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Google Workspace Updates

This official feed from the Google Workspace team provides essential information about new features and improvements for Google Workspace customers.

  • Ask Gemini in Google Meet is expanding to Workspace Business Standard customers, additional languages, and mobile usage

    In September 2025, we launched Ask Gemini in Meet, which brings the power of Gemini into your organization’s meetings. Today, we’re excited to announce we’re making the feature more broadly available to:

    • Workspace Business Standard customers- Ask Gemini in Meet is currently available to Enterprise customers, and starting in late January, the experience will become available to Business Standard domains as well.
    • An additional seven languages - Ask Gemini in Meet is currently available in English only. Beginning in early February, it will become available in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. The feature supports one language at a time; multiple languages spoken in the same meeting aren't currently supported. More languages will become available in the future.
    • Users on mobile - Also starting in February, Ask Gemini in Meet will become available on the Google Meet mobile app. To access it, tap on the Gemini icon in the top right corner during a meeting.
    As a reminder, you use Ask Gemini in Meet to:

    • Get a quick brief on the goals and topics for the meeting you’re in
    • List key takeaways, decisions, and action items mentioned in the meeting
    • Catch up on what you missed if you joined late (as long as Take Notes for Me was enabled)

    Getting started

    Rollout pace

    • Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains
      • Expansion to Business Standard: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 26, 2026
      • Additional seven languages: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 2, 2026
      • Meet mobile app: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 9, 2026

  • Granular OAuth consent in Google Chat apps

    What’s changing

    We recently announced that Chat apps built as Google Workspace add-ons using Apps Script would begin supporting a more granular OAuth consent screen this month. OAuth consent is needed by an app when the app is accessing user data or performing actions on a user’s behalf. With this new feature, users can now choose the specific data that the app can access.

    Building on the previous update, we’re introducing this granular OAuth consent for all types of Chat apps using Apps Script, not just those built as Workspace add-ons, starting on January 20, 2026. Please refer to our developer documentation for more details.


    A user can now choose the specific data that the app is allowed to access.

    Getting started

    • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
    • Developers and end users: This new consent screen will only be used for new OAuth scope grants. Pre-existing scope grants will not be affected, so no action is required by users on Chat apps they’ve already authorized. Developers should review the developer documentation to learn how to handle granular consent for Google Chat apps.

    Rollout pace

    Availability

    • All Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts can use Chat apps
    • All Google Workspace customers can develop Chat apps

  • View Google Meet usage metrics in Gemini reports dashboard

    Admins can now access usage metrics for Google Meet within the organization-level Gemini reports dashboard, in the “Gemini usage per interaction” section. This update gives you visibility into the value your organization derives from Gemini in Meet.

    Specifically, the reported metrics include:

    • Usage: The number of times where Gemini was actively used in meetings, such as usage for features like “Take notes for me” or “Ask Gemini in Meet”
    • Users: The number of unique users who actively used Gemini in meetings
    Visit the Help Center for more information on active usage.


    This update also ensures greater accuracy in active usage metrics for Google Meet. Given this, you may see updated metrics reported for 28D active users and overall usage of Meet. 

    Getting started

    • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Gemini reports.
    • End users: There is no end user impact or action required.

    Rollout pace

    Availability

    Available for Google Workspace:

    • Business Starter, Standard, and Plus
    • Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus
    • Essentials Starter, Enterprise Essentials, and Enterprise Essentials Plus
    • Frontline Starter, Standard, Plus
    • Individual
    Also available to: 

    • Google AI Pro and Ultra
    • Google AI Ultra for Business add-on
    • Google AI Pro for Education add-on

  • Forward messages in Google Chat

    To make it easier to share information across different conversations, we’re introducing the ability to forward messages in Google Chat. This new feature  eliminates the need for manual workarounds such as  copying and pasting text or sharing screenshots.

    This feature helps improve team collaboration through: 

    • Simplified sharing: Users can quickly share information between various direct messages and spaces, without clunky workflows.
    • Context preservation: Forwarded messages display the original sender, source, and any attachments instantly; recipients can view this content even if they are not members of the original conversation.
    • Enhanced visibility: Messages forwarded from a thread can be moved into the main conversation stream, ensuring they get necessary attention.

    At this time, users cannot forward messages

    • From entirely internal conversations to conversations that include users from other organizations, and
    • From conversations that include users from external organizations to other conversations that include users from external organizations
    Users can, however, forward messages from conversations with people outside their organization to conversations entirely with people inside their organization.
    Note that when users forward a message from a DM or group DM, a reminder to protect sensitive information will appear.

    Getting started

    • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
    • End users: To forward a message, select "Forward message" from the message action list and choose your target conversation. Visit the Help Center to learn more about message forwarding in Chat.

    Rollout pace

    Availability

    • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

    Resources

    • Google Help: Forward a message in Google Chat

  • Increasing flexibility when rebooting Google Meet hardware with "Reboot when idle"

    What’s changing

    We’re introducing more flexible control for administrators to reboot Google Meet hardware devices from the Admin console.

    Previously, admins could only trigger an immediate reboot, which required careful timing to avoid disrupting ongoing meetings or device activity. Going forward, we are adding a “Reboot when idle” option. This feature gives admins the ability to reboot devices without worrying about interrupting users, as the system intelligently waits for the device to become inactive before initiating the restart.

    The device is considered “in use” if it is:

    • Connected to a Google Meet, interoperability, or livestream call.
    • Presenting content via HDMI.
    • Engaged in an add-on activity (e.g., a whiteboard session).
    Admins will now see two options when initiating a reboot:

    • Reboot when the device becomes idle: Queues the reboot to occur only when all user activity has ceased.
    • Reboot now, even if the device is in use: Forces an immediate reboot, overriding current activities.

    Admins can now choose to wait for device inactivity before rebooting.

    Getting started

    Rollout pace

    Availability

    • Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices

    Resources

  • Neat now a certified Google Meet hardware partner

    Google Meet is committed to helping organizations bridge the gap between distributed teams with hardware that is easy to deploy, manage, and use. Today, we’re excited to announce that Neat has joined the Google Meet hardware ecosystem as a certified partner, bringing more variety and specialized video conferencing technology to Google Workspace customers. Newly certified devices include:

    • Neat Bar Generation 2: A compact, all-in-one device optimized for huddle spaces and small to medium rooms
    • Neat Bar Pro: A high-performance solution for larger spaces, supporting multiple screens and advanced zoom capabilities
    • Neat Pad: A dedicated touch screen that serves as both a meeting controller and a room scheduling display
    This new partnership expands our portfolio of certified devices, ensuring that IT teams have the flexibility to choose the hardware that best fits their unique office layouts while maintaining the native Google Meet experience users expect.

    Getting started

    • Admins: Administrators do not need to take any action. If a Neat Bar Generation 2, Neat Bar Pro, or Neat Pad have been set up, it will automatically appear as a supported device within the admin console. Furthermore, these Neat devices will provide the same level of telemetry data as other AOSP-certified hardware.

    Rollout pace

    Availability

    • Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices. Neat devices certified for Google Meet are available for purchase through Neat’s global sales channels and authorized resellers.

    Resources

  • Automatic addition of owned secondary calendars to your calendar list

    Following our recent announcement regarding the improvements on secondary calendar management with dedicated owners, all secondary calendars you own will consistently be displayed in your calendar list in Google Calendar. Your calendar list is visible in your Calendar settings page. This change ensures that owners always have direct access to manage the settings, sharing permissions, and lifecycle of the calendars they are responsible for. 

    Additional details

    Owners can always access and manage their calendars through the Settings page, with the flexibility to pin them to their main view by selecting “Show in calendar list.” If you no longer wish to manage a specific calendar, you have the option to either delete it permanently for all subscribers or transfer ownership to someone else—allowing you to unsubscribe while ensuring the calendar remains active for the rest of the team.

    To ensure a reliable product experience, we recommend limiting ownership to a maximum of 100 calendars per user. For accounts currently exceeding this threshold, calendars will be added to their list gradually to ensure stability and a smooth transition. For such cases we highly encourage you to review the calendar list and either delete or transfer any calendars beyond the 100-calendar limit.

    If you use Apple Calendar to manage your Google Calendar, owned calendars may not sync automatically. To ensure they appear in your list, you can manually select and enable synchronization for specific calendars on this page.

    Getting started

    • Admins: No action is required. This update will apply by default to all users.
    • End users: Users will see any previously missing owned calendars appear in their Calendar settings list starting on the dates listed below. For more information on managing these calendars, visit the Help Center. If you use Google Calendar with Apple Calendar, manage your sync preferences at calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect.

    Rollout pace

    • Users with personal Google accounts: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 19, 2026
    • Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on January 27, 2026

    Availability

    • Impacts all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts

  • Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - January 16, 2026

    A summary of announcements from the last week:

    The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog over the last week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

    Set Google Forms to automatically stop accepting responses based on date and time or response count

    Last year, we introduced a feature that gives Google Forms creators more control over who can respond to their forms via sharing settings. We are now improving how you can choose to manage responses in Google Forms by enabling you to set a close date or response limit for new responses. | Learn more about setting Google Forms to automatically stop accepting responses based on date and time or response count.  

    Ingredients to Video in Veo 3.1 now supports portrait-sized clips in Google Vids

    Today we’re announcing improvements to Veo 3.1 that allow you to generate portrait-sized clips with faster pace and engaging shots, all while delivering realistic audio and maintaining consistency of objects, characters, and backgrounds. | Learn more about Ingredients to Video in Veo 3.1. It now supports portrait-sized clips in Google Vids.

    Automatic room check-in for Google Meet available on mobile devices

    Mobile Companion Mode now supports automatic room check-in. Using ultrasound detection, your device pairs with room hardware to join meetings instantly, streamlining the process. | Learn more about Automatic room check-in for Google Meet available on mobile devices.

    SecOps data connector now available for Google Workspace for Education Plus and Standard

    We’re expanding the availability of the Google Workspace SecOps data connector to customers using Google Workspace for Education Plus and Education Standard. This feature was previously only available for our Enterprise customers. | Learn more about the SecOps data connector, now available for Google Workspace for Education Plus and Standard.

    Editing password-protected Microsoft Office files directly in Google Drive

    We're excited to announce a major improvement to Microsoft Office interoperability in Google Workspace: you can now edit Microsoft Office files that are password-protected, directly within Docs, Sheets, and Slides. | Learn more about editing password-protected Microsoft Office files directly in Google Drive.

  • Flow now available as an additional Google service for Workspace customers

    Flow is an AI-powered filmmaking tool built with and for creatives, allowing users to transform simple ideas into high-definition videos in minutes. Today, we’re announcing that Flow is now available as an additional Google service with granular admin controls. This ensures admins can enable the right users to benefit from Flow’s capabilities while managing data and access according to their organization’s needs.

    With Flow, users can:

    • Transform ideas into video: Turn natural language prompts into beautiful images and cinematic scenes that tell a cohesive story.
    • Create seamlessly: Produce images, clips, scenes, and stories using Google’s most capable generative AI models like Veo 3.1 and Nano Banana Pro.
    • Accelerate production: Move from a simple concept to a high-definition video in minutes.
    • Bring curriculum to life: Educators and students can transform complex subjects—like historical events, scientific processes, or literature summaries—into engaging videos using simple text prompts, making abstract concepts easier to visualize and understand.

    Getting started

    Rollout pace

    Availability

    Available for Google Workspace:

    • Business Starter, Standard, and Plus
    • Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus
    • Education Standard and Plus
    Also available to: 

    • Google AI Ultra for Business add-on
    • Google AI Pro for Education add-on

    Resources

  • Editing password-protected Microsoft Office files directly in Google Drive

    We're excited to announce a major improvement to Microsoft Office interoperability in Google Workspace: you can now edit Microsoft Office files that are password-protected, directly within Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

    When a user attempts to open a protected file in Drive, they will be prompted to enter the password with the option to View or Edit. Selecting “Preview” opens the document in read-only Preview mode without removing the password. New with this launch is the option to Edit, which will open the file for editing in Docs/Sheets/Slides and remove the password from the file.


    A user opening a password protected Microsoft Office file in Google Drive

    This enables better interoperability between Workspace and Microsoft, allowing users for the first time to edit password protected files directly in Drive. Prior to this, users would have to download and rely on third party applications to remove passwords or edit password protected Microsoft files.

    Getting started

    Rollout pace

    • Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1–4 days for feature visibility) starting on January 13, 2026, and ending on January 16, 2026
    • Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on January 19, 2026, and ending January 21, 2026

    Availability

    • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

    Resources