Google Workspace Changes

Google Sheets now preserves grouped pivot table fields as reusable source fields and improves Excel interoperability.

Google Sheets now supports grouped field persistence for pivot tables. When you create custom groupings or work with grouped date, time, or numeric fields, these fields are retained directly in the pivot table editor sidebar as reusable source fields, allowing you to unassign them from your active table layout without losing their underlying configuration, making it easy to re-add or modify them at any time. Additionally, this update improves interoperability with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) files by preserving grouped field configurations when importing/exporting spreadsheet files, eliminating the need to manually recreate groupings.

Users can now start, stop, and manage the 'Take notes for me' feature directly from Google Meet hardware touch controllers.

Starting August 31, 2026, Google Meet hardware touch controllers will gain direct controls for the Gemini-powered 'Take notes for me' feature, allowing in-room participants to start, stop, and pause note-taking via a dedicated badge on the touchscreen without needing Companion mode. The rollout begins with Early Preview devices on August 31, followed by Rapid and Scheduled Release domains on September 8, with visibility expanding over up to 15 days. The feature is available for Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Standard/Plus, Google AI Plus/Pro/Ultra, Frontline Plus, and Google AI Pro for Education add-ons, provided the organization has 'Take notes for me' enabled and the hardware license supports it.

Data import for Microsoft Teams is now generally available, allowing admins to migrate chat data from Teams to Google Workspace at zero tool cost.

The update introduces general availability of data import for Microsoft Teams, enabling admins to copy channel messages, group chats, and direct conversations from Teams to Workspace via a turnkey, scalable cloud-native solution accessible from the admin console, with faster migration speeds, no additional costs, and high fidelity import of both channels and private chats.

General availability of Google Workspace data import (advanced mode) for seamless, high-fidelity migrations from Microsoft OneDrive.

Google Workspace data import (advanced mode) is now generally available, allowing IT teams to import large volumes of files and permissions from Microsoft OneDrive directly via the admin console. The service supports concurrent batches, automatically adjusts speed to match Microsoft licensing tiers, and offers faster migration through parallelization and improved algorithms, all at no additional cost.

Space owners and managers can now restrict who can view the member list in Google Chat spaces.

Google Chat introduces a new 'View members' setting for space owners and managers, allowing them to control who can see the full member list with four permission levels: Owners only, Owners & managers, All members (default), or Entire organization. This enhances privacy for sensitive, large-scale, or external collaboration spaces, similar to Google Groups membership controls. Regardless of the setting, users can always see the name and profile of anyone who sends a message in the space. No admin control is required; end users adjust the setting via Space Settings > Membership > View Members. The feature rolls out gradually over up to 15 days starting August 24, 2026, for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains and is available to all Google Workspace customers.

Refreshed user interface for Google Meet hardware touch controllers on Neat and Poly devices.

Google Meet hardware touch controllers on Neat Pad and Poly TC8 devices receive a refreshed UI that simplifies access to key controls like mute and hand raise, organizes features under a 'More actions' menu, updates pre-call and in-meeting experiences, and aligns the look with the Google Meet UI on laptops and desktops. The update rolls out to Early Preview devices starting August 26, 2026, and to Rapid and Scheduled Release domains starting September 2, 2026.

Google Slides adds a Record option powered by Google Vids for easy presentation recording with transcript-based editing and voiceover generation.

We are introducing a seamless way to record presentations in Google Slides using Google Vids directly from the Slides interface. A new Record option appears in the right-hand menu, guiding users through a streamlined workflow that outputs an immediately shareable link. The integration offers advanced creation capabilities such as transcript-based editing and voiceover generation, turning slide decks into polished video assets quickly. Existing Slides recording experience remains available via View > Slides Recording during the transition.

Granular space creation restrictions now available in Google Chat, letting admins block specific users/groups from creating spaces while preserving 1:1 DM and group DM creation.

Google Chat introduces a new admin setting that replaces the previous all-or-nothing creation restriction with three granular levels: no restrictions, restrict space creation only, or restrict all creation (DMs, gDMs, and spaces). Administrators can apply these settings at the domain, OU, or group level to manage space creation through approval workflows without disrupting everyday direct messaging. The feature began rolling out on August 14, 2026 for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains, with visibility expected within up to 15 days.

Introduces Room Display mode, a dual‑window view for Google Meet that splits the meeting interface between a shared display and a personal laptop controller.

Room Display mode launches in beta for Google Meet on the web, automatically splitting the meeting interface into a Shared View for external displays (showing remote participant video and presentations edge‑to‑edge) and a Personal View on the laptop that acts as a private control center with meeting controls, participant roster, chat, and Ask Gemini panel. It works with Chromium‑based browsers when the laptop is connected to an external display in Extended mode, requires no admin controls, and is rolling out gradually over up to 15 days starting August 19, 2026 for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains across Business, Enterprise, Frontline, Essentials, and Nonprofits editions.

Ask Gemini in Google Chat launches as a unified command line for searching Workspace data, creating content, managing tasks, and more, replacing the Gemini side panel.

Starting August 26, 2026, Google Workspace introduces Ask Gemini in Chat, a unified command line powered by Workspace Intelligence that lets users search across Gmail, Drive, Calendar, generate images, draft updates, catch up on conversations, schedule meetings, manage tasks, and organize work via individual sessions. The feature replaces the Gemini side panel in Chat (and Gems access there), with conversation history exportable via Data Export or Google Takeout. Initially available to English-language accounts, with rapid and scheduled release domains seeing a gradual rollout over up to 15 days, and promotional higher usage limits through October 1, 2026.

Google Calendar now lets users block individuals to remove current event invites and stop future invitations, with the block applied across all Google products.

Starting August 18, 2026, Google Workspace users can block a person directly in Google Calendar; doing so automatically deletes any existing event invitation from that user and prevents new Calendar invites. The blocked user is added to the account‑wide blocklist, so interactions are also blocked in other supported Google apps (e.g., Gmail, Drive). If the user was already blocked elsewhere, their Calendar invites are blocked as well. For non‑Google Calendar users, admins must use Gmail blocking. The feature rolls out gradually over up to 15 days for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains, with no admin controls required.

New admin controls allow administrators to define which invitation options are available to end users in Google Calendar.

This update expands Calendar settings in the Admin console, enabling admins to set invitation options (auto-add from everyone, known senders only, or after user responds) at the organizational unit or group level. It provides greater control over inbound event invitations from unknown senders and helps minimize potential security risks. End users can select their preferred option within the boundaries set by their administrator. The feature rolls out gradually over up to 15 days starting August 14, 2026, for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains.

Sheets canvas, a Gemini-powered feature, lets users create interactive, read-write visualizations in Google Sheets using natural language prompts.

Google Sheets canvas transforms spreadsheets into custom, interactive mini-apps via natural language prompts, enabling end-to-end creation, real-time read-write sync, flexible adjustments, and familiar sharing tools. It supports use cases like Kanban boards, dashboards, and whiteboards, and is rolling out to Rapid and Scheduled release domains starting August 10 and August 31, 2026 respectively.

Google Meet launches 'Take Notes for me' for in-person meetings, automatically generating notes, action items, and transcripts saved to Google Drive.

The new 'Take Notes for me' feature in Google Meet lets users start a note‑taking session from the Meet home screen on web or mobile. Gemini captures audio, creates a structured summary with action items and a full transcript, saves it as a Google Doc in Drive, and emails the link. The feature is rolling out to Rapid and Scheduled Release domains, beginning August 11, 2026 on Android, August 14 on web, and August 31 on iOS, and is available for Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Standard/Plus, Google AI Pro/Ultra, Frontline Plus, and Google AI Pro for Education add‑ons.

Users can create aliases for BigQuery column names directly within Connected Sheets for clearer presentation.

Connected Sheets now lets users assign friendly aliases to BigQuery column names, improving readability without altering the underlying database reference. Aliases can be used interchangeably with original column names in formulas and inputs, making reports easier to understand for broader audiences.