Throughout September 2026, Google introduced many new features and updates across Google Workspace and Google Meet. Key highlights include the addition of 🔀 native interoperability between Microsoft Teams and Google Meet on Android-based meeting room devices, wider availability of several features, including AI overviews in ✉️ Gmail and automatic room check-in for 📹 Google Meet, as well as expanded administrator controls for 🔒 security and 🛡️ data protection.
Continue reading to uncover what else is new; or, jump directly to the application that interests you most.
Google Meet
On the first day of September, the co-presentation feature in 📹 Google Meet was updated, enabling Gemini to detect trigger phrases that indicate instances where a presenter may want to delegate 🕹️ co-presentation controls to a fellow speaker. This includes phrases such as 🗣️ “Can you add me as a co-presenter?” or “Next slide, please”. If detected, as the meeting host you will see a 🖱️ single-click prompt to add the current speaker as a co-presenter for your Google Slides deck. This lets them advance their own slides as well as open embedded links and view speaker notes.
On the next day, native interoperability between Microsoft Teams and Google Meet began rolling out to all Android-based Google Meet Hardware and Microsoft Team Rooms in early preview. The ability to join 📞 Microsoft Teams calls on ChromeOS-based Google Meet Hardware and Google Meet calls on Windows-based Microsoft Teams Rooms was already available. The expansion of this capability to Android-based devices means that you can now conduct 🔀 cross-platform meetings from all Google Meet spaces, regardless of your meeting room setup and without needing any additional third-party software or hardware. (The feature rolled out to everyone in early October.)
A little later in the month, two Google Meet check-in features transitioned from Early Preview to general availability. First was automatic room check-in for Google Meet on 📱 iOS and Android; similar to the experience on a laptop, it means that the microphone in your mobile device can also pick up the 🔊 ultrasound signal from Google Meet Hardware in the room, enabling easy check-in to the room and joining the call in 👥 companion mode on your mobile device.
Secondly, Google Meet’s “Connect with room code” feature ➡️ moved out of Early Preview, enabling even more people to join and start Google Meet calls on Google Meet Hardware directly from a 💻 laptop by typing in a 🔢 five-character room code. Once connected, the hardware in the room automatically joins the call and your laptop ✅ checks in with companion mode.
To improve 🏢 in-office navigation and reduce pre-meeting friction, the Google Meet homepage on the 🌐 web now displays physical meeting locations and conference room names directly on upcoming meeting cards. It features intelligent room prioritisation for multi-room events using your Google Calendar working location (surfacing the room that’s most likely to be relevant to you) as well as 🔗 direct links to building wayfinding maps for internal rooms and to Google Maps for 📍 street addresses.
In the last week of September, Google updated ✍️ “Take notes for me” in Google Meet to include Quick notes – a new high-level overview for the Gemini-generated 📝 meeting notes and post-meeting ✉️ email, highlighting the essential ✅ action items, 🤔 outcomes and 🗣️ talking points discussed during a call. Quick notes is now the new default summary both in the document and your email inbox, enabling you to quickly extract and absorb all of the key meeting information. The full meeting notes are still available on the second tab in the generated Google Docs file.
On 29th September, Google began enforcing the updated “Take notes for me” admin and end-user settings – a configuration that triggers the Gemini notetaking feature to automatically capture notes for meetings with three or more participants. When enabled, it means that Gemini will always automatically capture 📝 notes, ❓ decisions and 👣 next steps anytime your meeting includes three or more people. Admins can configure the settings from the Google admin panel and end-users are able to override the default notetaking settings within their personal Google Meet preferences.
💡 Note: whether this setting will be on by default varies by your Google Workspace tier. It’s recommended that admins and users alike review the settings.
To help keep 📈 track of room usage rates across your Google Meet Hardware, support for 👥 room occupancy counting began expanding to Logitech’s Android-based devices at the end of the month. This update enables you to 📊 track and 🕵️ review how your meeting rooms are being used directly within the 🧑💻 Google admin panel, alongside all of your ChromeOS-based systems. Occupancy room data for Android devices will initially be available from Logitech Rally Board 65 with support for additional Logitech devices coming later. From the dashboard you can see room data metrics such as the total number of bookings, occupancy rate and average time spent in a room.
Google Workspace
Google Chat, Gmail, Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets (Cross-app integrations)
Last month, the ability to set custom instructions for ✨ Gemini was expanded across multiple more Google Workspace apps. Initially launched only to 📄 Google Docs, the capability is now available for Ask Gemini in 💬 Google Chat and 🗃️ Google Drive as well as the Gemini side panel in 📈 Google Sheets, 🖼️ Google Slides and ✉️ Gmail. This means that you can save time on prompts when leveraging Gemini for assistance by not repeating common instructions, such as tone or the expected format of responses.
Gemini’s capabilities within the side panel of multiple Google Workspace apps continued to expand throughout September, enabling greater flexibility and deeper 🔀 cross-app integrations between Workspace apps, as well as support for even more third-party apps using Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations. This means that you can leverage Gemini in the side panel to complete a greater variety of tasks without having to continuously switch apps. For example, you can now create presentations from within Google Sheets or have Gemini retrieve third-party information from inside Google Docs. The newly-supported third-party connector applications with which Gemini in Workspace can now integrate include Asana, HubSpot, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Salesforce and more.
💡 Note: cross-app Workspace tasks are currently supported in English only.
Google Chat
In the second week of September, a new draft feature was introduced to 💬 Google Chat. It automatically saves all unsent 🚀 space, 👤 direct and 👥 group messages as drafts within the ✍️ conversation compose box and new 📄 drafts shortcut, helping to minimise the fear of accidentally losing an unfinished message. Saved drafts will be synchronised across your devices, enabling you to start a message on 💻 one device and finish it on 📱 another if needed. All unsent messages are saved even if you close the Chat tab, exit the app or restart your device and will be retained in Google Chat for up to 📅 30 days.
Near the end of the month, a new Confluence integration was made available within the existing Atlassian add-on. It enables you to use the Confluence app to bring 📄 page updates and documentation management directly into your direct messages. You’ll see 🔗 rich link previews and get 🔔 real-time notifications for personal and shared Confluence pages without having to switch apps.
Gmail
Throughout September, Google continued to roll out 📝 AI Overviews in ✉️ Gmail to more people, expanding the feature to everyone who has their preferred language set to English. AI Overviews enable you to ask Gemini questions, using natural language, directly within the 🔎 search bar about anything within your emails. Gemini will 🕵️ scan your inbox, extract relevant details and generate a summary with the answer alongside regular search results so that you don’t have to spend time searching through multiple emails.
Google Docs
At the end of September, a new context source was added to Google Docs that enables you to reference ✨📓 Gemini Notebook when leveraging Gemini for assistance. This will make information from your notebooks easily accessible to your document without having to 🔀 switch apps. You can reference an existing notebook by using “@” in the side panel or bottom bar, grounding all of Gemini’s output with the 📚 trusted research inside your notebooks.
Google then began rolling out an update to the Docs, Sheets and Slides APIs that’ll allow developers and third-party tools to programmatically ➕ add, 🕵️ review and 💬 reply to comments. In Google Docs, the API also adds support for proposing suggested edits, allowing you to review the changes within the document before they are applied.
Google Sheets
During September, 📊 Google Sheets gained support for the complete Google Fonts library directly within the chart editor sidepanel. This lets you access a wider range of fonts and match your chart designs to your brand aesthetics without relying on external tools. In addition to enhanced chart 🎨 customisation abilities, this update also improves the 📥 importation of Microsoft Excel files; custom fonts present in both Excel and Sheets will be retained when charts created in Excel are opened in Sheets. You can apply custom web fonts to chart titles, subtitles, axes, data labels and legends.
Pivot tables in Google Sheets were enhanced last month with a new dedicated formula ✏️ editor dialog that features real-time syntax and formula validation and interactive field selection menus that make creating and editing custom calculated fields faster and more accurate. Additionally, you’ll be able to more easily customise the order of your pivot tables by 🖱️ dragging and dropping rows and columns, reordering multiple items at once and saving the custom arrangements, meaning that you’ll no longer be restricted to standard ⬆️ ascending or ⬇️ descending alphanumeric order. With this update, Microsoft Excel files can retain their manual and custom pivot table sort orders when imported to Sheets – and vice versa – improving interoperability and ensuring data stays intact during the import process on both platforms.
In the middle of the month, the cell limit increase from 10 million cells to up to 20 million cells in Sheets began rolling out more widely, meaning that you’ll be able to 📑 create larger spreadsheets, ↔️ expand an existing one and 📥 import even larger files directly into Sheets without compromising the data.
Gemini in Google Sheets was made available on Android devices last month, letting you leverage Gemini to perform 🏃 on-the-go data analysis directly within the Sheets mobile app. Through ✍️ natural language prompts within a compatible spreadsheet, you can use Gemini in Sheets to ❓ ask questions about your data, get 📑 analytical insights and generate 📊 charts.
💡 Note: to perform complex edits, formatting actions or generate formulae, you’ll need to use Gemini in Google Sheets on the web.
Google then added a new manual calculation mode setting in Google Sheets that ⏸️ pauses automatic formula recalculations, helping you to ✏️ edit and 🕵️ analyse large, data-heavy spreadsheets. When manual mode is enabled, you can perform batch edits and adjust multi-variable models without being interrupted by intermediate recalculations. You’ll also be able to ❄️ freeze output values to keep the number stable whilst you carry out your analysis or presentation. Once edits are complete, you can manually 🖱️ click “Calculate” to update the entire spreadsheet in one go.
Google Slides
In the final week of September, Google launched a closed beta for 📥 importing and 🔀 converting Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to 🔐 client-side encrypted (CSE) Google Slides files. Powerpoint files are encrypted on the client’s side prior to upload, ensuring the file’s content remains protected whilst you ✏️ edit or 👀 view the presentation in Slides.
Google Calendar
At the end of the month, Google introduced support for displaying up to three times zones side-by-side in Google Calendar on the 🌐 web. The three time zones will be visible from the 🗓️ main calendar grid as well as when using 🔍 “Find a time” to schedule events. You can add 🏷️ custom labels for each of the displayed time zones to improve readability. Viewing three time zones all at once is helpful if you frequently work with 🌍 global teams or are managing calendars for people across different 📍 regions as it reduces the need to manually convert times before 🎨 creating or ✏️ editing calendar events.
Gemini
In September, Google released the native Gemini desktop app for Windows 10 and 11, providing Microsoft users quick access to Google’s AI assistant. Activated instantly using the Alt + Space shortcut, the native Gemini app allows you to ✍️ ask questions, 📝 draft summaries, generate 🖼️ custom images and 🔎 search information across Google Workspace apps without disrupting your workflow.
In the middle of the month, the ability to create 📓 notebooks in the ✨ Gemini app was made available to more people. Notebooks provide a dedicated space within the Gemini app to 📑 organise your conversations and 📂 project files by topic. You’ll be able to 💬 chat to Gemini about your notebooks and responses will be grounded in your notebooks’ sources. Each notebook supports up to 10 sources and notebooks created in the Gemini app are synced with Gemini Notebook, enabling you to to leverage advanced features like 🎬 Cinematic Video Overviews and infographics. Later in the month, this feature was expanded to support the creation of 📚 study notebooks – an interactive learning space that enables you to upload files and generate personalised, grounded study tools such as flashcards and quizzes.
On the last day of the month, Google announced that Gemini skills are rolling out across Google Workspace and the Gemini app to soon replace 💎 Gems entirely. Skills are 💬 custom, reusable prompts that act as a set of instructions for Gemini to carry out repetitive tasks. You can tailor ✍️ writing styles, 📑 brand guidelines, 🖼️ templates and more for each set of skill instructions – and even stack multiple skills simultaneously in a single prompt – without having to keep repeating the same instructions. During the 🔁 transition from Gems to skills, Gems will be auto-migrated and saved as a draft skill that you can publish. You can also manually migrate Gems and bring over any saved resources or context.
💡 Note: skills created in the Gemini app are not synced to other Workspace apps; you’ll need to recreate them separately.
Gemini Notebook
Last month, admins gained more granular control over how notebooks in Gemini Notebook are shared externally. In addition to turning the external sharing setting completely ✅ on or ❌ off, you have new options that allow users to share notebooks within a specified allowlist of trusted domains or to create and share notebooks publicly with anyone with a 🔗 link.
A week later, Google introduced Expert Intelligence, enabling you to integrate over 📚 100,000 published ebooks from Google Play Books directly into your work. With Expert Intelligence in Gemini Notebook, you can combine insights from leading authors and publications with your own 📝 personal notes, use Gemini to convert books into 📈 infographics, 🔊 audio overviews and ❓ quizzes, get grounded responses from the text of published books and more.
💡 Note: to incorporate a book into your notebook, you must own the book through Google Play Books. Eligible books in Google Play Books will have Gemini Notebook listed under the “Tools” badge.
To help improve your learning experience, several new features were added to ✨📓 Gemini Notebook last month. A new built-in 🎤 audio recorder in the mobile app enables you to record audio whilst on-the-go and use the recordings alongside your sources. You can have 🗣️ verbal, real-time conversations about your notebooks as well as create 🎬 60-second animated video overviews based on topics in your notebooks. Additionally, you’ll be able to generate interactive learning overviews that combine summaries, quizzes, flashcards and mind maps.
Google Vids
On the second day of the month, Google introduced the ability to transform text-heavy 📄 Google Docs, PDF and Microsoft Word files into short video summaries in 🎬 Google Vids. Vids will use the text content within the files to generate 📜 scripts, 🗣 narration and 🖼 visuals. You’ll be able to review, edit and refine the Gemini-generated script before the video is created.
Later, Google launched the new ✨ Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash model in Google Vids, enhancing your AI-generated videos. Specifically, the new model supports improved visual context and character consistency when ↔️ extending scenes, the ability to choose an ⌛ exact duration of a generated clip as well as the ability to 🎥 generate new videos at, and ⬆️ upscale clips to, full 1080p HD.
🔊 AI voiceovers and 🗣️ avatar narration in Google Vids were upgraded to use the new Gemini 3.8 Flash Lite text-to-speech (TTS) model at the end of the month. The new model enables you to create 🎬 videos that sound less 🤖 robotic with more lifelike sentences and context-aware emphasis. Additionally, it’ll feature rapid audio synthesis, letting you iterate on 📜 scripts and preview voiceovers in real time.
Google also updated 💬 captions in Google Vids. 🎨 New customisation options allow you to match captions to your brand aesthetic or add different, more creative styles for each 🎬 individual scene in your video. You have the ability to choose the font, typography and screen placement as well as add animated effects to make the captions and video more engaging.
Workspace Studio
New flow steps were added to Workspace Studio last month that include automatically making 📂 copies of Drive files and folders, 🗃️ moving Drive files and folders to keep them organised, sending 📨 email replies within existing threads and sending formatted replies to 💬 Google Chat spaces and threads. You can integrate these new steps into new and existing flows to further automate work. 🧑💻 Admins are able to disable steps or require end-user approval for sensitive actions.
Later in the month, support for 📜 Google Apps Script functions, third-party services and external webhooks began rolling out, allowing you to build automated cross-platform workflows with Google Workspace Studio at their core. You’ll have the ability to 👷 build starters based on external app events, create custom 👣 steps using Apps Script, send 🔗 HTTP requests to third-party apps using webhooks as well as connect third-party applications and services, such as Asana, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Slack and more. This gives you much more flexibility in connecting other tools and data sources to your workflow automations.
Google Pics
At the start of the month, Google’s new ✨ AI image generation and ✏️ editing tool, 🖼️ Google Pics, started rolling out more widely, becoming generally available as a standalone app as well as integrated into Google Workspace apps, like 🛝 Google Slides and 📄 Google Docs. With Pics you can use text prompts to generate and edit images, reformat in-image text, collaborate with others and more.
Google Apps Script
Starting last month, Apps Script data is now stored and processed within a 🌍 designated geographic region. This enables 🧑💻 admins to manage Apps Script data by geographical location and ensure that settings align with internal policies and external regulatory guidelines. Within Advanced Data Regions settings, admins can turn on a toggle that disables non-regionalised Apps Script services to 🔒 strictly prevent data from leaving designated geographic boundaries.
💡 Note: non-regionalised Apps Script services will be disabled starting from September 2026 if you have the Drive and Docs data regions advanced settings disabled.
Google Admin Panel
Comprehensive audit logs for ✨📓 Gemini Notebook were added to the Google admin panel near the start of September, giving 🧑💻 admins enhanced visibility into how users are engaging with the app. Integrated directly into the 📑 audit and investigation tool and the 🔐 security investigation tool, these logs record details such as notebook visibility, user identity, IP address and resource context. This helps admins protect data, comply with regulatory policies and understand collaboration patterns.
💡 Note: Gemini Notebook audit logs supports regional policies, however Gemini Notebook data is stored globally and does not currently support data regionalisation.
Last month, Google introduced Context-Aware Access (CAA) controls for ✨ Gemini Enterprise, giving admins granular control over how users can access Gemini Enterprise. Admins can configure the ⚙️ settings from the Google admin panel at the organisational unit (OU) or group level. CAA policies allow admins to restrict Gemini Enterprise access based on 📍 geographic location and 🔐 device security and apply them to all personal and managed devices to ensure that company data stays 🛡️ protected. To make it easier to apply and standardise access policies across your Workspace apps, you’ll be able to easily extend existing policies to Gemini Enterprise as well as create new ones.
Instead of managing trust rules and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies for 🗃️ Google Drive separately, admins now have the ability to build a single rule that combines 👥 audience sharing and 🔐 sensitivity-based data conditions into one in the Google admin panel. The new unified rule was made available in the middle of September and will evaluate what is in the 📂 file and with whom it is being shared. If specific conditions are met, you’ll be able to prevent files from being shared with anyone outside the organisation, everyone on a specified denylist or everyone except those on a specified allowlist. This helps 🛡️ protect sensitive data and prevent data exfiltration.
In order to help organisations save time when 🔁 transferring large amounts of data from Microsoft to Google Workspace, a new feature was added to the 📥 Data Import tool last month. It enables admins to connect a Microsoft account using global admin credentials. Once connected, the import tool will identify existing users and automatically copy them over along with all of their ✉️ emails, 📂 OneDrive files, 📅 events, 📘 contacts and 📋 tasks into Google Workspace. Admins can choose to exclude specific users or selected types of data. The feature supports automatically migrating up to 10 users and their data at a time following initial domain verification and MX activation.
💡 Note: admins can only use the automated user and data importation feature if you have a Flexible Plan.
Additionally, to further simplify the transfer of emails to Google Workspace, admins can now import their emails from IMAP servers, like Hostinger, Zoho, Yahoo!, iCloud and more, in just a 🖱️ few clicks. The enhanced feature was made generally available last month, helping even more admins ⌛ save time.
💡 Note: this import feature currently only supports importing past emails from one admin user.
In the last week of September, 🧑💻 super admins gained the ability to grant temporary administrative roles to users, groups and service accounts for a defined ⏲️ timeframe. From the Google admin panel, you can select from predefined duration options or specify an exact 🗓️ date and time at which you’d like access to be automatically revoked. This enhances 🔐 security across an organisation and minimises the risk of overly broad admin privileges being granted for undefined periods of time without incurring the administrative overhead of manually revoking permissions.
Catch up on August’s updates
Did you miss August's updates? You can see everything that happened across Google Meet and Google Workspace in our August 2026 recap.
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