Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – March 28, 2025

4 New updates

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are available to all Google Workspace customers, and are fully launched or in the process of rolling out. Rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete if launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time. If not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete.


Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental now available in Gemini Advanced
We’re pleased to announce that Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental is now available for Gemini Advanced users. 2.5 Pro Experimental is our most intelligent model yet and can apply an extended amount of thinking across complex tasks and prompts in order to maximize response accuracy. Additionally, 2.5 Pro Experimental also shows strong reasoning and code capabilities, leading on common coding, math and science benchmarks. Check out our announcement on The Keyword for more information. | Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to all Google Workspace users with access to Gemini Advanced. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Gemini Apps with a work or school Google Account. 


Experimental models now available to Google Workspace users in the Gemini mobile app 
In addition to 2.0 Flash, Google Workspace users with access to Gemini Advanced can now choose between several models on mobile, including: 
  • 2.0 Flash Thinking (experimental) which uses advanced reasoning and is best suited for multi-step reasoning, like project planning. 
  • 2.5 Pro (experimental) which is best for complex tasks and can apply an extended amount of thinking across complex tasks and prompts in order to maximize response accuracy Rollout to 
Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to all Google Workspace users with access to Gemini Advanced. | Visit the Help Center for more information about which models are available to you. 


Local file upload now available to Google Workspace users in the Gemini mobile app
You can now upload files stored on your mobile device to provide more context to your prompts in the Gemini mobile app. Gemini can use uploaded files to analyze content, providing summaries, trend identification, and writing recommendations for more personalized responses. | Rollout to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains is complete. | Available to all Google Workspace users with access to the Gemini app. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to upload and analyze files in the Gemini Apps.


Easily add multiple people chips in a Google Sheets cell 
Following up on our recent announcement of easily converting data to people chips in Google Sheets, we’re excited to announce that users can now seamlessly convert cells with multiple emails to people chips. | Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for April 16, 2025. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about inserting smart chips in your Google Sheets.
Easily add multiple people chips in a Google Sheets cell

Previous announcements

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.


The ability to run Google Drive on Arm-compatible Windows PCs is now generally available
Last year, we introduced a new beta that supports running Google Drive on Arm-compatible Windows PCs, and this week we’re excited to announce this is now generally available. | Learn more about running Google Drive on Arm-compatible Windows PCs.

Use the Google Classroom Mobile App in additional languages
We’re expanding the language availability for the Google Classroom mobile app on Android and iOS to the following languages: Afrikaans, Assamese, French Canadian, Icelandic, Kazakh and Swahili. | Learn more about language availability for the Classroom App.

Help me write in Gmail now available in three additional languages
Help me write is now available across web and mobile devices in three additional languages: 
Italian, French and German. | Learn more about language availability for Help me Write.

Get started with Gemini in Google Drive quickly with new “nudges”
To help you get started with Gemini in Drive even faster, you’ll notice the following clickable “nudges” at the top of your Drive homepage and folders. | Learn more about Gemini nudges in Drive.

Google Slides introduces proportional scaling for objects to maintain visual clarity
When multiple objects are selected in Google Slides, resizing your selection will now scale everything proportionally and maintain visual clarity. | Learn more about visual clarity in Slides.

Gemini in Drive PDF Viewer is now available in 20+ additional languages 
The ability to interact with PDFs in Google Drive’s file viewer is now available in many languages. | Learn more about language availability for Gemini in Drive PDF Viewer.

Improve communication and representation with Dynamic layouts in Google Meet
We’re thrilled to introduce a brand new, redesigned layout experience for Google Meet that will improve communication and collaboration for all users, but especially for those in hybrid meetings. | Learn more about the redesigned layout experience for Google Meet.


Completed rollouts

The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog posts for additional details.


Rapid Release Domains: 
Scheduled Release Domains: 
Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains: 

    For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).

    Stable Channel Update for ChromeOS / ChromeOS Flex

     The Stable channel is being updated to OS version 16181.54.0 (Browser version 134.0.6998.183) for most ChromeOS devices.

    If you find new issues, please let us know one of the following ways:
    1. File a bug

    2. Visit our ChromeOS communities

      1. General: Chromebook Help Community

      2. Beta Specific: ChromeOS Beta Help Community

    3. Report an issue or send feedback on Chrome

    4. Interested in switching channels? Find out how.


    Luis Menezes

    Google ChromeOS

    Upcoming Performance Max campaign migration to enable brand guidelines

    Starting on May 1, 2025, we will begin to automatically enable brand guidelines for Performance Max campaigns that use the same brand assets (BUSINESS_NAME, LOGO, and LANDSCAPE_LOGO) across all asset groups.

    Please note the rollout timelines:
    • For Google Ads UI users: The process will begin on May 1, 2025 for customer IDs that exclusively manage their campaigns using the UI.
    • For API users: This process will begin on June 1, 2025.
    The overall process across all campaigns is expected to be complete by July 31, 2025.

    Important Notes:
    • Only campaigns using consistent business names and logo assets across all asset groups will be automatically migrated. Campaigns with variations in these assets will not be migrated.
    • All eligible Performance Max campaigns under a customer ID will be migrated simultaneously.
    • After migration, each migrated campaign will have its own set of brand assets stored at the campaign level using CampaignAsset.
    • You can tell if a campaign has been migrated by checking its Campaign.brand_guidelines_enabled field.
    Actions Required
    If your application creates asset groups, update your code to check the campaign’s Campaign.brand_guidelines_enabled field. This will tell you whether to include brand assets in the new asset group.

    If your application modifies brand assets, update your code to check the campaign’s Campaign.brand_guidelines_enabled field. This will tell you where to save the brand asset; either on a campaign using a CampaignAsset or on an asset group using an AssetGroupAsset.

    To avoid extra steps later, we strongly recommend migrating all of your campaigns now using CampaignService.EnablePMaxBrandGuidelines. If you migrate your campaigns manually, each CampaignService.EnablePMaxBrandGuidelines request can only include 10 EnableOperations.

    If you have any questions or need help, check out the Google Ads API support page for options.
     - Sarah Pollack, Google Ads API Team

    Improve communication and representation with Dynamic layouts in Google Meet

    What’s changing

    We’re thrilled to introduce a brand new, redesigned layout experience for Google Meet that will improve communication and collaboration for all users, but especially for those in hybrid meetings. There are many exciting new features bundled in this extensive launch across Meet for web and rooms. Check out the video overview to see the new features in action and keep reading for more details:


    Dynamic layouts:
    • “Portrait tiles” prioritize faces by cropping out excess background video
    • Optimized tile placement logic to enable much more efficient layouts that minimize unused space
    • Visual design refresh, including color-sampled tile theming for users with their cameras off
    • Larger room tiles in the grid when ‘Dynamic tiles’ is not active
    • More flexibility around how tiles are cropped, including self-view
    • Increased pin limit from 3 to 6 to provide more flexibility to customize your layout


    Portrait tiles and various design improvements in action


    Dynamic tiles:
    • An individual video tile is created for up to 3 meeting participants joining from the same conference room with Google Meet hardware
    • AI-enabled active-speaker detection automatically highlights only the tile of the in-room speaker without any special hardware requirements
    • Other meeting participants can pin these tiles in their layout as they would any other tile

    Individual tiles for up to three meeting participants in a conference room


    Face match:
    • When Dynamic tiles are in use in a room with a Google Meet hardware device, users can associate their name with their face from Companion mode on Web so their tile can be labeled. This creates a consistent experience where everyone can show up in their best light, whether they’re in the room or joining remotely. 

    When using Companion mode, you can associate your name with your Dynamic tile




    Who’s impacted

    Admins and end users


    Why it matters

    These layout enhancements in Google Meet bring a refreshed, modern feel to the meeting grid while also adding the functional benefits of increasing space efficiency and improved representation for hybrid meetings. It allocates available space based on content being presented, tiles pinned by users, and more to address a core hybrid-work challenge  of remote meeting participants not being able to easily see or identify in-room users. 


    Additional details

    Please see below for more important information regarding these features:

    Dynamic layouts
    • Legacy layouts remain available
      • Users who do not wish to see portrait tiles can still do so by switching from Auto (dynamic) to Tiled (legacy) in the layout options selection menu.
    • More flexible self-view options
      • Users now have much more control over the appearance of their self-view tile. When you set your self-view preference, it will carry over across meetings.
    • Framing and new uncropping functionality
    • Prevent your video from being cropped for others
      • Some users may prefer that their video feed never be cropped by other Meet users.  Users can select “Show my full video to others” from the three-dot overflow menu of their self-view tile. This will cause their video to always render as an uncropped tile for other users. We encourage sign-language interpreters especially to consider using this feature to ensure that arms and hands are not unintentionally cropped out.

    Dynamic tiles
    • Dynamic tiles work in meetings with up to 3 in-room participants 
    • Dynamic tiles will automatically fall back to a room view if:
      • More than 3 people are detected
      • Users are sitting too close to give each user their own tile without significant overlap
      • There is too much movement detected in the room and it’s causing distractions

    • Platform support
      • Available for ChromeOS-based room devices at launch
      • AOSP (Android) device support is expected in the future
      • Not available in interop mode


    Face match
    • Face match is available for any Companion mode web user checked into a room using dynamic tiles. Face match supports a maximum of 12 faces. 
    • Face match only associates your name with your face for Dynamic tiles when you are in view of the room camera for the duration of the meeting. A user may have to check in again using Companion Mode if they disappear from view for long enough.


    Getting started

    • Admins: 
      • We recommend thoroughly reviewing the Help Center articles (especially if your organization uses Google Meet hardware) to ensure both you and your end users are prepared for these changes.

      • Dynamic layouts
        • Will be ON by default for all web and room devices.  There is no admin setting for this feature – only layout options for end users.

      • Dynamic tiles
        • You can control whether Dynamic tiles are ON or OFF by default when devices join a call by using the Default camera framing individual device setting. 

    Devices > Google Meet hardware > [Device name] > Device settings > Default camera framing

        • Best practices for rollout:
          • Dynamic tiles work best when used in smaller rooms (capacity of 6 or less) where participants sit less than 10 feet from the camera.
          • Glass walls can sometimes cause people outside the meeting room to be picked up by the camera and given a tile – dynamic tiles should be deployed only after testing in these rooms.

      • Face match 
        • Face match will always be available in companion mode when room check-in and dynamic tiles are active on the associated room device. There is no separate admin or end user setting for this feature.

    • End users:  
      • Dynamic layouts
        • Will be ON by default for all web and room devices.  You can turn Dynamic layouts OFF by switching from Auto (dynamic) to Tiled (legacy) from the layout options selection menu in Meet (or to Sidebar or Spotlight)
      • Dynamic tiles
        • Whether Dynamic tiles are ON or OFF by default depends on the configuration of your admin. It can be turned ON or OFF from the framing section of your Meet hardware device touch controller or TV user interface menu.
      • Face match
        • Available via Companion mode if Dynamic tiles is active on your room device and when you check-in to that room device.

    Rollout pace

    Due to the quantity of features included in this launch, you should expect to see different combinations of the included features gradually become available over the next few weeks. 

    • Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 31, 2025
    • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 21 days for feature visibility) starting on April 17, 2025
    .

    Availability

    • Dynamic layouts are available for all Google Meet meetings on the web and from meeting rooms via hardware devices. They are available for all Google Workspace customers as well as users with personal Google accounts.
    • Dynamic tiles and Face match require a Google Meet hardware device and associated license.

    Resources


    Robots Refresher: Future-proof Robots Exclusion Protocol

    In the previous posts about the Robots Exclusion Protocol (REP) we explored what's already possible to do with its various components — namely robots.txt and the URI level controls. In this post we will explore how the REP can play a supporting role in the ever-evolving relation between automatic clients and the human web.