Google Workspace Changes

Google Apps Vault now supports retention and eDiscovery for Hangouts chat history.

Google Apps Vault has been extended to support Hangouts chat history, enabling organizations to retain, archive, search, and export user chat data for compliance and eDiscovery needs. For customers already using Vault, full chat retention for all messages will activate automatically once the admin forces chat history on using the new Hangouts policy settings.

New admin policy options to force chat history and restrict chat usage in Google Hangouts.

Google Hangouts is introducing two new policy options for admins to provide greater control over domain chat usage. Admins can now force Hangouts chat history to be permanently on or off, preventing participants from changing the setting on a per-conversation basis. Additionally, admins can require that only Hangouts chat be used, though this disables chat within Google Docs, Hangouts video calls, and third-party chat clients.

Event colors now visible when jumping to dates in Android app

In the Google Calendar app for Android, users can now see the color of events when jumping to a particular date from the drop-down in the header while using Schedule, Day, 3 Day, or Week view.

Calendar view selection moved to the navigation drawer in Android app

Access to all available views (Schedule, Day, 3 Day, Week, Month) in the Google Calendar app for Android has been moved from the overflow menu into the navigation drawer for easier access.

Month view added to Google Calendar app for Android

Google has added the Month view back to the Google Calendar app for Android, providing a high-level overview of all scheduled events for a full month and allowing users to tap on specific days for a closer look.

Upgrade Google Apps Password Sync (GAPS) to version 1.3 by April 20, 2015.

Customers using Google Apps Password Sync (GAPS) are required to upgrade to version 1.3 before April 20, 2015. Older versions of the tool will stop functioning after this date due to dependencies on discontinued APIs.

Upgrade Google Apps Migration for Microsoft Exchange (GAMME) to version 4.1 by April 20, 2015.

Customers using Google Apps Migration for Microsoft Exchange (GAMME) are required to upgrade to version 4.1 before April 20, 2015. Older versions of the tool will stop functioning after this date due to dependencies on discontinued APIs.

Upgrade Google Apps Directory Sync (GADS) to version 4.0.3 by April 20, 2015.

Customers using Google Apps Directory Sync (GADS) are required to upgrade to version 4.0.3 before April 20, 2015. Older versions of the tool will stop functioning after this date due to dependencies on discontinued APIs.

Google+ Photos and videos are now available in Google Drive.

Google is integrating Google+ Photos into Google Drive, introducing a new 'Google Photos' menu item. Users can optionally add a Google Photos folder to their 'My Drive' to manage photos and videos alongside other files, with controls available in Drive settings and the Sync Client to manage folder visibility and desktop syncing. The feature will respect Google+ settings, meaning domains with Google+ disabled will not see the menu item.

Rollout of new Google Drive UI as default and removal of the old UI option.

The new Google Drive UI is being established as the default user experience. The rollout is already complete for Rapid release customers and is planned for April 7, 2015, for Scheduled release customers. Additionally, the option to return to the old Drive UI via Settings will be removed starting in early May 2015 for Rapid release domains, with Scheduled release domains following two weeks later.

Google Spreadsheets introduces discussions and user +mentions for better collaboration.

Users can now collaborate more efficiently in Google Spreadsheets through the addition of discussions, which includes the ability to +mention users to add them to a conversation.

Google Apps will discontinue support for Internet Explorer 8 on November 15, 2012.

As part of its policy to support only the current and prior major releases of modern browsers, Google Apps will stop supporting Internet Explorer 8 on November 15, 2012, following the launch of Internet Explorer 10. After this date, users accessing Google Apps services using Internet Explorer 8 will be prompted to upgrade their browser.

Enhanced collaboration with discussions and +mentions in Google Spreadsheets.

Google Spreadsheets is introducing new discussion features to allow users to collaborate more efficiently, including the ability to +mention users to add them to a discussion.

Google Apps administrators can now create nicknames for Google Groups.

Google Apps administrators now have the ability to create nicknames for Google Groups. For accounts with multiple domains, administrators can assign a nickname that uses a different domain than the original group. This functionality is available exclusively through the administrator control panel.

Add Google+ Hangouts to calendar events.

Users with an active Google+ profile can now add a Google+ Hangout to calendar events. Invited guests can join the hangout by clicking the “Join hangout” link on the event details page, and these hangouts will respect any restrictions set in the administrator control panel.