Google Workspace Updates

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Set timers in Google Meet on the web

What’s changing

You can now create meeting timers in the Google Meet sidebar. Host/Co-hosts can manage the timer if host controls are on. If the host controls are off, anyone in the meeting can manage it. Once the timer is started, it will be visible to all meeting participants. You can also pause or cancel the timer once it starts.

Timers can be a valuable tool in online meetings for improving focus, managing time effectively, and ensuring equitable participation. By providing a visible, shared sense of time, they help structure the meeting and drive productivity.

Getting started

Admins: This feature will be on by default. There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: This feature will be off by default. Turn it on by clicking Activities > Timer in a meeting. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using timers in Meet.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on October 6th, 2025

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

Resources

Google Help: Set a timer in Google Meet

Monday, October 6, 2025

Looker Connected Sheets Private IP support

What’s changing

Organizations who have configured private IP Looker Core instances can now enable Connected Sheets for their teams, bringing easier analysis and sharing capabilities to their users. Now, users who were previously restricted from using Connected Sheets due to Private IP controls on their Looker instances will be able to leverage powerful and intuitive spreadsheet capabilities to better understand and analyze their Looker data.

Getting started

Admins: Looker Connected Sheets must be enabled by an admin before it works. Visit the Help Center to learn more about enabling Connected Sheets for Looker.
End users: This feature will be available by default as configured by your admin. To connect to Looker Private IP instances, just copy your instance ID in Looker and use it to connect in Sheets via Data > Data Connectors > Connect to Looker. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Connected Sheets for Looker.

Rollout pace

Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 6, 2025.

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

Resources

Google Help: Using Connected Sheets for Looker

Monday, October 6, 2025

Get more insight into how Chat apps are used within your organization

What’s changing

Google Workspace admins can now get better insights into how Chat apps are being used within their organization via enhanced logging and display of log information. Specifically, we are enhancing Chat event logs to add Chat app related events. Using these logs, admins can gain insights such as:

Which Chat apps have been added to what Spaces
What apps have been added in a specific space
What apps have been removed, and who removed them
What are the most popular chat apps within your organization

An example of a data visualization on Chap app usage created via Looker based on BigQuery export data

Getting started

Admins:

Logs will be collected by default. Admins can see the logging information:

Via BigQuery log export and subsequent queries / data visualizations
Via the Reports API
Coming soon, the logs will also be available in the Security Investigation Tool (SIT)

Use our Help Center to learn more about allowing users to install Chat apps, or using Chat log events.

End users:

No end user impact.

Rollout pace

This feature is available now.

Availability

Audit logs are available via:

The Reports API to all Google Workspace customers \
BigQuery to Frontline Standard and Frontline Plus; Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus; Enterprise Essentials Plus.
(Coming soon) The Security Investigation Tool (SIT) to Frontline Standard and Frontline Plus; Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus; Enterprise Essentials Plus; Cloud Identity Premium.

Resources

Friday, October 3, 2025

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - October 3, 2025

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

Changes to membership roles in Google Chat spaces to enable more flexible permissions

We’re introducing an owner role in Google Chat spaces in addition to managers and members. By increasing the number of roles, it will be easier to share the tasks associated with managing spaces with the right colleagues. | Learn more about the new membership roles in Chat spaces.

Use Nano Banana to edit images in Google Slides and Vids

We’re upgrading Slides and Vids to the latest image editing model, Nano Banana. As recently detailed in this blog post, Nano Banana brings improved quality to image editing to make it easier to bring your ideas to life. | Learn more about the updates to image editing in Slides and Vids.

Collaborate with Gemini in Google Drive now available on mobile

We have previously launched the ability for users on the web to collaborate with Gemini in Google Drive. Now, we're excited to extend Gemini’s capabilities to users on mobile in the Drive apps for Android and iOS. | Learn more about interacting with Gemini on Drive mobile.

Improve Chat apps with display carousels and richer text formatting

Developers can use two new features to create more engaging Chat apps. Specifically, we are adding

a carousel widget, Markdown support, and lists and code blocks. | Learn more about the new options for Chat apps.

Meet eCDN custom rules improvements for new and existing configurations

In order to improve the experience of admins managing Google Meet’s Enterprise Content Delivery Network (Meet eCDN) rules, we’re updating how the “Custom Rules” peering policy works in some cases, and how assigned networks are surfaced in the MQT eCDN network table. | Learn more about the changes to Meet eCDN configurations.

Ransomware detection and file restoration for Google Drive available in beta

We’re adding two new features to help organizations minimize the impact of ransomware attacks on personal computers. Specifically, we are adding these features in beta: Ransomware detection and File restoration. | Learn more about the new protection features for Drive.

Microsoft Teams Interoperability with Pexip Connect

For more than seven years, Pexip has been a trusted interoperability partner for Google Meet, ensuring that participants can use their legacy meeting room systems to join Google Meet calls. We are excited to expand our relationship with Pexip Connect for Google Meet hardware – which will enable Google Meet hardware to seamlessly join Microsoft Teams from both Android and ChromeOS hardware. | Learn more about Teams interop with Pexip.

Enable 'take notes for me' in Calendar, ahead of your meeting

Taking notes during meetings is crucial for tracking action items and key decisions. With our Gemini-powered “Take notes for me”, you can stay fully engaged in the conversation while ensuring nothing gets missed. Event organizers can now enable Take notes for me when scheduling the event or preparing their meeting in Calendar. | Learn more about the easier set up for take notes for me.

Quickly find and use Google Chat apps and Workspace actions with the redesigned integrations menu

We're making it quicker and easier to find and use your favorite apps and actions in Google Chat with a redesigned integrations menu that lets you search for apps and execute commands with fewer clicks. The menu is accessible through the "+" button next to the compose bar or by typing "/". | Learn more about the new integrations menu in Chat.

Create custom, AI-generated meeting backgrounds on Mobile devices

You can now create custom background images with Gemini from your Android or iOS device. Meeting backgrounds can help obscure your surroundings during a meeting or they can enhance the meeting itself. | Learn more about using AI backgrounds on mobile.

Gemini app data now included in Access Transparency, Access Management, and Access Approvals

Access Transparency, Access Management, and Access Approvals now cover Gemini App data. These features provide admins full transparency into when Gemini App data is viewed for support purposes, control over which Google support staff can view this data, and control over when this data can be viewed by Google for support purposes. | Learn more about the additional visibility and controls for Gemini app data.

Express yourself with stickers in Google Chat

Users can now send expressive stickers in their conversations in Google Chat on the web. Stickers can provide users with more options to express themselves in their Chat conversations, alongside emojis, GIFs, and other media-based messages. | Learn more about sending stickers in Chat.

Send Gmail end-to-end encrypted emails to anyone

Generally available today, Gmail client-side encryption (CSE) users can send end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) emails to anyone, even if the recipient uses a different email provider. Recipients will receive a notification and can easily access the encrypted message via a guest account, ensuring secure communication without the hassle of exchanging keys or using custom software. | Learn more about encrypted emails in Gmail.

Use the Gemini in Chrome AI browsing assistant, now generally available

Friday, October 3, 2025

Use the Gemini in Chrome AI browsing assistant, now generally available

What’s changing

Starting today, Gemini in Chrome is available to Google Workspace users with access to the Gemini app. Gemini in Chrome is an AI browsing assistant to help you get things done on Mac, Windows and iOS devices, allowing you to ask Gemini for answers and insights, conduct in-depth two-way conversations with Gemini Live, and more using the context of up to 10 browser tabs along with the Google Workspace app.

Users have the option to turn on sharing for their current browser tab and up to 10 additional tabs. Once sharing is turned on, Gemini in Chrome will continue to reference the current browser tab until the user turns sharing off.

Additional details

Your access to Gemini app through Gemini in Chrome includes enterprise-grade data protections and is subject to the Google Workspace Terms of Service or your offline Workspace agreement for business customers, and the Google Workspace for Education Terms of Service for education customers. As a reminder, your content is not reviewed by human reviewers or otherwise used for Generative AI model training outside your domain without permission. Learn more at the Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub.

Note: Not all Workspace editions receive access to the Gemini app as a core service. Visit the Help Center for more information.

At launch, some of the compliance certifications achieved to date for Google Workspace customers accessing the Gemini app as a core service on web or mobile app do not apply to Gemini in Chrome. Refer to Gemini in Chrome section in Turn the Gemini app on or off for more information.

Gemini in Chrome will be blocked for customers who have signed the HIPAA Business Associate Amendment (BAA).

Initially, this feature will be available:

On Mac, Windows and iOS
To users 18+
In English only
In the US only

Usage reporting: Gemini in Chrome usage will be included as part of Gemini app usage visible in the Admin Console under Generative AI > Gemini Reports and in other admin reporting tools like the Security Investigation Tool.

Getting started

Admins: This feature will be ON by default unless you have already disabled the Gemini app service setting or the Chrome Gemini Setting. It can be turned on/off at the domain, OU, or group level. Refer to Turn the Gemini app on or off or our previous announcement for information on how to turn access on or off, the terms of service and privacy considerations for the feature.
End users: When sharing is turned on, the tab the user is viewing is shared with Gemini in Chrome. The user can also select up to 10 tabs to share and reference the Workspace app for additional grounding. Use our Help Center to learn more about Gemini in Chrome and how to use it.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (greater than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 2, 2025.

Availability

Available for Google Workspace:

Business Starter, Standard, Plus
Enterprise Starter, Standard, Plus
Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus
Frontline Starter, Standard, and Plus
Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, and Enterprise Essentials Plus
Nonprofits

Available for Google Workspace customers with these add-ons:

Gemini Business - Legacy*
Gemini Enterprise - Legacy*
Google AI Ultra for Business
Google AI Pro for Education

*As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details.

Resources