Google Workspace Changes

Change shape option moved to right-click menu in Google Slides.

In Google Slides, the 'Change shape' option has been removed from the Format menu and is now available via the right-click context menu on a selected shape.

Alt text for shapes moved to right-click menu in Google Docs and Slides.

The option to add alt text to a shape has been removed from the Format menu in both Google Docs and Google Slides. Users can now access this feature by right-clicking on the shape.

Updated menu path for adding page and column breaks in Google Docs.

Google Docs has updated the menu structure for adding breaks. Users now find page and column break options under Insert > Break, rather than directly under the Insert menu.

International Hangouts Meet dial-in phone numbers expanded to nine additional countries.

Google has expanded the availability of international dial-in phone numbers for Hangouts Meet to nine additional markets: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, and Turkey. This functionality is available exclusively for G Suite Enterprise edition users, enabling teams to stay connected by dialing into meetings from more global locations.

Expanded data set support for Data Control.

Data Control, which allows users to populate report templates with their own account data, has been updated to support Attribution 360 (TV Attribution) and DFP (DoubleClick for Publishers) data sets, facilitating better scalability for agencies and companies with subsidiaries.

New IMAGE function to display images in tables.

Google Data Studio introduced the IMAGE function, allowing users to embed images directly into tables. This is particularly useful for adding product images or YouTube video thumbnails to reports.

Enhanced Field Reports Editing capabilities.

New functionality has been added to make editing visualizations easier without returning to the data source. Users can now rename fields, change aggregation and semantic types, modify date functions, and apply calculations like % of total or difference from total directly within the report.

Addition of Google Analytics Sampling Indicator.

Google Data Studio reports now feature a Google Analytics Sampling Indicator. This indicator informs users when a specific component in their report contains sampled data from Google Analytics, providing transparency regarding data accuracy and timeliness.

Launch of Coordinated Coloring for consistent data visualization.

Coordinated Coloring binds specific colors to data, ensuring that color-data pairs remain consistent across different visualizations, filters, and versions within a report. This feature is automatically enabled for new reports and can be manually added to existing ones.

Introduction of Pivot Tables in Google Data Studio.

Google Data Studio now includes Pivot Tables, which allow users to reorganize metrics and dimensions by pivoting rows into columns. This feature enables better grouping and summarization of data and helps analyze relationships between data points that are difficult to spot in standard tables.

Screen magnifier support added to Google Slides and Drawings

Screen magnifier support has been extended to Google Slides and Google Drawings for users on Mac and Chrome OS devices, improving accessibility across the Google Docs editors suite.

Braille support added to Google Sheets

Google Sheets now supports Braille displays, enabling users to read and edit cell contents and navigate between cells. This feature is currently available on Chrome OS using the ChromeVox screen reader.

Search within a specific folder in Google Drive.

Users can now search for content within a specific folder in Google Drive by selecting the folder from the Location menu in the search bar or by right-clicking on a folder. This functionality is available for folders within My Drive or Team Drives; folders shared with the user must first be added to My Drive to be searchable.

Automatic upgrade to the new Google Calendar web UI begins January 8th, 2018.

Google will begin automatically upgrading users to the new Google Calendar web UI starting January 8th for Rapid Release domains and January 15th for Scheduled Release domains. Users on automatic rollout can opt out until February 28th, 2018, while those in manual rollout domains will be upgraded on February 28th without an opt-out option.

G Suite adds auto-provisioning support for eight new third-party applications.

G Suite is expanding its auto-provisioning capabilities to include eight additional third-party applications: Amazon Web Services, DocuSign, Evernote, GoToMeeting, Office 365, SAP Cloud Platform Identity Authentication, Sugar, and Zendesk. This feature allows admins to automatically add, edit, or delete users in these apps when changes are made in G Suite, reducing management overhead. Availability varies by edition, with Basic, Government, and Nonprofit customers limited to three applications, while Education, Business, and Enterprise customers have access to all supported apps.