Google Workspace Changes

Admins can now configure Access Management and Access Approvals policies together using classification labels in Assured Controls rules.

Google Workspace introduces Assured Controls rules in the Admin Console, allowing administrators to enforce Access Management and Access Approvals policies on specific Google Drive files via classification labels, in addition to OU and group scoping. This enables granular, resource-centric controls for sensitive data while preserving standard workflows for less sensitive files. The feature integrates with DLP to automatically apply labels and supports regional data sovereignty and regulated workloads.

Introduces a dedicated Google Drive step that allows flows to search dynamically for relevant document files based on search parameters.

A new Google Drive step has been added to Workspace Studio that enables flows to search dynamically for documents using user‑defined search parameters, making it easy to locate and act on relevant files within an automated workflow.

Expands the Google Meet primitive to output additional Calendar event metadata—including full invitee lists—and provides template support for generating post-meeting follow-up email drafts.

The Google Meet primitive in Workspace Studio now outputs additional Calendar event metadata, such as the full list of invitees, and includes template support for generating post‑meeting follow‑up email drafts, streamlining post‑meeting workflows.

Allows users to configure Gmail thread triggers to ignore follow-up replies, ensuring flows trigger only on primary incoming emails.

With this update, users can configure Gmail thread triggers in Workspace Studio to automatically skip follow‑up replies, ensuring that a flow is initiated only on the primary incoming email of a thread and reducing unnecessary automation triggers.

Enables nested branching logic within flows so users can build multi-layered conditional decision paths.

This enhancement introduces nested conditional branching within Workspace Studio flows, allowing users to build multi-layered decision paths that can evaluate multiple conditions sequentially, thereby enabling more sophisticated automation logic without requiring code.

Carrier Link for Google Voice is now available in 14 additional countries, allowing Workspace customers to use local carrier calling plans with Google Voice.

In June, Google launched Carrier Link in 20 countries where Google Voice service was not otherwise available. On October 8, 2026, Carrier Link is being made available in an additional 14 countries (including the US, Canada, and much of Europe). Partners Southlight Services, Gamma Communications, Tata Communications, and Telefonica Global Solutions have collaborated with Google Voice to offer these services. Carrier Link enables Workspace customers to add phone numbers and calling plans from certified local carriers via a pre‑configured multi‑tenant SIP Link implementation, simplifying cloud phone system setup with minimal configuration and carrier‑handled payments. The feature is rolling out gradually over up to 15 days for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains, starting October 8, 2026, and is available to Workspace customers with Google Voice Starter, Standard, or Premier subscriptions.

Point-in-time editing is now available in Google Vids, showing only active elements at the current timeline position for a true WYSIWYG experience.

Google Vids introduces point-in-time editing, which synchronizes the editing canvas with the video timeline so that only the elements active at the current timestamp are displayed. This eliminates visual clutter from overlapping text, stickers, and images, providing a true 'what you see is what you get' workflow. Users can scrub the timeline or click object tracks to move the playhead, and they no longer need to split scenes to manage timed objects. The feature is enabled by default for all Google Vids sessions, with a gradual rollout for Rapid Release domains beginning September 29, 2026 and a full rollout for Scheduled Release domains starting October 13, 2026.

Trello for Google Workspace now lets users create Trello cards directly from Google Chat messages.

The refreshed Trello for Google Workspace app replaces the Trello for Gmail experience and adds the ability to create new Trello cards from Google Chat messages. Users can add the app to a Chat space or direct message, follow the sign‑in prompt, and create cards without leaving Chat. Admins can install the app for users via the Google Workspace Marketplace, and the update is available now for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains.

Google Sheets now supports new High-Low-Close (HLC) and Open-High-Low-Close (OHLC) stock chart types, with improved Excel import compatibility.

Google Sheets introduces High-Low-Close (HLC) and Open-High-Low-Close (OHLC) stock chart types that condense multiple price points per period into a single marker, enabling quick visualization of a security's trading range and settlement. These charts fit seamlessly into financial analysts' existing workflows for tracking equities, commodities, and building valuation models. Additionally, Sheets now preserves HLC and OHLC charts when importing Excel files, eliminating the need to rebuild them manually.

Google Drive now renders Markdown files, showing formatted previews with clickable links and structured tables directly in the file viewer.

Drive’s preview pane displays Markdown (.md/.markdown) files as fully formatted documents, complete with styled headings, bulleted lists, tables, and hyperlinks, allowing users to quickly review content without opening Docs. This complements the native Docs editing experience and requires no additional setup.

Google Docs now supports native viewing, editing, and real-time collaboration on Markdown (.md/.markdown) files.

Users can open, edit, and comment on Markdown files in Google Docs just like any other document, preserving formatting, tables, headers, and lists without needing to import or convert the file. This enables seamless collaboration with teammates and AI agents while retaining Docs’ real-time editing and commenting tools.

Secondary calendars now follow the lifecycle of their owner, being deleted or suspended when the owner account is deleted or suspended.

Starting October 5, 2026, secondary calendars in Google Workspace will automatically inherit the lifecycle status of their owning user account. When a user account is deleted or suspended, any secondary calendars they own will be deleted or suspended accordingly, mirroring the behavior of primary calendars. To retain a secondary calendar, ownership must be transferred to another user before the original owner's account is removed. Admins can transfer calendars via the Admin Console or Calendar API, while end users can do so in Calendar Settings. The change applies to all Google Workspace customers and Workspace Individual subscribers, rolling out via both Rapid and Scheduled release tracks with an extended rollout period.

Built-in interoperability between Google Meet and Microsoft Teams on Android (AOSP) devices is now generally available, allowing users to join Teams meetings from Meet hardware and vice versa.

Starting October 1, 2026, Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware running Android/AOSP can join Microsoft Teams meetings directly from their Meet devices, and users of Android/AOSP-based Microsoft Teams Rooms can join Google Meet meetings. The feature rolls out to both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains over a 1–3 day period beginning on the launch date.

Gemini student hub now available to Google Workspace for Education users, providing a centralized place for learning tools like study notebooks, flashcards, and practice quizzes.

The Gemini app now includes a dedicated student hub for Google Workspace for Education users of all ages, allowing them to start study notebooks, create flashcards, take practice quizzes, and access other learning tools. Admins control access via Generative AI settings in the Workspace Admin console; there is no end-user setting. Users can get started at gemini.google.com/students or via the Students menu in the Gemini app. The hub is available now for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains outside the European Economic Area and for personal Google accounts globally.

Google Workspace introduces a simplified setup option for Client-side encryption, enabling admins to configure CSE in minutes using Cloud HSM Keys and Google Identity.

The new simplified setup path in the Google Workspace Admin console automates much of the Client-side encryption configuration by integrating Cloud HSM Keys with Google Identity, allowing admins to enable CSE for emails, files, meetings and events in just a few clicks. This reduces the time to live and lets organizations leverage existing GCP resources to protect sensitive data while still offering the standard CSE setup for those needing custom third‑party key services.