up to 3 days to become fully visible.