Google Updates Recap for October 25 to January 7, 2022
Happy new year! After a few slow months for feature releases, we have accumulated the most notable features and changes. We are hoping 2022 will be a year packed full of great new features.
Google Docs
Easily add to Google Docs with the new universal @ menu
The universal @ menu is a feature previously announced as part of the “smart canvas” set of features and is now available! Using the @ menu, you can quickly insert templates (or “building blocks”) and smart chips. Inserting building blocks will allow you to quickly insert a block of text that can be used to quickly start collaborating. Smart chips allow you to mention different types of content, such as people, Google Drive files, and scheduled calendar Meetings.
Currently the “Meeting notes” building block is available, which allows you to quickly start a document used to take notes about an existing meeting that you select from your calendar. We anticipate additional building blocks will be available down the road and possibly the ability to create your own.
To get started inserting a building block or smart chip, simply begin typing an “@” symbol anywhere in your document and you will be prompted to select from a list of suggestions.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users.
Add a page break before paragraphs in Google Docs
You can now tell Google Docs to automatically insert a page break before a paragraph. This can be useful to ensure certain paragraph styles, such as titles, subtitles, or headings always create a new page. This feature is also compatible with the equivalent feature in Microsoft Word.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users.
Google Sheets
View richer information about colleagues and stakeholders using people chips in Google Sheets
People chips are now available in Google Sheets. This is also a “smart canvas” feature announced in our previous blog post that is now available!
People chips can be used to quickly and more easily view information about colleagues in Google Sheets and take actions such as starting a Chat, sending an email, and scheduling a meeting.
To create a people chip, you can begin typing the “@” symbol in an empty cell, or select an existing cell with an email address in it to convert it.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users.
Google Drive
Request and review formal document approvals in Google Docs
We previously announced in our November 5, 2021 post that Document Approvals were on the way after being announced at Google Cloud Next 2021. We’re glad to announce this feature is now available! Document Approvals are compatible with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides formats as well as all formats that are compatible with these applications (such as CSV files, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and even PDFs!)
To get started using Approvals, we’ve linked the instructions here: Get approvals on files in Google Drive
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users.
Google Calendar
Set aside time for focus in Google Calendar
A new entry type in Google Calendar named “Focus time” is now available. Focus time allows you to block out and protect segments of time for heads-down individual work. Similarly to the out-of-office event type, focus time will have a unique visual appearance on your calendar and can automatically decline new invitations.
With increased meetings and chats since the start of the pandemic, we believe this feature will enable users to more easily make time to focus on their primary work and prioritize when meetings should occur. This feature can also be used with the Time Insights function announced in our September 17, 2021 blog post. Scheduled focus time will appear in Time Insights and
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users.
Indicate whether you’ll just a meeting virtually or in person, now in Gmail
In our previous blog post, we announced that Google Calendar invitations now offered two new ways to accept an invitation: Yes, joining virtually and Yes, in a meeting room. You can now indicate your response via Gmail in your calendar invitation email. This option is located by clicking the drop-down arrow located next to the “Yes” button, then selecting how you will be attending the meeting.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users.
Prevent unwanted invitations from being added to your calendar
An option in Google Calendar has been updated to allow you to prevent unwanted calendar invitations from being added to your calendar. You will be able to choose to either:
- Always have invitations automatically added
- Only have them automatically added if you have RSVP’d in the email event invitation.
These options have been changed for the “Add invitations to my calendar” setting under “Event settings” in the Google Calendar settings:
Additional notes about this change have been provided by Google:
- If you choose to only have events added if you RSVP, you’ll see an additional option to allow those who have permission to view or edit your events to see all invitations.
- When you change the setting, it only determines whether future events are added to your calendar. Any events that are already on the calendar will remain visible unless you delete them.
- If you choose to only add events when you RSVP, you’ll receive an email invitation to all events, even if the organizer chooses not to send one. This will help prevent you from missing events. Note that this doesn’t apply to updates, only to invitations.
- We’ve moved the notification option (“Yes, but only notify me if I’ve responded Yes or Maybe”) into the notifications section to help you better manage when you get notifications.
Feature Availability: This feature was slated to be available by December 28, 2021, but is not yet appearing for all users and may be delayed.
Google Meet
Use new immersive backgrounds and styles for Google Meet on the web
Five new immersive backgrounds have been added to Google Meet on the web which include subtle animation or change your lighting, including a cafe and condo with various interations such as snowy or rainy weather.
Additionally, more options to customize your video with various light and color filters have also been added.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users. Check the Google Help page for this feature to confirm your device meets the minimum requirements: Change background and apply visual effects in Google Meet – Requirements
Lock audio and video during a Google Meet meeting from iOS devices
Host and co-host controls for locking audio and video during a Google Meet are now available on iOS devices. This allows hosts and co-hosts to toggle the setting for allowing participants to unmute their microphones or show their cameras on iOS devices running Google Meet.
These options can be found in the host controls area similarly to how they are located on Google Meet on the web.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all web and iOS users. Host and co-host controls on Android devices are expected to be available in early 2022.
Host Google Meet meetings with up to 500 participants
Google Meet can now have up to 500 participants! We believe this enhancement combined with host/co-host controls for allowing microphone and video will make it easier for large classes to meet virtually.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users.
Automatically move breakout room participants back to the original call
Breakout rooms now automatically move participants back to the main meeting room when the breakout rooms are closed. Better visual indicators to show this movement also have been added.
A visual indicator has been added to show that breakout room participants are automatically moved back to the main call with video and microphone turned off.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users.
Google Chat
Quicker access to more Workspace integrations in Google Chat
In Google Chat, access to more actions relating to other Google Workspace products are now available in a “+” menu located to the left of the chat text box. This allows you to quickly and easily drop in an existing Drive file, a new Doc/Sheet/Slide file, and a calendar invite into your conversation.
“+” Menu on Google Chat on the web
“+” Menu on Google Chat on Android
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users on Google Chat on the web (only in Spaces and Group Chats) and on Android devices. A release for iOS is indicated to be released early 2022.
Start and join meetings from 1:1 chats using Google Chat on mobile
In Google Chat on mobile there is now an option located in the top right corner of a 1:1 conversation to initiate a video or audio-only call. Currently only 1:1 chats are supported. Note: As these audio and video calls are powered by Google Meet, you will need to have the Gmail app installed on your device. If it is not installed, you will be brought to the Google Play store page to download it.
To join the call, select the phone or video chip in the chat. You will see a banner at the top of the screen indicating the call duration and person you are on the call with.
A missed call will be indicated by a red video or phone icon in the conversation and chat roster.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users on iOS and Android devices. An equivalent functionality for Google Chat on the web can be accomplished by dropping a Google Meet into your chat.
Google Tasks
Set tasks to repeat in Google Calendar
You can now set a repeating task in Google Calendar. A new or existing task will now show the option to set repeating tasks under the date and time details while editing the task.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available to all users.
Categories General and Team News, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Feature Updates and Changes, Google Meet, Google Sheets, Google Tasks and Google Keep, Google Workspace News