Tag Archives: Google Meet

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – November 17, 2023

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.


Enhancing Google Drive usability on large screen Android devices 
Building upon improvements to the Google Workspace experience on large screen Android devices, we’re excited to announce additional enhancements that bring our tablet experience more inline with our web experience. Specifically, you'll notice: 
  • Above the main doclist, users will now see a tappable folder hierarchy for their current view. This allows a user to keep track of where they are in Drive and easily navigate out of nested folders. 
  • Per-file data columns to show when a file was last modified and how much storage is used by each file. 
  • A color palette that matches the Google Material Design 3 guidelines. 
Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for November 27th, 2023. | Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts. | Learn more about using Google Drive. 
Enhancing Google Drive usability on large screen Android devices
Expanding Google Drive log events to additional Google Workspace editions 
Drive log events, a feature that enables admins to access an audit and investigation page to run searches related to Drive log events, is now available for Google Workspace Cloud Identity Free and Cloud Identity Premium editions. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains at an extended pace (potentially longer than 30 days for feature visibility). | Learn more about Drive log events. 


Easily convert hyperlinked text to smart chips using the tab key in Google Sheets 
Building upon the tab to convert feature in Google Sheets, when your hyperlinked text matches the text of a smart chip in Sheets, you will now be prompted to convert an inserted file, people, calendar event, Youtube or place link into a smart chip. For example, if the hyperlinked text is a file name, Sheets will automatically recommend converting it to a file chip. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains at a gradual pace (up to 15 days for feature visibility). | Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts. | Learn more about inserting smart chips in Google Sheets. 
Easily convert hyperlinked text to smart chips using the tab key in Google Sheets
More languages available for Google Meet captions 
You can now use captions in Google Meet in Finnish & Hebrew. You can use captions to view subtitles as everyone speaks during a meeting — captions are only visible to you. Note that because this is a newly supported language, it will be denoted with a “beta” tag as we continue to optimize performance. See our Help Center for a complete list of supported languages for captions in Meet. We’ve also removed the “beta” tag from the following languages, as they have been validated and are out of beta: 
  • English (UK) 
  • French (Canada) 
  • Thai 
  • Vietnamese 
  • Polish 
  • Romanian 
  • Turkish 
Available now to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts. | Learn more about using captions in Google Meet.


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.



Take action on Google Drive requests and comments directly in Google Chat 
You can now collaborate more easily on Docs, Sheets and Slides comments without ever leaving Chat. | Learn more about Drive comments and requests in Chat.

AppSheet smart chips for Google Docs 
You can now insert smart chips for AppSheet content into documents, allowing you to access AppSheet data directly into Docs. | Learn more about AppSheet smart chips. 

View full screen tasks lists on Google Calendar 
You will now be able to see all your tasks and task lists in a single full screen view on Calendar web. | Learn more about full screen tasks lists in Calendar. 

Star important messages in Google Chat 
Following the recent announcement of home and mentions in Google Chat, we’re excited to introduce starred on web, an additional shortcut in the redesigned navigation panel that helps you stay on top of your most important messages in Chat. | Learn more about starring messages in Chat.

Read and write out of office and focus time events using the Calendar API
In addition to reading and writing working location data, we’re expanding the Calendar API functionality to encompass out of office and focus time data. | Learn more about using the Calendar API.

Improved search query suggestions in Google Chat web
In conjunction with recent updates to search in Google Chat, we’re introducing enhanced search query suggestions, a feature already available on mobile, that helps you find the right message, person, file, or space in Chat on the web. | Learn more about searching in Chat.


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).



  

Google Meet API now available in Developer Preview

What’s changing 

Launching through our Google Workspace Developer Preview Program, developers can now use the Google Meet API. Using this API, developers can:

  • Programmatically create and configure Meet calls. 
  • Retrieve information about past meetings, such as the meeting times and attendees. 
  • Access meeting artifacts, such as transcripts and video recordings. 
  • Subscribe to real time updates on meetings, such as when a participant joins or leaves. 

The API will give partners and customers the ability to create and configure Meet video conferences, allow their end users to join a conference, and post real-time updates from within their own applications.


Using the Meet API, Outreach is ingesting meeting recordings and transcripts into their AI-powered conversation intelligence tool, Kaia, to deliver rich insights to their teams.


Who’s impacted

Developers


Why you’d use it

Incorporating your product with the Google Meet API streamlines workflows and provides your product with Meet information that easily enhances your product offering. For example, partners such as Hubspot, Outreach, Salesloft and Salesforce currently integrate the Meet API to pull meeting recordings and artifacts into their conversational intelligence tools for analysis and sales coaching.


Additionally, integrating with the Google Meet API enables you to link your app with Meet’s video conferencing capabilities, allowing users to access a secure video conferencing product from their own UI by the click of a button. Brandlive, a leading webinar and event platform, uses the Google Meet API as a way to create and configure video sessions for larger sessions and smaller breakout conversations.


Additional details

View the Google Meet API documentation for additional details.


Getting started



Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers

1:1 video calling in the Google Meet mobile app is now available

What’s changing

You can now make cloud-encrypted 1:1 video calls to other users in your organization using the Meet mobile app. Previously, you had to create a meeting link ahead of time, which could then be shared in a calendar invite, chat, or email. Now you can place a Meet call on your mobile app directly to a colleague, ringing their mobile device. Within the call, you’ll also have access to the latest Meet features including in-meeting chat, virtual backgrounds and visual effects, live closed captions, and more depending on your Workspace edition. 
1:1 video calling in the Google Meet mobile app is now available

Getting started 

  • Admins: This feature will be ON by default and can only be turned OFF by turning off Meet meetings and calls for your organization. 
    • Alternatively, you can deploy the Google Meet (Original) app from Google Play or the App Store to managed devices if you do not wish for users to have calling capabilities (outbound and inbound calls). 
    • Note: We will introduce admin controls to restrict inbound calls next year. We’ll provide an update here on the Workspace Updates Blog when more information is available. 
    • If you have legacy calling enabled for your users, they will have access to features previously found in Duo (group calls, messages, moments, family mode, etc.) if they have not upgraded to the new Meet app. 
  • End users: 
    • Meet calls do not include legacy calling features previously found in Duo (group calls, messages, moments, family mode, knock knock) but those continue to be available if you have not upgraded to the new Meet app and are using legacy calling. 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn how to make Meet Calls with Google Meet and to learn about the new Google Meet app. 

Rollout pace 

iOS: 

Android: 

Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers 

Resources 

Take Google Meet on-the-go with ease

What’s changing 

We’re introducing a new, simplified mobile experience that will make taking calls on-the-go easier and less distracting. When you join Google Meet from your mobile device, we’ll automatically detect whether you’re in-motion and prompt you to use On-the-Go mode. 

Your meeting experience will be streamlined to surface the most important features to keep you focused and save you bandwidth: 

  • A simplified user interface with access to the most critical features such as mute & unmute, hand raise, and audio device selection. 
  • Only key information is displayed, such as the active speaker and the number of people on the call. 
  • Your video is automatically turned off. 
  • You have the option to view presented content. 
Take Google Meet on-the-go with ease

Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why it’s important 

As people are increasingly on the go, it’s becoming more common to join meetings while walking, in a car, or on public transportation. That’s why we’re introducing the On-the-Go meeting experience, which will make it easier for you to focus on the critical meeting details, cut down on external distractions, and save bandwidth with an audio-only experience. 


Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts 

Resources 

Enhancements to Google Meet viewer mode improve user participation and gives hosts greater flexibility

What’s changing 

Earlier this year, we introduced viewer mode for meeting attendees, which allowed a subset of attendees who could observe a meeting but not share their audio or video to the meeting. Beginning today, we’re introducing additional features for viewers and hosts: 
  • First, viewers can now send emoji reactions during a meeting, which is a lightweight, non-disruptive way to engage and participate in meetings without interrupting the speaker. 
Viewers can send reactions
  • Next, meeting hosts and co-hosts will be able to promote a viewer to a meeting contributor while the hosts are using picture-in-picture mode. This gives hosts greater flexibility and saves time when needing to change participant rights without having to leave PiP mode. 

Promoting & demoting viewers while in PiP mode
Promoting & demoting viewers while in PiP mode


Getting started 

  • Admins: Reactions will be ON by default and can be turned off in the Admin console. Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing this feature. 
  • End users: 
    • Hosts: When you’re using picture-in-picture mode, you can transition viewers to contributors from the people panel by selecting the three-dot overflow menu and then selecting “Make a contributor”. 
    • Viewers: If enabled by your admin or meeting host, visit the Help Center to learn more about assigning View only roles in Google Meet. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Teaching & Learning upgrade, and Education Plus customers 

Resources 

Google Meet Series One Desk 27 and Acer Chromebase for Meetings devices will automatically adjust your lighting

Quick summary

Currently, Google Meet automatically adjusts your lighting for meetings on the web, helping to improve your video quality in underexposed environments. We’re now expanding this functionality to meetings taken on Google Meet Series One Desk 27 and Acer Chromebase for Meetings devices. If these devices detect that your video appears underexposed, it will adjust the brightness to improve how you appear in the meeting. We plan to expand this functionality to larger meeting room devices in the future. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: The feature will trigger automatically when Meet detects that the users’ video is underexposed. Users can disable the feature in the settings menu for the active meeting. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning on automatic video lighting adjustment. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available for all Google Workspace customers using Series One Desk 27 devices and Acer Chromebase for Meetings devices 

Resources 

Subtly enhance your appearance with portrait touch-up when using Google Meet on mobile devices

What’s changing 

Introducing portrait touch-up in Meet, a new feature on mobile that enables you to lightly touch up your appearance from the green room before joining or during the meeting. Whether you’ve just come back from the gym, are recovering from a cold, or are jet lagged, portrait touch-up is available to help you feel your best. You can choose from two portrait touch-up modes:

  • Subtle: very light complexion smoothing, under eye lightening and eye whitening.
  • Smoothing: slightly more complexion smoothing, under eye lightening and eye whitening.
This update has been highly requested by our users and we hope that by providing the ability to lightly enhance their appearance, they will feel more comfortable and confident with how they appear during video calls.


Additional details

In addition to mobile, we plan to introduce this feature to Google Meet on the web by the end of 2023. We’ll provide an update here at that time.


Getting started


Rollout pace

  • Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 18, 2023
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 28, 2023
Turning portrait touch-up on in Google Meet



Availability 

  • Available to Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, Teaching & Learning Upgrade, Google One and Google Workspace Individual 
  • Not available to users with personal Google Accounts

Resources


Full HD available for group meetings in Google Meet

What’s changing 

Earlier this year, we announced 1080p video resolution for 1:1 Google Meet calls. Today, we’re expanding 1080p to meetings with three or more participants. This higher resolution is available on the web when using computers with a 1080p camera. 1080p resolution is off by default — users with 1080p cameras will be prompted to turn on the higher resolution option before entering the meeting, or it can be turned on or off via the settings menu. 





Note that 1080p is only sent when one or more users are pinning the 1080p-enabled user on a screen large enough to render the 1080p video feed. In those specific scenarios, additional bandwidth will be required to be able to send 1080p video — Meet will automatically adjust the resolution if the device is bandwidth constrained.

Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: This feature is OFF by default and can be enabled by the user. Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to enable 1080p in Meet. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Workspace Individual subscribers. 
  • Not available to users with personal Google Accounts. 

Resources 

Book a conference room directly from a Google Meet hardware device

What’s changing 

To maximize the use of physical room resources and make it easier to find meeting rooms, you can now book an available conference room directly from a Meet hardware device. If the device calendar shows a specific room is available, you’ll be able to book the room for either the next 30 or 60 minutes. If you need to, you can cancel an in-room booking from the device as well. 




This feature will launch with the default set to OFF — admins will have several options to configure this feature across their fleet: 
  • You can turn this feature on across all rooms by going to Directory > Buildings and resources > Global room settings and toggling Book rooms from Google Meet hardware. 
  • You can turn off this feature for specific rooms by going to Directory > Buildings and resources > Resource management > Resources > [Room Name] > Room settings and toggle Exempt from in-room booking. 
    • You can also bulk update the individual room toggle for up to 200 rooms from the resource management page.

Getting started

  • Admins: This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled by the admin. Visit the Help Center to learn more about in-room bookings with Google Meet hardware. 
  • End users: If your admin has turned on this feature in your organization, you should see the ‘Book now’ option appear automatically in available conference rooms unless the room in question has been opted out.

Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers using Meet hardware devices

Resources


Updates for exporting Google Meet hardware fleet data and bulk device configurations

What’s changing 

We’re making three updates to the way admins manage their Google Meet hardware devices: 


Filtered fleet data export 
First, when you generate an export of your device data, that export will now use all active filters you selected on the Device list page prior to initiating the download. Previously, this action ignored filters and generated data from every device in your entire fleet. 


Bulk updates via CSV upload 
Second, you can now make bulk updates to your device settings by uploading a modified export of your device data in CSV format with your desired changes. Prior to this change, the only way to make bulk changes to device settings that are managed at the individual device level (as opposed to organizational unit level) was to select up to 50 devices at a time on the Device list page and trigger a bulk action. This change will allow customers with large fleets to save time by cutting down on repeated, manual steps when rolling out changes to hundreds or even thousands of devices.


Important note: We recommend carefully reviewing the Help Center article before using this feature, as there is no automatic way to revert changes. The only way to undo changes is to use the bulk update feature again with an earlier, clean fleet data export file, so be sure to keep one saved. 

Admins must have the requisite Google Meet hardware admin privileges to successfully bulk update devices (Manage devices for most changes, and Manage organizational unit settings when using it to move devices between organizational units). This feature cannot be used to assign calendars at this time.




Alert silencing
We’re also making it possible to temporarily silence device and peripheral alerts. This is helpful when rooms are temporarily taken down for maintenance. You can select a duration of time the alerts should be silenced for, and add a note regarding the silenced alerts so other Meet hardware admins can reference. You can also filter your devices by “silenced” and “unsilenced” from Devices > Google Meet hardware > Devices.’’


In addition, we’ve added a new customer-level setting at Devices > Google Meet hardware > Settings > Service settings called New device alerts that now allows admins to specify whether newly enrolled devices automatically have their alerts silenced or not.


Getting started


Rollout pace

  • Filtered fleet data export: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 12, 2023
  • Bulk updates via CSV upload: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 12, 2023
  • Alert silencing: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on November 7, 2023

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices

Resources