Tag Archives: Google Meet

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – July 1, 2022

New updates

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are fully launched or in the process of rolling out (rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete), 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), and available to all Google Workspace and G Suite customers. 


Drag out from Keep 
You can now effortlessly insert images saved in your Keep notes into other apps by dragging them out from the image carousel on Android devices. | Learn more. 
Drag out from Keep


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.

Offline syncing available for opened Microsoft Office documents 
You can now work offline with Microsoft Office files on your desktop. | Learn more. 


Rich text formatting in Google Forms titles and descriptions 
In addition to new options for styling fonts, rich text formatting is now available in Google Forms, enabling you to customize and add emphasis to your forms. | Learn more. 


Start meetings more efficiently with the Calendar guest list in Google Meet 
In Google Meet, you can now see participants who were invited to the meeting but have yet to join the call. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade, Education Plus, Non profit customers, and legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers only. | Learn more. 


Updated timeline for the new integrated view for Gmail 
We’ve rolled out the opt-out experience to a segment of Gmail users. This means that select users will see the new Gmail experience by default, but they will still have the option to revert to classic Gmail via the settings menu. | Learn more. 


New security alerts for highly sensitive changes to Google Workspace configurations 
In the Alert Center, admins will now be notified of select critical and sensitive changes made to their Google Workspace configurations. | Learn more. 


Synchronize client-side encrypted files with Google Drive for Desktop on Windows and Mac OS 
Admins can update their client-side encryption configurations to include Drive for Desktop. When enabled, users can synchronize their Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides files with Drive for Desktop on Windows & Mac OS devices. | Encrypt and upload local files is available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more. 


Easily share profile links via Contacts 
Every contact with a Workspace email now has a new profile link that is easy to copy, share, and send within an organization. | Learn more. 


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

Start meetings more efficiently with the Calendar guest list in Google Meet

Quick summary 

In Google Meet, you can now see participants who were invited to the meeting but have yet to join the call. These participants can be found under the “Also invited” heading. Additionally, you’ll also be able to see the RSVP status of everyone on the invite, including “optional” attendees and RSVP notes. 




From here, you can reach out to those users via Chat to confirm whether they will be joining directly from Meet, eliminating the need to open additional tabs or switch to another app. 




We hope this feature makes it easier for you to start meetings more efficiently by quickly determining who has not joined and sending them a nudge via Chat directly from Meet. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: For users in eligible Google Workspace editions, this feature will be available by default for Meet calls with a Calendar event. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade, Education Plus, Non profit customers, and legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, Individual customers and users with personal Google Accounts. 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – June 17, 2022

New updates

There are no new updates to share this week. Please see below for a recap of published announcements. 

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.

Improved email notifications for Google Calendar invites 
We’ve refreshed the layout of emails sent by Google Calendar to make key event details more accessible and useful. | Learn more. 

De-reverberation available for Google Meet 
Google Meet will now remove reverberations from sound recorded by your microphone. This automatically filters out echos created by spaces with hard surfaces, such as a basement or a kitchen, helping to ensure optimal audio quality. | Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning upgrade, and Frontline customers only. | Learn more. 

VirusTotal integration with the security investigation tool provides deeper insight into Chrome events 
You can now use VirusTotal to view deeper insights on Chrome log events in the Security Investigation Tool. | Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus customers only. | Learn more. 

Manage Google Voice call recording options for your organization 
Admins can set Google Voice call recording options (automatic or manual) for any organizational unit or group in their organization. | Automatic voice recording is available to all Google Voice Premier customers. On-demand voice recording is available to all Google Voice Premier and Standard customers. | Learn more. 

Improved experience for removing participants from Google Meet calls 
We’ve updated the user experience for removing participants from a meeting in Google Meet. When a host or co-host removes a participant from a call, they are prompted with additional actions: remove the user from the call, fill out an additional abuse report, and/or block the user from rejoining. | Learn more. 

Export search results to .CSV files from the security investigation tool 
Admins can now download log event data from the security investigation tool as a .CSV file. This will allow admins to further analyze data outside of the tool. | Learn more. 

Picture-in-Picture and multi-pinning available for Google Meet in Chrome 
We’re bringing picture-in-picture to Google Meet to Chrome browsers on the web. You’ll be able to see up to four video tiles of meeting attendees in a floating window on top of other applications. | Learn more.  


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

Picture-in-Picture and multi-pinning available for Google Meet in Chrome

Quick summary 

We’re bringing picture-in-picture to Google Meet to Chrome browsers on the web. You’ll be able to see up to four video tiles of meeting attendees in a floating window on top of other applications. 




Additionally, you can now pin multiple video feeds. This will provide greater flexibility in how you combine people and content, allowing you to adjust the view in a way that best serves your meeting. 

We hope these features make it easier for presenters and meeting attendees to stay engaged with their meeting. Visit the Cloud Blog to learn more about how we’re boosting communication and collaboration for teams in Google Workspace. 

Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • Available to users with personal Google Accounts

Resources 

Improved experience for removing participants from Google Meet calls

Quick summary 

We’re updating the user experience for removing participants from a meeting in Google Meet. Now, when a host or co-host removes a participant from a call, they will be prompted with additional actions. Specifically, they can opt to: 
  • Simply remove the user from the call 
  • Fill out an additional abuse report 
  • And/or block the user from rejoining 
    • Note: We recommend using the “block” functionality only when absolutely necessary. Blocked users can be manually back to the call from the “People” panel. 



We hope these additional options make it easier to manage your meetings and avoid further disruptions. This update will be available for Google Meet on laptop and desktop devices, as well as Android and iOS devices. 

Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • Available to users with personal Google Accounts 

Resources 

De-reverberation available for Google Meet

Quick summary 

In addition to filtering out background noises like keyboard typing, Google Meet will now remove reverberations from sound recorded by your microphone. De-reverberation will automatically filter out echos created by spaces with hard surfaces, such as a basement or a kitchen, helping to ensure optimal audio quality. 


Getting started 


Rollout pace 

  • This feature is available now for all users. 

Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning upgrade, and Frontline customers 
  • Not available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – June 3, 2022

New updates 


There are no new updates to share this week. Please see below for a recap of published announcements. 

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.

Easily see file locations in Google Drive
You can now see a file’s location information in the Search, Recent, Starred and Trash web views of Google Drive. | Learn more. 


Google for Education transformation reports window open, available worldwide 
Google for Education transformation reports are available for K-12 Google Workspace for Education customers worldwide, from June 1, 2022 through July 26, 2022. | Learn more. 


Bringing Google Meet features to Google Duo for a single, integrated video solution 
In the coming weeks, all Google Meet features will be added to the Duo app. Later this year, we’ll rename the Duo app to Google Meet, our single video communications service across Google accessible to everyone at no-cost. | Learn more. 


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

Bringing Google Meet features to Google Duo for a single, integrated video solution

What’s changing 

To support the millions of users who rely on our technology for video calls and meetings, we’ve made deep investments in both Google Duo and Google Meet. For those using Duo as their cross-platform video calling appservice, we’ve introduced new features like group calls for up to 32 people, the addition of doodles, masks, and fun effects with family mode, and video calling on tablets, foldables, smart devices, and TVs. 


And for those using Google Meet, we’ve introduced more than 100 features and improvements since we made Meet available to everyone in 2020. This included a more intuitive interface, virtual backgrounds and effects, live captions and features that help people feel seen and heard, like auto-light adjustments and noise cancelation. We’ve also made quality and reliability improvements as well as introducing new moderation controls to help keep meetings safe and productive. Outside of video conferencing for work, we continue to see millions of people around the globe use video meetings to host game nights, parent-teacher conferences, and gatherings of their community groups. 


In the coming weeks, we’re adding all the Google Meet features to the Duo app, so users can easily schedule a video meeting at a time that works for everyone or continue using video calling to instantly connect with a person or group. Later this year, we’ll rename the Duo app to Google Meet, our single video communications service across Google that is available to everyone at no-cost. 


There is no need to download a new app, if you are a Duo user, simply ensure you have the latest version of Duo installed on your device. 


See more information below.


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

As part of our continued investment in helping people stay connected, and to adapt to evolving users needs, we’re upgrading the Duo experience to include all Google Meet features. This integrated experience will provide users with a single solution service for both video calling and meetings with people across their lives. 


We’re committed to making the transition from Duo to Meet as smooth as possible. Admins will receive an email detailing the impact to their organization. For more information, please see the Cloud Blog and our Help Center. 


Important Note: For Google Workspace users, Meet can continue to be used on the web or mobile, as long as the Meet service is ON in the admin console.





Additional details 

Beginning this month, we’ll add the following features to the Duo mobile app: Customize virtual backgrounds in calls and meetings 
  • Schedule meetings so everyone can join at a time that’s convenient for them 
  • In-meeting chat for deeper engagement 
  • Live share content to enable interaction with all participants on the call 
  • Get real-time closed captions to better support accessibility and boost participation Increase size of video calls from a current limit of 32 to 100 participants 
  • Integrate with other tools, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Assistant, Messages and more 

Visit the Cloud Blog for more information on the upcoming changes to Google Duo.

Getting started 

  • Admins: As the admin, you can: 
    • Manage Duo video calling access features by turning off the Additional Google services control. If you turn OFF the Additional Google Services control for your users, you’ll also disrupt any apps without individual ON/OFF switches. Note: This applies to Duo video calling features only, this will not impact Meet functionality. 
    • Control Google Meet access using the Admin console. To prevent your users from losing access, we recommend keeping Google Meet ON for your organization. 
      • If you do turn Meet OFF for your organization, users who have a Duo account and are registered with your organization account will lose access to Duo when Duo updates to Meet. 
      • Visit the Help Center to learn more about how Duo is being upgraded. 

  • Education Admins: 
    • Users under 18: Duo is currently restricted for users under 18. Admins do not need to change any settings to ensure that under 18 users will continue to not have access to Duo calling features when the Duo app is updated. 
    • Users over 18: If you have the Additional Google services control enabled, users over 18 will continue to have access to Duo calling features. 
      • If you do not want over 18 users to have access to Duo calling features, turn the Additional Google services control off which will prevent users from using all Additional Services that do not have an individual ON/OFF control. 

  • End Users: Make sure you have the latest version of Duo: 

Availability 

  • All Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers 
  • All users with personal Google Accounts 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – May 13, 2022

New updates 

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are fully launched or in the process of rolling out (rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete), 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), and available to all legacy Google Workspace and G Suite customers. 


New idle status in Google Chat 
In Google Chat on web and Chat in Gmail, you'll see an orange clock badge for users that were recently active in Chat, but aren't currently active. We hope this makes it easier to determine the best time to connect with your colleagues. Visit the Help Center to learn more about availability statuses in Google Chat. 





Changes to the default Host Management controls in Google Meet for users with personal accounts 
The default setting for Host Management controls is changing for users with personal Google accounts. Previously, Host Management controls were ON by default — going forward, this setting will be OFF by default for new meetings. There are no changes to the behavior for Google Workspace customers or Google Workspace Individual users.



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.


Improved user interface for sharing your working location in Google Calendar
This update improves the working location feature by offering the same functionality for easily entering and updating location information in a more compact format that uses screen space more efficiently. | Learn more here and here. 

Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Nonprofits, as well as G Suite Business customers. 


Easily search for Google Meet content in Google Drive
In Google Drive, you can now use app:”Google Meet” to easily find and organize Meet content such as Meet recordings, meeting transcripts, and more. | Learn more.


Import existing custom themes to new Google Sites
You can now import a custom theme from one new Google Site to another. | Learn more.


Create Spaces and Add Members with the Google Chat API, available in Developer Preview
Using the Google Chat API, you can now programmatically create new Spaces and add members to those Spaces. This functionality is available in preview – developers can apply for access through our Google Workspace Developer Preview Program. | Learn more.


Require email verification to book appointments in Google Calendar
When using appointment scheduling in Google Calendar, you can now opt to have users verify their email before booking an appointment. When enabled, the user must be signed into a Google account or validate their email address using a PIN code to complete the booking. | Learn more.

Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits customers.


New delegated VirusTotal privilege in the Alert Center
In 2021, we announced an integration between the Alert Center and VirusTotal. At that time, any admin who had the Alert Center privilege could access all VirusTotal reports. Now, we’ve added the ability for admins to control who can view VirusTotal reports. | Learn more.

Available for Google Workspace Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus.


Set up SSO profiles for multiple third-party identity providers with the Multi-IdP SSO beta launch
You can further customize authentication by setting up single sign-on (SSO) profiles for multiple identity providers and then configuring authentication for each group or OU. This feature is available beginning today as an open beta, which means you can use it without enrolling in a specific beta program. | Learn more.


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

Introducing the Google Meet Live Sharing SDK

Posted by Mai Lowe, Product Manager & Ken Cenerelli, Technical Writer


The Google Meet Live Sharing SDK is in preview. To use the SDK, developers can apply for access through our Early Access Program.

Today at Google I/O 2022, we announced new functionality for app developers to leverage the Google Meet video conferencing product through our new Meet Live Sharing SDK. Users can now come together and share experiences with each other inside an app, such as streaming a TV show, queuing up videos to watch on YouTube, collaborating on a music playlist, joining in a dance party, or working out together though Google Meet. This SDK joins the large set of offerings available to developers under the Google Workspace Platform.

Partners like YouTube, Heads Up!, UNO!™ Mobile, and Kahoot! are already integrating our SDK into their applications so that their users can participate in these new, shared interactive experiences later this year.

Supports multiple use cases


The Live Sharing SDK allows developers to sync content across devices in real time and incorporate Meet into their apps, enabling them to bring new, fun, and genuinely connecting experiences to their users. It’s also a great way to reach new audiences as current users can introduce your app to friends and family.

The SDK supports two key use cases:
  • Co-Watching—Syncs streaming app content across devices in real time, and allows users to take turns sharing videos and playing the latest hits from their favorite artist. This allows for users to share controls such as starting and pausing a video, or selecting new content in the app.
  • Co-Doing—Syncs arbitrary app content, allowing users to get together to perform an activity like playing video games or follow the same workout regime.


The co-watching and co-doing APIs are independent but can be used in parallel with each other.


Example workflow illustration of a user starting live sharing within an app using the Live Sharing SDK.


Get started


To learn more, watch our I/O 2022 session on the Google Meet Live Sharing SDK and check out the documentation for the Android version.

If you want to try out the SDK, developers can apply for access through our Early Access Program.


What’s next?


We’re also continuing to improve features by working to build the video-content experience you want to bring to your users. For more announcements like this and for info about the Google Workspace Platform and APIs, subscribe to our developer newsletter.