Google Workspace Changes

Improvements to local administrative access controls on Windows 10 and 11 devices.

Google is updating the administrative privileges setting for Windows device management to provide administrators with more control and flexibility over local administrative access on Windows 10 and 11 devices. This update replaces the previous 'Replace' behavior, which removed all existing members from the local administrators group before adding new ones, allowing organizations to preserve existing local admin access while managing specific users via Google Workspace.

Figma integration in Google Chat allows users to receive notifications, preview files, see comments, and reply to comments directly from Chat.

The Figma for Google Workspace add-on, already available for Google Calendar, Docs, and Meet, is now extended to Google Chat. This integration enables users to stay updated on Figma files within Google Chat by receiving notifications for invites, previewing files, viewing new comments and tags, and replying to comments without leaving the Chat interface.

Listen to Gemini-powered audio summaries of your Google Docs.

Google Docs has introduced a new Gemini-powered feature that allows users to listen to brief audio summaries of their documents, including content across multiple tabs. This feature provides a natural-sounding verbal synopsis to help users quickly grasp the most important parts of a document. Users can personalize their experience by choosing from various voices, such as narrator, persuader, and coach, and can adjust the playback speed to suit their preferences.

Introducing Figma integration in Google Chat for notifications and collaboration.

Google Chat now integrates with Figma, allowing users to receive notifications for file, project, and team invites, preview Figma files within notifications and group chats, track new comments and tags in followed files, and reply to Figma comments directly from the Google Chat interface.

New 'Video calling' setting to enable or disable video calling on Google Meet hardware devices.

Google is introducing a 'Video calling' setting for Google Meet hardware, allowing administrators to turn video calling on or off at both the device level and the customer level for newly-enrolled devices. This feature supports secure setup processes, enabling installers to enroll devices with video calling disabled and allowing admins to enable it once the device is in a secure environment. Additionally, Calendar has been moved into its own distinct setting.

Google Meet now allows participants to move shared content into a separate standalone window.

Google Meet is introducing an 'Open in new window' option that allows meeting participants to undock screen shared content, such as presentations, spreadsheets, or documents. This enables users to move the shared content to a secondary screen or resize it independently, making it easier to view both the content and the meeting participants simultaneously for better collaboration.

Google Meet users can now move shared content into a separate window for improved multitasking and viewing.

Google Meet is introducing a new feature that allows users to move shared content, such as presentations or documents, into a separate window during a video call. This enhancement is designed to improve the meeting experience by enabling better multitasking, allowing participants to view shared content and other meeting elements simultaneously. This provides greater flexibility for users to arrange their screen layout according to their preferences and stay connected and collaborate more easily.

Data loss prevention (DLP) policies are now available in beta for Google Calendar, allowing administrators to prevent sensitive data sharing in event details.

Google is introducing data loss prevention (DLP) policies for Google Calendar in beta, expanding existing data protections beyond attachments to include sensitive information within event titles, locations, and descriptions. Administrators can configure policies to audit, warn, or block event creation or updates when sensitive content is detected. These rules are applied based on the event owner's organizational unit, and users receive immediate feedback via pop-up notifications or email alerts for policy violations.

Data loss prevention (DLP) policies for Google Calendar are now available in beta.

Google is introducing data loss prevention (DLP) policies for Google Calendar in beta, enabling administrators to prevent sensitive data from being shared in meeting invites. The policies scan free-text fields—including event titles, locations, and descriptions—as well as attachments like Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Admins can configure the system to audit, warn, or block the creation and update of events that violate DLP rules. Users receive immediate feedback via pop-up notifications on the web or automated email notifications on mobile devices and via the Calendar API.

Introduction of the AI Expanded Access add-on for higher usage limits of advanced AI features.

Google is introducing the AI Expanded Access add-on for Business and Enterprise plans, providing a middle tier between standard access and AI Ultra Access. This add-on unlocks higher usage limits for advanced AI capabilities, including image generation with Nano Banana Pro, video generation with Veo 3.1, deep reasoning in Gemini 3 Pro, and enhanced source library processing in NotebookLM.

Real-time speech translation with higher access in Google Meet.

Google Meet is introducing real-time speech translation that bridges language gaps while maintaining the tone and voice of the speaker. Higher access to this feature is available through the AI Expanded and AI Ultra add-ons.

Speech translation in Google Meet is rolling out for higher limits with promotional access until March 31, 2026.

Speech translation, a feature enabling real-time language bridging in meetings while preserving tone and voice, is currently rolling out. Users currently have promotional access to higher limits for this feature in Business and Enterprise plans until March 31, 2026. After this date, higher access to speech translation will require the purchase of the AI Expanded Access add-on.

Expanding access to Read-along teleprompter, Transcript trim, and Styled captions for all Google Vids users.

Google is making three professional-quality video creation features—Read-along teleprompter, Transcript trim, and Styled captions—available to all Google Vids users regardless of their Workspace edition. This update ensures that users on promotional periods, as well as those on Frontline and Education Fundamentals editions, have access to these essential editing tools.

Speech translation in Google Meet is now generally available for business customers.

Google Meet has launched real-time speech-to-speech translation for select Google Workspace business plans, moving the feature out of limited alpha. This technology allows participants to speak in their native language while others hear a dubbed audio translation that preserves the speaker's tone and cadence, rather than just displaying text captions. At launch, it supports bidirectional translation between English and Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian, with one language pair active per meeting.

Google Vids makes three features (Read-along teleprompter, Transcript trim, Styled captions) available to all users.

To help more users create professional-quality content, Google Vids is expanding access to three key features for all users, regardless of their Workspace edition. These features include the Read-along teleprompter, which allows users to read from an auto-scrolling script; Transcript trim, for editing videos by deleting words or silences from the transcript; and Styled captions, which offers various visual styles for captions to enhance accessibility and engagement. This change extends these features to users on promotional Workspace editions, Frontline, Education Fundamentals, Workspace Individual subscribers, and personal Google accounts.