Google Intelligent Apps Updates Recap , 30th September
There’s a kind of a borderline Google are drawing related to people, connectivity and integration before and after the 30th of September 2020. A long list of feature updates in Google Intelligent Apps ( G Suite) have been rolled out completely to go live in the beginning of October.
Integration
Scrolling through what’s new in G Suite is surfacing the priority of integration between different applications and systems, consistent user experience across G Suite’s core apps as well as simplifying collaborative workflows.
- Collaborate with people who are not using a Google account.
- Office editing on Android for collaboration in Microsoft Office files.
- New Google Drive sharing models of one location, Drive Changes to the API behavior.
- Trash items in Google Drive automatically deleted in 30 days
As this policy takes effect (Trash, my note) we will show a banner to users with details of the change. The policy change will take effect regardless of whether a user sees or acknowledges the banner
Google Drive
First, remember your deleted files in Google Drive! They shall be automatically deleted 30 days after you place them in your bin. If you have kept old files in the Trash as if it’s a temporary storage, this isn’t a good idea any longer. On the positive side, this update disciplined me to sort and remove useless data. I’m enjoying a cleared Drive ready to process an intense workflow in the last quarter of the year 2020.
As a paradox, integration among applications at work has significantly improved since the pandemic! Professionals have the understanding or even improved their digital skills while completing tasks in collaboration by navigating via a variety of apps across multiple online spaces.
Connectivity
The big news about individual Gmail users is that Google are prolonging unlimited Meet calls (up to 24 hours) in the free version through March 31, 2021. Have you been using Zoom so far? If yes, I recommend you switch to Google Meet for it’s super simple navigation and beyond excellent audio. I’ve been in video streaming platforms since 2015 and you can trust me that the the online meetings, events and recordings in Google Meet are recognized with their excellent sound.
Google Meet has accelerated improvements and is including now:
- 49 participants grid view in Layout, including the Meet host
- Blur background
- Noise cancellation
- Moderation facilitation
To onboard Google Meet for remote work, subscribe to G Suite tutorials on their dedicated YouTube support channel and check the G Suite learning center.
Professionals in Education can integrate Google Meet with Classroom. To learn how, subscribe to Google for Education video series best practices.
Learn more about Google Meet by reading my article .
People
Ultimately any feature in the applications Google Drive, Google Meet, Docs, Slides, Forms, Sites and Calendar serves people’s online activity. Google Groups is the know how tool about keeping tasks completed both in remote work, distance education but also in individual’s leisure time with friends and family. Started back end of May new Google Groups are now (since 15th September) the default Google groups. The list of updates in August and September is showing how fast Google Groups role evolved and scaled:
- Automatically see shared calendars associated with a Google Group when joining in.
- Manage groups programmatically with the Cloud Identity Groups API.
- Improved mobile interface.
- Use service accounts with Google Groups APIs without domain-wide delegation.
- Support for service accounts in Google Groups.
- Security groups.
- Updated interface for managing Google Groups in the Admin console
Even if public Google Groups are searchable it is still to witness their place in the Google ecosystem. It’s good to know Google groups basic settings. Watch and follow from my video tutorial:
Conclusion: integrated systems and applications connecting people are all that matters those days in our nearly online first world therefore it’s good to adopt practicing with Google’s Intelligent Apps.
Update from 6th October: Google has announced its new brand
