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September 2024: Google Meet and Google Workspace Update Recap

From annotations on Google Meet Hardware to multi-monitor support in Slides and cover images in Docs, September was full of many Google Meet and Google Workspace updates.

Take a look at every new update below; or, jump to the application most relevant to you:

Google Meet Platform Updates

Google Meet Hardware

An image divided into two sections. On the left, there is a photograph of a meeting space with a Logitech Rally Bar Huddle mounted below a TV screen and a table with a meeting room touch controller on it. On the right, there is a product image of the Logitech Rally Bar Huddle and the Logitech Tap IP. Underneath the product image are the Logitech logo and the Google Meet logo.

In September, Logitech expanded its Android appliance mode for Google Meet to include support for the Rally Bar Huddle. This means the Rally Bar Huddle can run Google Meet natively without the need for additional hardware, offering a simplified setup and providing more flexibility in deploying Google Meet Hardware across your huddle and small meeting spaces. Logitech’s Google Meet appliance mode is also available on the Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini.

Smart switching also arrived in beta on the Logitech Sight this month, letting the tabletop conference camera work together with the Logitech Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini at the front of the meeting room to show a consistent, front-facing view of in-room participants.

💡 Note: although the Logitech Sight is not currently on the list of Google Meet Hardware-qualified peripherals, it is supported by Logitech for use in Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other setups.

Another update for meeting rooms brings annotations to touch-enabled Google Meet Hardware. This allows you to ✏ draw or add 🎉 emoji stickers, 🟩 shapes and ⬆ arrows directly onto presented content in a Google Meet call from the following meeting room devices: Acer Chromebase for meetings, Series One Desk 27 and Series One Board 65.

In addition, you will soon be able to preview and try out Google Meet Hardware features before release with a new setting rolling out in the Google Admin Panel. This is useful for being able to get familiar with new updates before they’re widely available in order to prepare internal training materials, test out the features and gather feedback.

Google also shared that, on 4th November, Voice Actions (the “Hey Google” commands) will be retired from all Google Meet Hardware. Until then, you can still launch the next scheduled meeting with the command “Hey Google, join the meeting”. On 4th November 2024, the functionality and related admin settings will be removed.

Android

A screenshot of a Google Meet call on a tablet or similar, larger-sized Android device. There are two video feeds of people: one, featuring a man with a neutral-coloured background, is overlaid on the right side of the display; the main video feed occupies the entire width and height of the display and shows a woman smiling. There are various Google Meet buttons and other UI elements around the edge of the display.

The video feed on Google Meet now extends to the edge of Android 📱 phones, tablets and large screen devices, eliminating previous margins. This maximises screen space for clearer communication and improved visibility. Additionally, the user interface features streamlined meeting controls and the meeting title is prominently displayed, making it easier to see essential details.

Dual-screen mode was also introduced on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. This feature allows you to use both the front and inner cameras and both screens at the same time during a Google Meet call. It opens up new possibilities for being able to show both yourself and your surroundings at the same time, or having multiple people sitting around the phone all being able to see the other participants either on the internal or external screen.

Developers

A short video of a Google Meet call. On the right-hand side of the call, there are eight people’s video feeds. On the left-hand side of the screen, Miro is open and is showing an active whiteboarding session. Multiple transparent boxes with white borders appear over the whiteboard content, showing users that they can interact with the whiteboard from within their call.

For developers, the Google Meet Adds-on SDK is now generally available on the web. This allows developers to integrate their apps within Google Meet so users can directly interact with content from those platforms during meetings.

In the same week, the TeamViewer add-on for Google Meet was released. If your organisation uses TeamViewer for remote support, the add-on allows you to access the application within the Google Meet window and saves you from switching between different tabs.

Google Workspace Platform Updates

Google Drive

A short video of a user in the Google Drive homepage view. There are two sections, “Suggested folders” and “Suggested files”, each displaying a list of content most relevant to the user. The user clicks the “View more” button next to the “Suggested folders” section to expand it and reveal eight additional folders.

File and folder suggestions are now displayed on a single page in the Google Drive 🏠 homepage view to provide faster and more efficient access to your most relevant content. This replaces the previous toggle that required switching between separate views.

Registration opened for a new beta feature that allows you to restrict access to specific 📁 folders in a 👥 shared drive. With this feature, you can keep sensitive information in the same location as other project files and folders whilst ensuring only the right people can open those folders.

Google Docs

A short video showing a document in Google Docs. In the document, the user selects “Insert”, then “Cover Images” and then “Choose from stock images”. On the right-hand side of the screen, a window pops up with all of the stock images available. The user selects an image which is then inserted into the document as a full-width cover image at the top of the page.

Google Docs saw the introduction of cover images, letting you add a full-width image to the top of any document in ♾ pageless mode. You can either pick from a gallery of images curated by Google or upload your own image to add a personal touch. This can help set apart your document, whether it be a client proposal, an employee handbook or digital product catalogue.

Google Sheets

In mid-September, several enhancements were introduced to the Google Sheets table feature. The first set of enhancements enables you to insert blank, pre-formatted tables from the sidebar, reference tables (or parts of tables) with the “IMPORTRANGE” function and quickly convert a range into a table using keyboard shortcuts.

A short video of a user in Google Sheets. There is a table in the spreadsheet, and the user hovers over the lightning icon and the text “Create a new conditional notification” appears. Once the user has selected this, a side panel is displayed where conditional notification rules can be added to detect any changes in the table, in addition to selecting email notifications and recipients. The user configures their rule and clicks save.

The second enhancement integrates conditional 🔔 notifications with tables. This allows you to set up and receive email notifications based on changes made within a table, saving you from constantly checking the spreadsheet for updates.

The third enhancement lets you generate structured tables with Gemini. This helps you automatically organise your data by adding proper formatting and column headers when you choose to insert a table from the side panel. Previously, Gemini would insert data as plain text.

Connected Sheets for Looker also received an upgrade. You can now directly link Connected Sheets to existing Looker queries, including saved “Looks”, to streamline workflows and eliminate the need to start from scratch in Google Sheets.

Google Slides

A short video of a presentation open in Google Slides. The user clicks on “Slideshow” in the right-hand side corner of the screen and a dropdown menu appears. The user then clicks on “Presentation display options” and a page appears with all of the options available. The user then chooses which screen will display the slides versus which screen will have their presentation tools, such as speaker notes and their timer, before launching the presentation.

Multi-monitor support started rolling out in Google Slides, letting you keep tools like your speaker 🗒 notes and ⏱️ timer on one screen whilst you show your audience the slides on the other screen or projector. Using two screens reduces distractions for the audience and ensures you can focus on the contents of your presentation.

Google Chat

A screenshot of the new “Shared” tab in a Google Chat space called “Cymbal Core Team”. The shared content is divided into three sections: “Files”, “Links” and “Media”. There is also a dropdown on the right-hand side of the tab that enables sorting by category or date shared.

The shared tab in Google Chat, which was originally available for spaces, has now been expanded to all conversation types. The shared tab is a hub for keeping track of all 📁 files, 🖇 links and 📸 media sent during conversations and makes it much easier to retrieve content without looking through previous messages.

Developers and admins can now use the Google Chat API to manage spaces at scale. These capabilities, originally introduced in Developer Preview in May and now generally available, allow for tasks such as adding or removing members, deleting inactive spaces and more. In more Google Chat API news, developers can now use the API to create announcement-only spaces.

Gmail

Gmail gained support for Common Mark Certificates (CMC), making it easier for you to display your company logo through BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) when sending emails. In the same update, Google also shared that verified ✅ checkmarks are launching in the Gmail app for 📱 Android and 🍏 iOS.

Smart Reply in Gmail also received a Gemini upgrade, offering more detailed and contextual responses when you have Gemini. When replying to an email, Gemini will suggest several longer-form responses based on the entire email thread rather than just three quick options based on the most recent message.

Google Calendar

A screenshot of Google Calendar. A page is open displaying various Calendar events that the user has that week.

Google Calendar schedules and events which you embed on websites are being updated with a new design and more accessibility features. The new look is in line with Google Material Design 3 and includes support for screen readers and keyboard shortcuts, better spacing and a responsive layout.

The ability to create and modify 🎂 birthday events in Google Calendar was also introduced for Android devices. Previously, birthday details were automatically imported from Google Contacts but now you can create birthday events directly from your mobile phone in Calendar.

Google Calendar on Android and iOS is introducing new illustrations for events that you schedule in your calendar like coffee, lunch or doctor appointments. Additionally, the background images that you see in the schedule view from your device will now feature updated monthly designs.

Gemini

When you ask fact-seeking questions in the standalone ✨ Gemini ✨ experience, Gemini now references its sources and links to related sources, including ✉ emails. This lets you corroborate the information provided in the response.

💡 Note: emails will only be referenced when you’ve got a Gemini for Workspace licence and have enabled Google Workspace extensions in Gemini.

A short video of NotebookLM demonstrating how sources can be uploaded and analysed. The first screen displays an “upload sources” box with various options for uploading content. The user uploads three documents and a text box appears with the question, “What would you like to know?” The user types in “What were main concerns from July meeting?” The three sources are analysed and a bullet point list appears, summarising the main concerns. The user then clicks on the pin button on the right-hand corner of the answer and the response is saved.

Google also announced that its experimental, AI-powered assistant, NotebookLM, is now available to Google Workspace accounts for the first time. In over 100 languages, NotebookLM can generate summaries and provide insights based on documents that you upload, including Google Docs, PDFs, text and more.

It will now be easier to see if you have access to additional, advanced features in the standalone Gemini experience with new “Gemini Advanced” branding. Additional Gemini features available if your organisation has the Gemini add-ons include access to 💎 Gems, 🧩 extensions for Google Workspace and uploading 📂 files directly from Google Drive.

Google Admin Panel

The Carbon 👣 Footprint report in the Google Admin panel now provides hourly emissions data through the new ⚡ Electricity Maps integration. This helps admins monitor and analyse the environmental impact of their organisation's GoogleWorkspace usage more precisely.

Gemini reports have also been expanded, offering admins more insight into how their users are interacting with Gemini. The updated report now includes information on both user-level usage and app activity over the last 28 days, with the option to export the data for more 🔎 detailed analysis.

To streamline the migration of unmanaged accounts to Google Workspace accounts, the Google Cloud Directly Sync now automatically follows the settings configured in the Google Admin panel for handling conflicting accounts.

Towards the end of September, Google introduced a new tool called “Security Advisor” to help protect you against cyber attacks. Particularly aimed at small businesses that may lack the time and expertise, it aims to provide tailored security insights and actionable guidance to adopt a better security posture.

Google Workspace Marketplace

Developers who publish to the Google Workspace Marketplace can now save revisions to their listings as drafts, allowing them to preview changes and gather feedback before publishing.

Stay Tuned for October's Updates

Tune in next month for a closer look at October’s Google Meet and Workspace platform updates. In the meantime, stay up-to-date on the latest features and developments by following us on LinkedIn and subscribing to the monthly Gecko newsletter.

Need to catch up on August’s updates? Read our dedicated recap here.

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