U-M Google Updates

December Summary

1/8/2019

The monthly U-M Google Summaries  inform campus of Google releases for Core Apps as well as the Non-Core Apps (those that are not part of the G Suite for Education agreement). We communicate important information on Core Apps throughout the month. Core and Non-Core Apps are listed on the G Suite website.

Core Apps:
View Google Calendar attachments in Hangouts Meet
You can now view attachments included in Google Calendar, directly from a Hangouts Meet meeting. Attachments are available on the web and the Meet mobile apps. Clicking on the attachment opens the file in a new tab on the web. Joining the meeting through the Meet mobile app, the attachment opens on the app best suited to that document (Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive, etc).

Previously Communicated:

Note: Keep in mind that even when Non-Core Apps are found in a Core App (like Add-ons in Gmail and Google Drive), they are not covered by the G Suite for Education agreement.

Google+ is Staying Around for UMICH

12/20/2018

The U-M campus community may continue to use U-M Google+ as they always have. Google recently announced the expedited retirement of the consumer version of Google+. We have received assurances directly from Google that this change will not affect our G Suite for Education version. 

New Google Contacts!

12/10/2018

Over the next few months, Google will completely replace old Google Contacts with new Google Contacts (also known as Contacts preview).

New Contacts launched in 2015 and Google added many features since then. With the recent launch of contacts delegation, new Contacts now has many comparable features from old Contacts, and more.

As a result, new Contacts will replace the older version, and it will be the only Google Contacts version after February 12, 2019. Similar to the new Gmail, the replacement process will take place in two stages:

Stage 1: Everyone upgraded to new Contacts, with the option to opt out

On January 15, 2019, new Contacts will automatically become the default version in our domain. When this happens, anyone using old Contacts will be moved to new Contacts. Individuals will still be able to revert back to old Contacts if they want until stage 2 (see below).
switch back menu

Stage 2: All users upgraded to new Contacts, old Contacts turned off

On February 12, 2019, old Contacts will be turned off completely, and anyone remaining in old Contacts will be moved to new Contacts. There will be no option to use the old version.
 

U-M Google November Summary

12/4/2018

The monthly U-M Google Summaries  inform campus of Google releases for Core Apps as well as the Non-Core Apps (those that are not part of the G Suite for Education agreement). We communicate important information on Core Apps throughout the month. Core and Non-Core Apps are listed on the G Suite website.

Core Apps:

  • Changes to the Google sign-in interface
    Starting November 27, 2018, Google began to make some small changes to the appearance of the Google sign-in page. These follow changes made earlier this year, which updated the sign-in page to match other Google products. Specifically, you might notice outlines around some entry fields, and changes to the spacing and styling of other text on both the web and mobile screens. According to Google, the changes could take up to two weeks to reach all of campus. See the new Sign in screen.
  • Activity Dashboard is one click away in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings
    Google added an Activity dashboard icon (a jagged arrow pointing upward) next to the comments button in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

activity dashboard icon

Clicking the icon opens the dashboard, where you can analyze time statistics and adjust privacy and document settings. Hovering over the icon enables you to view the information others can see about you in the Activity Dashboard. To learn more about seeing the view history of your Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files, consult the Help Center.

Previously Communicated:

Note: Keep in mind that even when Non-Core Apps (like Add-ons) are found in a Core App (like Google Drive), they are not covered by the G Suite for Education agreement.

Google Calendar SMS Notifications Ending

11/28/2018

Google has announced that starting January 7, 2019, SMS notifications from Google Calendar will no longer be available. Calendar will still offer in-app notifications, regardless of your device or connection.

If you had previously been receiving Calendar notifications via SMS, they’ll be replaced with in-app and email notifications. You’ll see these notifications:

  • As event notifications in a web browser that has Calendar open or a mobile device if you have the Google Calendar app for Android or iOS.
  • In an email if you had set up SMS notifications for new events, changed events, canceled events, or event responses.

Google will also be making some changes to the Calendar API to support this change. Check out the Google Developers’ page to learn more.