Collaboration Services News and Updates

Google Updates Recap: April 2025

This month’s Google updates enhance collaboration in Gemini via Canvas, offer new research tools like Audio Overviews, improve Chat organization with custom sections and Boards, and add additional advanced table formatting in Sheets. Additionally, Meet now features scrollable captions and broader language support for recording transcriptions.

Google AI

Try Canvas, a new way to collaborate with the Gemini app

A new feature called “Canvas” is now available in Gemini: a collaborative space for rapidly generating and iterating.

After generating a first draft, you can rapidly refine and ask Gemini for feedback to suggest edits. Update specific sections or the whole draft, and use the quick editor tools to change the tone, length, or formatting. From essays to blog posts to reports, up-level your documents in Canvas. If you want to collaborate with others on the content you just made, you can export it to Google Docs with a click.

Generate & iterate on code: Easily convert your ideas into working prototypes for web apps, code snippets and scripts, and more. Ask Gemini to generate & preview React or HTML code directly in Canvas in a familiar code editor, and review Gemini’s changes on each turn.

For more information, visit: Create docs & code with Canvas in Gemini Apps.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available for Gemini on the web (gemini.google.com) with availability on the mobile app at a later date.

Introducing Audio Overviews, now available in the Gemini app

Audio Overviews allows you to upload files and content, such as class notes, lengthy email threads, notes, Deep Research reports generated by Gemini, and many other things, and receive an Audio Overview that summarizes the content. 

To create an Audio Overview, first select a file to upload Gemini. Then, select the “Generate Audio Overview” chip when it appears and the Overview will begin to be generated. You will be able to listen to the Audio Overview directly in the Gemini conversation, download the audio file, and share the file through a public link.

For more information, visit: Generate Audio Overviews in Gemini Apps.

Warning: This AI feature must not be used with any sensitive data.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

New features available in NotebookLM and NotebookLM Plus

Two new features are now available in NotebookLM: Mind Map and a language output selector.

• A new interactive Mind Map lets users navigate complex topics in their notebooks, explore new connections  and gain a deeper understanding of their materials. For example, a biology student working on their thesis about Coral Reef Ecosystem Decline might upload research papers and see a mind map of “Ocean Acidification,” “Rising Sea Temperatures,” “Pollution,” and “Overfishing.”
• The language output selector provides the ability to output any query results (study guides, briefing documents, and chat responses) into any desired language.

For more information, visit: Mind Maps.

Warning: This AI feature must not be used with any sensitive data.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Deep Research and Gems in the Gemini app are now available

Deep Research and Gems, previously available only to paid versions of Gemini, are now available to all users.

• Deep Research helps save hours of work by browsing the web on your behalf, analyzing information in real-time, and developing comprehensive research reports in minutes to get you up to speed on just about anything. You can use Deep Research to understand your business landscape with comprehensive reports on emerging trends in any industry or competitor products and services. It can also help educators and students with grant writing, lesson planning, class projects and more.
• Gems are AI experts that you can customize across a variety of topics, helping you complete specific goals, tasks, and workflows based on your inputs, while reducing repetitive prompting. You can also upload up to 10 files for your Gem to refer to.

These features can be found in the Gemini website (gemini.google.com).

Note: Usage of Deep Research is limited to 10 times per month.

For more information, visit: Use Gemini Apps for in-depth research and Use Gems in Gemini Apps.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Google Calendar & Tasks

Improved syncing experience between Google Calendar and third-party calendars

When collaborating with Microsoft 365 users who send calendar invitations, receiving event invitations and keeping those invitations synced will now work more reliably.

Feature Availability: This improvement is now available.

Google Chat

Easily find and navigate your Google Chat conversations by organizing them into custom sections

In Google Chat, you can now organize your chats into custom sections to make your conversations easier to find and more organized. This allows you to group related conversations together, such as for a project, topic, team, etc.

To make a custom section, go to the direct messages or spaces section in Chat → hover over the three dot menu → select Create new section → name the custom section → hit enter. You can add conversations from a direct message or space to a custom section by: 

• Dragging and dropping it in from another section 
• Hovering over a conversation → clicking the three dot menu → selecting Move conversation → Move to (Name of the custom section)

Previously the direct messages and spaces sections in the left-hand menu were independent, individually-scrollable lists. With this update, users can navigate specific sections of their conversations by scrolling across all of their sections as one unified conversation list, view top conversations across each section, and find older conversations within each section by expanding via “Show all.” 

For each section, you can also: 

• Modify the size (height) of each section 
• Reorder a section in the left-hand menu based on preference by moving it up or down 
• Toggle an unread button ON (or OFF) to instantly find new messages within each section that need their attention 
• Start a new direct message or space message from the three dot menu next to the unread toggle 

In addition, you will now be able to find their Chat apps more quickly with a new dedicated Apps section. 

Feature Availability: This feature is currently rolling out.

Introducing the board tab in Google Chat

Board is a new feature in Google Chat where important information can be pinned and found all in one place. Board allows you to:

• Pin and share crucial messages, files, and links for quick access 
• Use intelligent suggestions to quickly find and add relevant resources 
• Maintain an organized workspace by displaying the board next to your conversation stream when needed and hidden at other times

Some ways Board can be used include:

• A project manager can maintain a single source of truth for all project-related files and resources shared with their team 
• A workgroup leader can provide one location to find relevant information and resources used on a regular basis
• A new team member can quickly find resources to get up to speed on their role and responsibilities so they can contribute to the team as soon as possible

Additional information about Board: 

• Space managers can restrict who can update a board by going to space settings → Modify space board and details.
• The board tab will appear in all direct messages, group messages and spaces. Clicking on it will open a dedicated right panel displaying the board alongside the message stream.
  • By default, all users can pin, add resources, edit, and delete information from the board with the exception of announcement spaces.
  • For announcement spaces, only space managers can edit a Board by default. Managers can change this default if needed to allow all members to edit it.
  • The board will feature sections for pinned messages and pinned resources.

For more information, visit: Pin messages, files & links in spaces & messages – Google Chat Help.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

Google Meet

Scroll through live captions and translated captions in Google Meet

In Google Meet, previously captions were displayed in real-time. However, in fast-moving meetings, it can be difficult to follow along. Now, you can scroll back up to 30 minutes to review what was said at your own pace. When you’re ready to get back to live captions, a button will appear to scroll back to the bottom of the captions.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

More languages are available for recorded captions and transcripts in Google Meet

Seven additional languages are now available for meeting transcripts:

• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Portuguese
• Spanish

Additionally, three more languages are now available for recorded captions:

• Italian
• Korean
• Japanese

For more information, visit: Record a video meeting and Use Transcripts with Google Meet.

Feature Availability: This feature is currently rolling out.

Google Sheets

Advanced formatting for tables in Google Sheets

In addition to the updates to tables in August and September, you can now apply advanced formatting for tables in Sheets. A new menu will now give you the ability to: 

• Toggle on and off gridlines
• Add alternating colors
• Condense view
• Include a table footer (which can be used for things such as sums/totals, counts, etc.)

For more information about using Tables in Sheets, visit: Use tables in Google Sheets – Google Docs Editors Help.

Feature Availability: This feature is now available.

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