Last year we launched Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Gmail, providing Google Apps Unlimited customers with another layer of protection to prevent sensitive information from being revealed to those who shouldn’t have it. Gmail DLP automatically checks all outgoing emails according to policies set by the Apps admin and prompts the appropriate action.

Today we’re excited to announce several new features for Gmail DLP:
Optical character recognition (OCR) for better attachment scanning 
Sensitive information can reside not just in text documents, but in scanned copies and images as well. With the new OCR enhancement, DLP policies can now analyze common image types, and extract text for policy evaluation. Admins have the option to enable OCR in the Admin console at the organizational-unit (OU) level for both the Content compliance and Objectionable content rules. 

Additional predefined content detectors
Our Work customers span the globe, and we are committed to providing customers in all countries with plug-and-play DLP policies. Towards this goal, we are pleased to announce the introduction of new detectors which cover personally identifiable information (PII) in several additional countries, and provide better coverage for HIPAA data as well.

More control over content detection thresholds
Our largest Work customers desire fine-grained control over DLP policies to minimize false positives, and take action commensurate with the level of perceived risk. We are introducing two new detection parameters to address this:

• Count parameter - The count parameter allows customers to set up different DLP policies based on whether a message contains individual or bulk PII. For example, an email containing a single credit card number might be considered a low risk event, while one that contains 100 credit cards is clearly a high risk scenario. 
• Confidence parameter - The confidence parameter lets the customer tighten or loosen detection criteria for the most commonly used detectors as per their needs. 

Check out the Help Center links below for more information on Gmail DLP and these new features. Stay tuned as we bring DLP to Google Drive later this year.

Note: Gmail DLP is available for Google Apps for Work Unlimited customers only. 

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace: 
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: DLP for Gmail overview
Help Center: Optical character recognition
Help Center: New predefined detectors
Help Center: New detection parameters


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

New versions of the Google Sheets and Slides apps for Android are now available on Google Play, making it even easier to work from your mobile phones and tablets. Read on for details.

We recognize that images can be the difference between a spreadsheet that’s difficult to interpret and one that effectively tells a story. To help you better convey your spreadsheet’s message on mobile, images will now render in the Google Sheets Android app. (Note that images in frozen rows and columns may not show properly.)


Similarly, themes allow you to quickly and easily craft engaging and effective presentations, so you need to be able to swap them in and out whether you’re working on your phone or your laptop. Starting today, as long as you’re online, you can change the theme of your presentation in the Google Slides Android app. There are 18 themes to choose from.



Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Customize a slide with layouts and themes

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Looking back at 2015, we can see that Google Apps Mobility Management has come a long way from an Android-only device management solution to a complete suite with native iOS support and app distribution across both the Android and iOS platforms. This has motivated many Apps admins to adopt our integrated solution, and we’re excited to help their employees be productive while keeping work data secure on their mobile devices.

As Mobile Management becomes increasingly important to admins, we want to make it even simpler to set up. With that in mind, today we’re making it easy for an admin to detect how many of their employees run the risk of accessing corporate data on unmanaged mobile devices and to establish a basic mobile security policy in the Admin console.

By simply clicking MANAGE NOW* on the Admin console landing page, admins can set up Mobile Management with a predefined set of security policies. Doing this will then allow those admins to take various actions, such as performing an account wipe of corporate data on mobile devices, viewing the inventory of all managed devices in a domain, and enforcing a basic password policy. To simplify the overall Mobile Management setup experience, we’ve also made it possible to set up Apple Push Certificates via the same wizard.




In addition, if an admin wants to use Google Mobile Management to set up Android for Work, we’ve made the process significantly simpler and quicker. Prior to this launch, admins needed to complete 15 different steps across four different sections of the Admin console to set up Android for Work. Starting today, they only need to complete one step to manage those devices in their domains. To get started, check out this Help Center article.


*Note that the option to MANAGE NOW will only show on the Admin console landing page if more than 80% of domain users are unmanaged.

Launch Details 
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (please note that these changes may take several weeks to propagate)

Impact: 
Admins only

Action: 
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information 
Help Center: Android for Work setup overview

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

In Google Docs, you don’t need to type to put words on a page—you can simply talk. But as any good employee knows, crafting an effective document takes a whole lot more than simply adding text. The process may involve bolding and italicizing, copying and pasting, inserting bullet points and tables, undoing and redoing formatting, and more.

Until now, it was tough to take these types of actions using only your voice. With this launch, we’re changing that. Starting today, you can simply pause, issue a command, pause again, and resume dictating. To see a list of all commands, check out this Help Center article or say “voice commands help” when you’re voice typing. Please note that Voice commands work in English only.


As an added bonus, we’re also making it possible to dictate in Docs on the web in dozens of additional dialects and accents. Please note that these features are only available when you’re working in a Chrome browser on your computer.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release (voice commands)
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming on March 7th, 2016 (additional languages)

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Type with your voice
Video: Type, edit and format with your voice in Docs—no keyboard needed

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

An update to the Gmail for Android app is coming to Google Play. New features will include:

• Rich Text Formatting: Want to highlight important thoughts on the go? Now you can bold, italicize, underline, add text color, change text background, and remove formatting. To format text, simply long press to select it and tap the 'format' option, next to ‘copy’ and ‘paste’.

• Instant RSVPs: Accepting invitations on the go can be hard if you don't have access to your schedule. If you use Google Calendar or Microsoft Exchange, calendar invitations now include a one-tap option to show your schedule and respond.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (3 or more days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users on Android

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center
Gmail Blog
Google Play

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

As noted in our previous update, we are following the Chrome OS release cycle to provide regular updates to Google Apps customers who use Chromebox for meetings devices on new feature releases and improvements. With the recent release of Chrome OS 48 stable, the Chrome for Work team is excited to announce the following updates:

Instant reboot from the Admin console
We recently launched the ability for domain administrators to instantly restart Chromebox for meetings devices on their domain remotely. This policy is enabled at the device level and can be useful when supporting remote office locations when a device is experiencing issues.

Persistent system logs after a crash or reboot
Starting today, we have enabled logs to remain on a Chromebox for meetings device after a crash so that a problem can be more easily diagnosed. Until now it was difficult to troubleshoot issues that resulted in a system crash or reboot because Chromebox for meetings would not save the necessary logs needed to diagnose the root cause of the issue.

Improvements to Chrome
Chromebox for Meetings builds on Chrome, which frequently auto updates with new features and improvements. For Chrome 48, Chromebox for meetings devices and remote users will benefit from improved screen sharing performance on low bandwidth connections.

Launch Details 
Release track:
All features launched to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Impact:
Admins only for instant reboot and system logs features; all end users for screen sharing performance improvements

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

A new version of the Google Drive for Android app is coming to Google Play. New features include:

• A new menu icon next to a file or folder will pop-up a set of contextual actions you can take on the file or folder.

• You’ll now have the ability to view trash and delete or restore files from within your Android app

• When viewing the Shared With Me view, you’ll now see the avatars of the person who has shared with you.

Launch Details

Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Getting started with the Drive app for Android
Help Center: Trash
Help Center: Shared with me
Get the latest Google Drive Android app on Google Play


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Google Drive users love to collaborate with each other, but if you've ever tried changing the sharing settings for a folder, you know that it’s not always easy to find out who the folder has been shared with or how to update the permissions.

In the coming weeks, we will be adding a new “people icon” to shared folders, which simplifies seeing who you’ve shared a folder with and gives you quick access to the sharing settings. With this change, we hope to reduce the amount of clutter for users and make sharing more transparent for folder owners.

Hover over the people icon for a snapshot of sharing details.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in 2 weeks

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Google Apps Password Sync (GAPS) version 1.5 is now available for download:

What’s New

• GAPS now uses the Crypt hash function (salted SHA512 hashes instead of SHA1) when updating the password with the Directory API.
• Uses new OAuth 2.0 endpoints to authorize and refresh tokens (avoids conflict when overriding DNS to enforce SafeSearch).
• Improved feedback in the configuration UI to help diagnose issues with authorization. Improved trace logging and Windows Event Log system messages.
• Removed redundant log events for computer accounts.
• Improved diagnostic logging for authorization issues can now be found in the service authorization logs.

Note: There is also a new version of the GAPS support tool available to help you troubleshoot your GAPS installation.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action required (download the latest version)

More Information
Help Center

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Late last year, we announced a change to our security policy, whereby OAuth 2.0 tokens issued for access to certain products would be revoked when a user's password was changed. We decided in December to delay the full rollout of this policy change until early 2016.

After further consideration and based on continuing customer feedback, we have decided not to move forward with this change for Apps customers at this time. Instead, we are working on a different approach which will roll out later this year. Stay tuned for additional communication in advance of any future changes.*

*Note: A revised launch was announced on Sept 21, 2016.

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

The latest versions of the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides Android apps include several new features that make working on your mobile phone or tablet easier and more efficient. Check out some of what’s new below:

Notification settings in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides Android apps
As of last November, you can receive mobile notifications when a Drive file is shared with you or someone requests access to a Drive file you own. Previously, the only way to disable those notifications was via a setting in Drive. With this launch, we’ll allow you to enable or disable those notifications from the Settings menus in the Docs, Sheets, and Slides Android apps as well.

View existing Named Ranges in the Google Sheets Android app
In Google Sheets on the web, you can name a range of cells so that they’re easier to keep track of and find later and to simplify the process of creating formulas. With this launch, you can now view those named ranges and quickly navigate to their locations in the Google Sheets app for Android.

Launch Details 
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact: 
All end users

Action: 
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Turn mobile notifications on or off
Help Center: Name a range of cells

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Today, the new Google Forms will become the default option for Form creators. This follows our launch from last September, where a revamped Google Forms was released as opt-in-only until we could add additional features and functionality. Once launched, Form creators will be redirected to the new Google Forms whenever they create a new Google Form.

To opt-out, users may click the “running man” icon in the bottom left-hand corner.

Here’s a summary of the latest improvements:

• Form Add-ons and Google Apps Script now supported
  Form creators will be able to use add-ons and edit scripts in the new Forms editor. Popular tools like Form Publisher and g(Math) for Forms have helped creators extend the capabilities of Google Forms.

• View individual responses from the editor
  In addition to the summary of responses currently available in the Forms editor, creators will now be able to see individual survey responses as well. This will save valuable time when analyzing Forms. At the same time, if there’s so many responses that there may be performance issues, Google Forms will let users know how to visit the responses separately, instead of slowing down the editor.

• Use Templates from the Google Forms home screen
  Work and Education-related templates will become available on the Forms home screen to jumpstart your Form creation at forms.google.com.
• We currently have several templates for event feedback, event sign-ups, job applications, and more. Users can click on the More link to start a form from any of the newly created templates.
• Your domain’s existing templates are still available and can be found at drive.google.com/a/google.com/templates.

• Get notified for every form response
  Form creators will now be able to configure Google Forms to send them email notifications whenever someone responds. The default is set to off, but users can enable it from the form’s settings menu. 

• Track responses to your Google Form
  Form creators will be able to see who they’ve sent their forms to and who still needs to respond. There will also be a new option to send out follow-up reminders as needed.

Limitations

• Responders will only see the new Google Forms for those forms created or edited in it.

To opt out and go back to the old Google Forms, simply click the running man icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the Google Form and follow the prompts.


Launch Details
Release track:
Form templates: Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release on Feb 10, 2016
Most features: Launching to Rapid release on Feb 10, 2016, with Scheduled release coming in 2 weeks

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center
Google for Work Blog Post


Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

In September, we announced some changes to the default avatar that Google account owners with Google+ enabled see when logged into their accounts. We’re now making those same changes for Google account owners who don’t have Google+ enabled. Starting today, if a Google account owner has not added a photo to his or her account, we’ll show a custom avatar with that account owner’s given-name initial (two-character given names will be fully displayed). In some cases where initials are not available, a plain colored avatar will be used instead. In addition, if a monogram can't be generated from a user's given name, their family name may be used as an alternative.*

This change will be visible in the Google Bar soon and will be gradually reflected across all Google products over the course of the coming months.

NOTE: Users with initials in scripts other than Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean will see this change later this year.

*Details updated on June 8, 2016, to reflect current behavior.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Change management suggested/FYI

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

The Google Admin mobile app allows Apps super admins to easily manage users and groups, contact support, view audit logs and perform other common administrative tasks all from their mobile devices.

Following the recent upgrades to the Google Admin mobile app for Android, today’s launch adds similar functionality to the iOS app, making managing users even easier.

Add users from contact list 
When adding a new user, Apps super admins can now simply import a contact from their contact list and have all of their information pre-populated in the ‘Add user’ form. The information can then be edited as needed, and the user can be quickly created.
Check out the Help Center for more information on the Google Admin app for iOS.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Manage Google Apps from an iOS device
Help Center: Add a new user from your contacts
Get the Google Admin app in the App Store

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Previously, we displayed the number of Google Drive files with owners in your domain that were externally visible, because they were shared publicly, because they were made visible to anyone with the link, or because they were shared with specific recipients outside of your domain. We showed these metrics in two places in the Admin console: (1) under Reports > Highlights, and (2) under Reports > Security.

Those metrics did not paint a complete picture, because they did not include sharing with consumer accounts and sharing with Google Groups with external members. With that in mind, we are working to improve our reporting on external Drive file sharing in the near future.

Until then, however, we want to ensure that the numbers you see in the Admin console are accurate and comprehensive. As a result, we’re removing the “Shared outside domain” metric from the Highlights report and the “Externally shared files” column from the Security report.

Highlights report


Security report


In addition to the changes described above, we’re making the names of the following sharing categories and events easier to understand and more consistent across the Admin console:

• Under Reports > Highlights,
• The “Document visibility” section is being renamed “Document Link Shared Status.”
• “Externally visible files” are being renamed “External Link Shared Files.” This is the number of files shared publicly or with anyone with the link. This number does not include files that are shared only with specific recipients outside of your domain.
• “Internally visible files” are being renamed “Internal Link Shared Files.” This is the number of files shared with a user’s entire domain, with anyone in a user’s domain who has the link, or with specific people in a user’s domain.
• Under Reports > Security,
• “Externally Visible files” are being renamed “External Link Shared Files.”
• “Internally Visible files” are being renamed “Internal Link Shared Files.”
• Under Reports > Audit > Drive*,
• “Visibility change” is being renamed “Link Sharing visibility change.”
• “Visibility access level change” is being renamed “Link Sharing Access Type Change.”

Check out the Help Center articles below for more information, and stay tuned for even more improvements to Drive file sharing reporting in the Admin console.

 *Note that the Drive audit report is only available to Google Apps Unlimited customers.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (3+ days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Report highlights
Help Center: Security reports

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Check out the latest "What's New in Google Apps" newsletter [pdf] for a roundup of all Apps launches from January 2016.

Newsletter Archive & Translated Versions (coming soon for January issue)

Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates