Collaboration Services News and Updates

Google Updates Recap: January 2025 + Welcome to the Spring Semester!

Welcome to 2025 and the Spring semester! We’re always watching for the newest Google features to help improve your Google Workspace experience at VCU, and this year we’re expecting some great new features and innovations from Google. 

Google Calendar & Tasks

Introducing a new look and feel for Google Calendar on the web + Dark Mode!

Google Calendar is receiving several small visual changes that uses Google’s Material Design 3 styling, such as:

• Controls (like buttons, dialogs, and sidebars) that are more modern and accessible
• Interface typography that uses Google’s custom-designed and highly-legible typefaces 
• Iconography that is legible and crisp, with a fresh feel

Additionally, you can now switch between light and dark mode for Google Calendar – a long requested feature. 

Screenshot of Google Calendar showcasing Light Mode (left) vs Dark Mode (right)

These updates are applicable across the entire calendar web experience, including the task list view. When using the https://tasks.google.com URL, you will be redirected to the refreshed user interface and have the ability to choose between light or dark mode. 

To turn on dark mode in Calendar, go to the settings icon in the top right corner → Appearance → select Light, Dark or Device default. A prompt may also appear when you open Google Calendar if you haven’t set your preference before.

For more information about Dark theme in Google Calendar, visit: https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/15240542

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Google Chat

New density setting in Google Chat

In the Google Chat full interface (https://chat.google.com), you can now choose between the “Comfortable” or “Compact” density options. 

• Comfortable mode, the default setting, reflects Chat’s modernized design, in line with Google Material Design 3, and clearly differentiates message bubbles.
• Compact mode is for users who prefer to see more information at a time with less scrolling. With this option, you’ll notice:
  • Message bubbles that are aligned in the same direction for both sender and recipient 
  • Wider message bubbles 
  • Padding in the left bar, conversation list, and home. 

Screenshot of Google Chat comparing the “Comfortable” density vs. the new “Compact” density

To get started:

• Go to chat.google.com → Settings → Density → Compact. Users can revert this to the default at any time by going to chat.google.com → Settings → Density → Comfortable. 
• When visiting chat.google.com, you may also get a prompt to try it out if you have not already dismissed it.
• Those who use the Compact density setting in Gmail will also see Chat in Gmail in compact mode. Users can adjust their Gmail and Chat-in-Gmail density settings by going to Gmail → Settings → Density. 

For more information about Compact mode in Google Chat, visit: https://support.google.com/chat/answer/15571501

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Respond to conversations without leaving the home view in Google Chat

In Google Chat, you can now respond to conversations directly from the home view. By clicking on a chat message from the home view, a split pane will open allowing you to respond to the thread or message in the newly appeared pane.

To reply in the split pane view, click on a message and the split pane will open with the conversation. You can click on the expand icon in the conversation header if you wish to view that particular conversation in full screen. You can also toggle the split pane mode in the home header if you wish to completely enable/disable opening conversations in the split pane. 

For more information about replying to messages from the home view, visit: https://support.google.com/chat/answer/14170781#send

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Add multiple multimedia files to a single message in Google Chat

In Google Chat, you can now send multiple (up to 20) photo and video files in a single message. Previously, you were only able to send one at a time (unless sending via the Gmail/Google Chat mobile app). Dragging and dropping multimedia files into the compose bar from your desktop is also supported. 

For more information about sending and sharing files in Google Chat, visit: https://support.google.com/chat/answer/7651457

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Google Docs

Build high-quality, modern documents faster in Google Docs with 40 new templates

The template library for Google Docs has received a refresh and revamp, adding 40 new and modern-feeling templates for a variety of uses. These new templates use the “Pageless” format in Google Docs and showcase features such as Document tabs and Placeholder chips. 

To use these new templates, you can get started:

• Via the “Templates” button at the top of a newly created document
• By going to File → New → From template gallery

For more information about using templates in Google Docs, visit: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/148833

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

More ways to get started quickly with building blocks in Google Docs

Three new building blocks have been added to Google Docs:

• Task trackers quickly add and track tasks at a glance with titles, assignees, due dates, and status, in a cleanly organized format. Additionally, users can add their own columns for more personalization, and new tasks with an assignee and title can be synced with Google Tasks individually or by syncing the whole table at once
  
• Use a Contact list to organize contact information for applicants, sales contacts, team members, project assignments and more. Contact lists offer a structured table format that breaks out critical contact information into glanceable columns that are clear and easier to read
  
• Decision logs centralize open questions, aid in decision-making, and organize final decisions in an easily-digestible table. With decision logs, teams can quickly align around a single source of truth with clear owners
  

Get started with building blocks by clicking the buttons at the top of a newly created document or via Insert → Building blocks. In addition, a new Docs sidebar, accessible by going to Insert → Building blocks → View more or by clicking “More” at the top of a new document, makes it easier to browse, find, and preview building blocks in context.

Lastly, improvements have been added to table building blocks by adding table title rows, a formatted, full-width row with heading styling. Table title rows allow you to clearly call out a visually appealing table name and saves you time from formatting manually. The new column types will set a data type (dates, dropdown chips, files or people) and provide friendly warnings when table content does not match, ensuring your table data is accurate and organized.

For more information about using Smart chips, visit: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/10710316

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Google Drive & Docs Editors

Find files more easily with the Drive Android file picker

In 2023, an improvement was introduced: a streamlined file organization with the new Google Drive location picker on the web. Now, similar improvements are rolling out to the Drive app on Android devices. This update will make it easier to find recently viewed Drive items and clearly see what other storage locations besides “My Drive” are available to you, such as items you have access to within shared drives.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Google Sheets

Table reference improvements in Google Sheets

Additional improvements to references for the new Tables feature in Google Sheets have been added, including:

• Improved table reference availability, which allows users to reference the items below across both single (e.g., =Table2[[#ALL],[Column 1]]) and multiple columns (e.g., =Table2[[#ALL],[Column 1]:[Column 2]] ):
  • Full table columns, including column headers, data, and footers (#ALL) 
  • Table headers (#HEADERS) 
  • Table footers (#TOTALS) 
  • Table data, excluding headers and footers (#DATA)
• Formula suggestions, which help you identify formulas that could be more robust. For example, if a user types a working formula that overlaps with a table range, a table reference suggestion will show.
  
• Formula corrections for table references, which show a formula correction with a proper table reference when a formula is written incorrectly.
  

For more information about Tables in Sheets and table references:

• Tables – https://support.google.com/docs/answer/14239833
• Table References – https://support.google.com/docs/answer/15637642

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Categories Google Calendar, Tasks, and Keep, Google Chat, Google Docs, Google Drive & Docs Editors, Google Feature Updates and Changes, Google Sheets, Google Workspace News