Google Workspace Changes

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.

Skills are rolling out in Google Workspace, letting users create and share reusable prompts while the Gems transition proceeds.

Skills begin rolling out in Workspace on October 5, 2026 for Rapid Release domains (completing October 12) and October 19, 2026 for Scheduled Release domains (completing by mid‑November). Skills work inline in chat threads, can be stacked, and are based on the SKILL.md standard. They will eventually replace Gems, with admins encouraged to prepare users using the provided migration guides.

Captions in Google Vids are now fully customizable, allowing changes to font, typography, position, and animation.

Google Vids introduces full caption customization, enabling users to adjust font, typography, screen placement, and animation effects to match their brand or video style. This update improves accessibility, enhances engagement for marketing and creator content, and ensures videos look polished and ready to share. The feature is available immediately for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains across various Business, Enterprise, Education, Consumer, and other editions.

Google Slides API now supports programmatic creation, reading, and replying to comments on slides and presentation elements.

Developers can use the Google Slides API to add, review, and reply to comments associated with individual slides and specific presentation elements, enabling automated comment workflows within presentations.

Google Sheets API now supports programmatic creation, reading, and replying to comments on individual cells.

Developers can use the Google Sheets API to add, review, and reply to comments attached to specific cells, allowing integration of internal review tools and project tracking systems with spreadsheet data.

Google Docs API now supports programmatic creation, reading, replying to comments and submitting suggested edits.

Developers can use the Google Docs API to programmatically add, review, and reply to comments, as well as submit proposed text changes as suggestions, enabling automated review tools and content pipelines to propose revisions without directly altering document content.

Google Vids now uses upgraded Gemini 3.8 Flash Lite TTS for more natural, expressive AI voiceovers.

The underlying text-to-speech engine powering AI voiceovers and avatar narration in Google Vids has been upgraded to the Gemini 3.8 Flash Lite TTS model, delivering superior naturalness and inflection with improved sentence flow, lifelike pacing, and context-aware emphasis, plus faster generation latency for real-time script iteration. The update is available now for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains across Business, Enterprise, Education, Consumer, and other editions.

Google Calendar now supports displaying up to three time zones on the web.

Users can configure a primary, secondary, and new tertiary time zone, each with custom labels, and view them side‑by‑side in the main calendar grid (Day, Week, Custom multi‑day views) and in the Find a Time view when scheduling events. The feature reduces scheduling friction for global teams and eliminates manual time conversions. Admins have no controls; end users can learn more in the Help Center. Rollout begins September 25, 2026 for Rapid Release domains (gradual over up to 15 days) and October 12, 2026 for Scheduled Release domains (full rollout within 1–3 days).

Beta launch lets users import PowerPoint files as client-side encrypted Slides for secure Microsoft Office interoperability.

Eligible Google Workspace customers can now import PowerPoint (.pptx) files as client-side encrypted (CSE) Slides, enabling secure interoperability with Microsoft Office. The files are encrypted on the client before import and converted to high-fidelity encrypted Slides, accessible via the CSE Office Interop beta program. Admins can sign up for the beta, and once accepted, the feature is turned on for users in their domains, with rollout beginning immediately on both Rapid and Scheduled release tracks.

Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash is now available in Google Vids, offering improved video extension quality, 1080p generation/upscaling, and precise duration control.

Starting September 23, 2026, Google Vids users can access Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash directly within the app. This update brings higher-quality video extension with better character and audio consistency, the ability to generate AI video scenes in full 1080p HD or upscale existing AI clips, and precise duration control to set exact clip lengths. The feature rolls out to both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains, with full visibility expected within 1–3 days. It is available across Business, Enterprise, Education, Consumer, and other Google Workspace editions, with expanded limits for AI Expanded Access add-on holders.

GA release of simplified IMAP email import for admins during Google Workspace setup.

Google Workspace admins can now import past emails from any IMAP-based email provider (e.g., Hostinger, Zoho, Yahoo!, iCloud) in just a few clicks while setting up Google Workspace. The feature reduces migration effort, consolidates emails into a secure location, runs in the background after domain verification and email activation, and is available for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains starting immediately.