U-M Google Updates

New Out of Office Google Calendar Features

7/10/2018

Google has updated Google Calendar with a new out of office option and customizable working hours.

Indicating out of office time

When creating an event on the web, select the “Out of office” Calendar entry type. The out of office option will have a different look on the Calendar, showing others your availability. Meetings during times you are unavailable will be automatically declined. The decline message can be customized and you can edit the visibility of your out of office indicator.

Note: Based on the title you enter, Google Calendar may automatically try to guess the best event type when you’re creating an out of office indicator. You can always correct what Google suggests for an event type, if needed.

Out of Office

Showing work hours

Once you have set your work hours, people who try to schedule meetings with you outside of your hours will be informed that you are not available. 

Note: Based on your timezone and past scheduling patterns, Google Calendar may guess your working hours. You might see a prompt asking you to set them, and you can further customize them as needed. 

U-M Google June Summary

7/3/2018

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

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

Timeline For The New Gmail

6/22/2018

Since June, U-M has been part of the Google Early Adopter program that lets people test the New Gmail, and switch between Classic Gmail and New Gmail. There’s been a lot of interest in the New Gmail interface, but until now a timeline for launch had not been firmly established. The timeline looks like this:

Early July 2018 Official Launch of New GMail Interface
(Early Adopter Program ends)
2 Months after Launch (September)

Google automatically switches everyone to new Gmail
You can still opt back to “Classic Gmail” for 1 month
3 Months after Launch (October) Everyone permanently switched to New Gmail
Please note: Google could change their above estimated timeline at any time. We will keep you updated!

To learn more, watch a recording of the webinar we broadcast on using the new Gmail!

Include a Message When Changing Meeting Details in Google Calendar

6/13/2018

Google is making it easier to communicate changes to a meeting in Google Calendar. Now, when you change or delete an existing meeting, a dialog box will appear asking if you’d like to send updates to the existing guests. The message you enter will be sent to all people included in the meeting event.

After the message is sent, the other guests will see the message in the email they receive alerting them to the updated meeting details.

Know When Everyone Declined a Google Calendar Event

6/12/2018

In the next few weeks, Google Calendar will begin to indicate when all invitees have declined a Calendar event. Without having to go into an event’s details, or watch your inbox for RSVP responses, you will see beforehand when everyone else has declined the meeting. An indicator icon will appear on the event, flagging to you that all guests have declined the invitation.

After clicking on one of these events within Calendar, you can take one of the following actions:

  • Cancel the meeting: If you’re the event organizer, you’ll be able to delete the event. All other invitees will be able to remove it from their own calendar.
  • Reschedule the meeting: Organizers can reschedule the event, either manually or with “Find a Time.”
  • Dismiss the notification: Until the event is moved to a new time, you can dismiss seeing the flagged indication for the meeting.