Google Updates Recap: February 2024
This month we’re glad to announce some major upgrades to Appointment Schedules in Google Calendar, a fresh coat of paint for the Google sign-in page, a new feature that allows you to attach a presentation recording to your Google Slides, and more.
Table of contents
Important Changes
Updated user interface for signing in to your Google Account
As there are multiple ways to sign into your VCU Google account, you will begin to see a new Google sign-in page if you begin signing in through Google. This fresh coat of paint provides a new look but functionally remains similar to the current experience of signing in: After entering your vcu.edu email address and then clicking “Next”, you will be brought to the Central Authentication Service to continue your regular sign-in.
Feature Availability: This change is currently rolling out.
Google Calendar
Improving the Google Calendar appointment scheduling experience with new features
Appointment schedules are getting several updates to enhance the current experience:
- Up to 20 (co-)hosts can be added to allow others to be hosts of scheduled appointments.
- Appointment schedules can now be created on secondary calendars. Note, however, that appointment schedules created on secondary calendars cannot check for availability on other individual’s calendars.
- Individuals with delegated access to your primary calendar can now add, modify, and delete appointment schedules on your behalf (for example, an administrative assistant)
- You can choose, when creating or modifying an appointment schedule, whether to check for conflicting events.
For more information about information about creating and modifying appointment schedules, visit:
- Create an appointment schedule – Google Calendar Help
- Customize your appointment availability – Google Calendar Help
Feature Availability: This feature is now available.
Google Chat
Share spaces smart chips in Google Chat
You can now share smart chips for other Spaces in your Space in Google Chat. This can be done by either copying and pasting a link to the existing Space, or using the @ menu and typing the name of the Space.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available.
Easily identify which unread threads are most relevant to you in Google Chat
Threads in Spaces will now show a short list of icons of the individuals who are responding in those threads. As many threads are created, it can be difficult to tell which threads are relevant. With icons of teammates, however, you may be able to better gleam if a thread will be relevant to you.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available.
Google Docs
Latest improvement for page setup in Google Docs
A new quick way to switch to Pageless format for your Google Doc can be found under the Format tab in the menu bar:
Feature Availability: This feature is now available.
Google Meet
Hosts can pin multiple tiles for all meeting participants
Meeting hosts or co-hosts can now pin up to three tiles in a Google Meet to allow those tabs to be consistently visible.
Note that meeting participants can choose to unpin these tiles from their own view.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available.
Google Slides
Easily drag and drop an image to replace the background in Google Slides
You can now drag and drop an image from your computer onto a slide to quickly replace the background in that slide.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available.
Create shareable video presentations in Google Slides
A new “record” button has been added to Google Slides to allow you to record your presentation and attach it so that others viewing the slides can view the presentation at their own preferred time. This uses your device’s camera and microphone.
For more information about recording video presentations in Slides, including how to use the feature and find/manage the recordings, visit: Use slides recording in Google Slides – Google Docs Editors Help.
Feature Availability: This feature is now available.
Categories Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Docs, Google Feature Updates and Changes, Google Meet, Google Slides, Google Workspace News, Important Changes