December 1st, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Check out this month’s “What’s New in Google Apps” newsletter [pdf] for a roundup of all Apps launches from November 2014.Newsletter Archive & Translated Versions (coming soon for November issue)Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps …
November 24th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Posted by Eran Feigenbaum, Director of Security Google for Work
(Cross-posted on the Google for Work Blog)
As an IT manager, we realize you spend a lot of time managing devices, applications and security settings for everyone at your organization. To make your job a bit easier, today we’re announcing new security tools to help Google Apps users take more control of their security online.
A new Devices and Activity dashboard gives your users additional insight over the devices accessing their Google account. The page shows a comprehensive view of all devices that have been active on an account in the last 28 days, or are currently signed in. And in case any suspicious activity is noticed, there’s a setting to immediately take steps to secure an account and change a password.
We are also launching the security wizard for Google for Work accounts. The security wizard guides users through steps they can take to turn on or adjust security features, like providing contact info for account recovery (if the domain security policy allows it), or reviewing recent account activity and account permissions. Plus, it only takes minutes for users to update their settings. This tool prioritizes all administrator settings for security features that end users are permitted to turn on. Access the wizard at g.co/accountcheckup.
Security in the cloud is a shared responsibility and keeping your company information secure is at the core of what we do everyday. By making users more aware of their security settings and the activity on their devices, we can work together to stay a step ahead of any bad guys.
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 20th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Last month, we launched the ability for Google Apps customers to share links to Hangouts video calls so that external guests may request to join if not explicitly invited. This helps guests avoid errors when joining with alternate Google accounts.
We’re now giving admins greater control over this feature with an option in the Admin console to start all video calls in a state where external participants may request access to join. This feature is especially useful for customers who do not rely on Google Calendar to schedule meetings or those using the Microsoft Outlook Hangouts plugin.
To adjust the setting, click on Google Apps -> Talk/Hangouts -> General Settings:
Release track:
Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information:
Help Center
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 19th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
To make it easier to collaborate during Hangouts video calls, we’ve enabled the sharing of links to any Drive file directly from the chat window. Shared links will show a preview of the file right in the chat message, even when other participants don’t have their chat window open. Clicking on the link will open the file in a different browser tab so you can conveniently work on it in full view.
To share a link from Drive during a Hangouts video call, click on the Chat icon and then click the Google Drive picker icon from within the chat window.
Note: this feature will replace the Google Drive Hangouts app, which will no longer be available as of December 15th, 2014.
Release track:
Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information:
Google for Work G+ Post
Help Center
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 18th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Previously, Google Apps administrators had no means by which to give people in their organizations a Google+ profile in order to connect with other employees and encourage collaboration and sharing in the organization. With today’s launch, admins can now perform individual profile upgrades centrally (bulk upgrades coming soon).
For people with Google+ enabled who have yet to register (i.e., create a profile), admins may individually create a basic Google+ profile on their behalf, certifying the employee is 18+ years of age (or specifying a birthday). After the admin has completed this action, the person for whom the profile was created will receive a Google+ welcome email explaining the action taken by the admin.
Notes
- Today’s launch applies to Premier, Gov and higher-education EDU domains only (K-12 EDU domains are excluded).
- People using Picasa or with a public chat photo are not eligible to be upgraded by an admin, and must create their own profile.
Release schedule:
Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information:
Google for Work G+ post
Help Center (admin)
Help Center (user)
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 13th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Currently, people using Google Apps can authorize any third party mobile or web application which supports login with a Google Apps account using OAuth to read their account data (e.g. Contacts, Calendar, Drive files, etc) to integrate with Google Apps. Each authorization grants an access token, which is then logged in the Apps Admin console. Previously, Admins could review the current state of OAuth tokens granted by people within their domain using the security tab, but could not access the change logs of authorized and revoked tokens.
With this launch, we are adding a new audit report that allows admins to view ‘authorize’ and ‘revoke’ events for OAuth tokens within the Admin console Reports section and the Reports API. Admins can use this new audit report to find out what new apps have been installed by individual users and, if needed, can revoke access using the security tab. This improves admin visibility and control over access of third party apps by users in their domain.
In addition, admins can use the Reports API to set up a push notification for oAuth ‘authorize’ and ‘revoke’ events, generating an alert when a certain event happens. Optionally, admins can also revoke data grants using the Directory API.
To access the OAuth audit reports in Admin console, click on Reports -> Audit -> Token. Release track:
Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information:
Help Center
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 10th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
As recently communicated, the auto-migration of older spreadsheets (those created prior to Dec 2013, including any subsequent copies) to the new version of Google Sheets will start today for Google Apps domains on the Rapid release track.No action is r…
November 7th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
At Google I/O in June, we introduced material design, a single underlying design system that allows for a unified experience across platforms and device sizes. It features smooth animations and transitions between screens, a multi-layered interface with quick access to the elements that you need most often, and a colorful UI with diverse fonts and styles.
Material design principles have begun to appear in recent Google product launches, including Google Classroom, the Docs, Sheets, and Slides home screens and mobile apps, the Drive Android app, Android 5.0 Lollipop and the new Gmail and Calendar Android apps. You’ll continue to see more Google products adopting these new design principles across platforms in the coming months
To help with this transition, we’ve created a few resources for Google Apps customers. First, a special segment of The Apps Show featuring an interview with Lucas Pettinati, UX Lead for Google Apps. Lucas explains Google’s approach to applying material design to Apps products and what to expect moving forward. Second, an instructional guide [pdf] outlining the functional elements of material design and a deep dive [pdf] into how these elements surface in the new Gmail Android app. Check out these resources and share them with your organization.
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 7th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Since the launch of the new Google Drive UI in June, the new experience has been opt-in, allowing people to try out and become accustomed to the UI and feature set. We’ve since been working on adding a few features that weren’t ready for the launch in June, like the ability to view and manage versions for non-Google file formats, and add caption files or transcript files to videos.
With these features now complete, today’s launch will make the new UI the default experience for people using Drive, while retaining the option for them to return to the old Drive UI via the Settings drop down. In the future, we’ll remove the option to return to the old Drive UI.
Release track:
Rapid release (gradual rollout), with Scheduled release coming early in 2015
For more information:
Help Center
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 6th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
A new version of the Google Drive iOS app, optimized for iOS 8, is now available in the App Store. The app includes some new security and convenience features, including:
-
Open files from Drive, and save back to Drive, from other apps on your device (iOS 8 only)
-
Unlock Drive using Touch IDーwe’ve offered the ability to Passcode Lock the Drive app for a while now, so today’s update makes it even easier to keep your files safe (iOS 8 only)
-
Save videos from Drive to your device’s camera roll (tap File Info icon > Open In > Save Video)
Release track:
Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information:
G+ post
Get the Google Drive app in the App Store
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 5th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Today we’re launching a new extension for Chrome that lets you open files from Google Drive directly into a compatible application installed on your computer. This includes apps like advanced image and video editing software, accounting and tax programs, or 3D animation and design tools. So, no matter what you keep in Drive, using the web to access and manage files doesn’t mean you’re limited to using applications that only work in your browser.
To get started, install the latest version of the Drive app for Mac or PC (version 1.18) and sync your files. Then, visit Google Drive in your Chrome browser (make sure you’re on the new Google Drive). Finally, right-click on the file and select “Open with” to see a list of compatible applications on your computer that can open it. For example, you can choose to open a PDF file with Adobe Reader, or a .psd with Photoshop, make your edits and save back changes to Drive which will sync across all your devices and other collaborators.
Release track:
Rapid release and Scheduled release (gradual rollout)
For more information:
Google for Work Blog post
Help Center
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 4th, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Check out this month’s “What’s New in Google Apps” newsletter [pdf] for a roundup of all Apps launches from October 2014.Newsletter Archive & Translated Versions (coming soon for October issue)Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps ed…
November 3rd, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Building on the recent launch of aggregate reports in Admin console, we’ve launched additional time-series reports for Gmail, with the goal of providing admins more visibility into mail flow.
New reports include:
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Outbound Mail Delivery
-
Outbound Mail Encryption
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Inbound Mail Delivery
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Inbound Mail Encryption
-
Inbound Spam
For more detail on these new reports, check the Gmail section of the aggregate reports Help Center article.
To access the aggregate reports dashboard, sign in to the Admin console and click Reports > Aggregate Reports.
Release track:
Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information:
Help Center
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 3rd, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Today, the Gmail app for Android is getting updated with a more modern style, sleeker transitions, and a few other handy improvements.
As part of the new design, there’s now a convenient reply button at the bottom of every message, making it quick and easy to continue a conversation when you’re on the go. And if you access the app on your Android tablet, you’ll notice it’s easier to switch between accounts and the different inbox categories.
The updated Gmail app also now supports all email providers, which means you can set up a separate inbox for, say, your Yahoo Mail or Outlook.com addresses using POP/IMAP.
The new app will support all Android 4.0+ devices. It’s available today on all devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop and will be rolling out on Google Play to everyone else over the next few days.
Release track:
Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information:
Google for Work blog post
Get the Gmail app on Google Play
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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November 3rd, 2014 | by Jane Smith | published in Google Apps
Today, we’re introducing a brand new Google Calendar app, built to save you time and help you make the most of every day.
Key features of the app include:
The new Google Calendar will work on all Android 4.1+ devices. It’s available today on all devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop, and you’ll be able to download the update from Google Play in the coming weeks. We’re also working hard on a version for iPhone.
Note: The web version of Google Calendar will see some minor terminology changes today (‘Reminders’ become ‘Notifications,’ ‘Privacy becomes Visibility,’ and Privacy level ‘Default’ becomes ‘Calendar Default’).
In addition, once people get the new mobile app, they will be able to set separate Notification defaults for all-day events on web as well as mobile. In the coming weeks, people on web Calendar who haven’t used the app will also see this change. They will be informed the first time they use Calendar after this happens.
Release track:
App available now for both Rapid release and Scheduled release tracks on devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop. Update available for both release tracks on Google Play (for Android 4.1+) in the coming weeks.
Separate Notification defaults for all-day events on web for those who don’t download the app will launch to Rapid domains in two weeks, and to Scheduled release domains two weeks later.
For more information:
Google for Work blog post
Calendar website
Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
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