Google Workspace Changes

Improvements to G Suite launch announcement structure.

Google is adding more structured information to its launch announcements to help G Suite admins better digest and communicate updates to their users. Future announcements will now include specific details regarding the release track, eligible editions, rollout pace, impact, and recommended admin actions.

Introduction of iOS Account Wipe (Selective Wipe) for corporate data.

Google Apps admins can now use iOS Account Wipe (Selective Wipe) to safely delete an employee's corporate account and data from an iPhone or iPad without affecting the employee's personal data, such as photos. This is distinct from the existing Remote Wipe functionality which wipes the entire device.

Launch of Password Alert Chrome extension to protect accounts from phishing.

Google has launched Password Alert, an open-source Chrome extension that protects Google and Google Apps accounts from phishing attacks by notifying users via email if they enter their password into a non-authentic Google sign-in page. Google Apps admins can also deploy an App Engine App to audit these events, receive notifications, and force password changes for affected employees.

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.

Introduction of Delivery Manager for managing email routing and filtering.

Google Apps administrators can now use a new feature called Delivery Manager in the administrator control panel to manage routing and basic filtering of email to on-premise systems as well as email to Google Apps users. This update is part of the integration of Postini and Google Apps.

Automated domain verification for GoDaddy and eNom customers.

Google has launched a simplified, automated domain verification solution in collaboration with GoDaddy and eNom. Users who purchase their domains through these registrars can now verify ownership through a guided process, removing the requirement to manually update DNS records.

New Google bar look rolling out to all Google Apps users.

Starting June 11, 2012, a new Google bar design will be available for all Google Apps users. The updated bar features links to core services at the top level and a 'More' drop-down menu for additional services. Google Search, Images, and Mobile will always be visible, and the layout dynamically adjusts as services are turned off.

Introduction of Google Apps Password Sync for Active Directory.

Google Apps Password Sync for Active Directory allows administrators to synchronize user passwords from Active Directory to Google Apps in real-time as they are changed. The tool ensures security by transmitting passwords in a hashed and encrypted format without storing them externally, and it is designed for quick installation on servers.

IPv6 will be permanently enabled on June 6, 2012.

Google will permanently enable IPv6 on June 6, 2012, at 12am UTC. Customers utilizing SSO IP Whitelists with IPv6 capable equipment are advised to ensure that their whitelist configurations include their IPv6 network segments to prevent any service disruptions.

Rollout of the new Google bar to all Google Apps users.

Google is rolling out the new Google bar to all Google Apps users in two phases. Starting April 9, 2012, users in organizations with Google+ enabled will see the bar on Google+ pages. Starting April 16, 2012, the bar will be visible to all users across all Google services, including Gmail and Google Calendar.

New Google bar look rolling out to all Google Apps users.

Starting Monday, April 9, 2012, a new design for the Google bar will be rolled out to all Google Apps users. The updated interface features links to services at the top level and a 'More' drop-down list for additional services. While administrators can still disable specific services via the control panel, certain services like Google Search and Images will always remain visible.

Discontinuing support for mobile browsers that don't support authentication cookies

Beginning May 1, 2012, Google will end support for older generation mobile browsers that cannot use authentication cookies for signing into Google services. This update primarily affects a small percentage of older mobile browsers, mainly in Japan. Users with unsupported browsers will see an alert when attempting to sign in and are encouraged to use compatible devices to access services like Gmail and Google Calendar.

Several administrative APIs are now available to all Google Apps editions.

Google has expanded access to several administrative APIs—including the Admin Audit API, Admin Settings API, SAML Single-Sign On, and the Reporting API—to all Google Apps editions. Previously limited to Business and Education customers, these APIs allow administrators to perform bulk changes to users and settings, retrieve usage statistics and storage quotas, and manage group memberships across their domain.

Version 3.1.3 of the Google Apps Migration for Lotus Notes tool is now available with the following improvements.

Version 3.1.3 of the Google Apps Migration for Lotus Notes tool is now available with the following improvements: - Empty folders in Notes are now created as labels in Apps. - Calendar migration performance is improved (as much as 50% faster in R3.1.3).

Google Apps administrators now have access to audit logs of the control panel to view details of administrative changes that have been made to their domain.

Google Apps administrators now have access to audit logs of the control panel to view details of administrative changes that have been made to their domain.