This official feed from the Google Workspace team provides essential information about new features and improvements for Google Workspace customers.
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What’s changing 

Chat users can now receive real-time push notifications for reactions on their messages. This can help users stay on top of reactions on their messages and avoid missing potentially important updates. 

Reactions can help make conversations in Chat more visual and fun. By reacting to messages with an emoji, like a smiley face or a thumbs up, you can more easily convey information or sentiment. Now, message authors can be aware of those reactions without having to check back in on the conversation. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: This feature will be on by default for users who are opted into Google Chat notifications. They can be turned on or off by going to Google Chat > Settings > Notifications > Reaction notifications. Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to turn Google Chat notifications on or off. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts 

Resources 



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Previous announcements
The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.

Revamping the scanned documents editing experience in Google Drive on Android devices
When scanning documents with Google Drive on your mobile device, you can crop or rotate your file, adjust its color by applying filters, erase shadows, and more. This week, we’re excited to introduce updates to adjustment options to provide you with a seamless and improved user experience while editing scanned documents. | Learn more about the new document scanning experience

Google AI Pro for Education subscription now available to Workspace for Education customers
We are simplifying our offerings and bringing even more value by consolidating Gemini Education and Gemini Education Premium into a single add-on subscription, Google AI Pro for Education. This includes all the advanced features previously found in Gemini Education Premium. Google AI Pro for Education provides access to Gemini in Google Workspace apps, including AI-powered note taking and summaries in Google Meet, expanded access to premium models and features in Gemini for Education and NotebookLM, and more proactive security with AI-enhanced data loss prevention.  | Learn more about the new Gemini offering for Education customers.

'Help me create' in Google Vids now includes support for Google Slides
Earlier this year, we added updates to the AI voiceover features within Help me create in Google Vids. Starting today, you’re now able to include Google Slides presentations as reference materials when constructing your prompts using Help me create and will receive improved Slides analysis and content incorporation into video drafts. | Learn more about using slides to help create your Vids.

Use Gemini to refine text in Slides
You can now refine text within a text box in Google Slides using Gemini. In just a few clicks, you can ask Gemini to help rephrase, shorten, formalize, or bulletize the current text using pre-set options optimized for Slides. Alternatively, you can enter your own prompt to have Gemini refine the text. This can help you quickly polish the text on your slides and improve the consumability of the content. | Learn more about using Gemini to refine text in Slides.
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What’s changing 

You can now refine text within a text box in Google Slides using Gemini. In just a few clicks, you can ask Gemini to help rephrase, shorten, formalize, or bulletize the current text using pre-set options optimized for Slides. Alternatively, you can enter your own prompt to have Gemini refine the text. This can help you quickly polish the text on your slides and improve the consumability of the content.


Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard, and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard, and Plus 
  • Google AI Pro for Education 
Also available to: 
  • Google AI Pro and Ultra
  • Gemini Business, Enterprise*
*As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details. 

Resources 

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What’s changing

Earlier this year, we added updates to the AI voiceover features within Help me create in Google Vids. Starting today, you’re now able to include Google Slides presentations as reference materials when constructing your prompts using Help me create and will receive improved Slides analysis and content incorporation into video drafts. 

Gemini will generate a video draft by pulling text and visual content from your slides. This includes incorporating relevant Slides, images, and text in drafts, in addition to suggested scripts, AI voiceovers, music, and more. 


Who’s impacted 

End users 

Why you’d use it 

With this update, you can create visually engaging videos faster by referencing Slides presentations in Help me create to incorporate images, text and other objects from your Slides into Vids. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: Vids will be ON by default and can be disabled at the organizational level. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning Vids on or off for users. 
  • End users: 
    • To access this feature, simply open Vids.new > select ‘Plan your video story’ > enter a prompt that references a relevant Slides presentation using the “@” symbol. 
    • Vids is currently available in the user’s local language, but the AI features (e.g. Help me create, read-along teleprompter) are only available in English at this time. 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about getting started with Google Vids and planning your video with AI in Google Vids. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Starter**, Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Starter**, Standard and Plus 
  • Google AI Pro for Education
  • Essentials, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus 
  • Nonprofits** 
  • Customers with a Gemini Business*, Gemini Enterprise* add-on  
Also available to: 
  • Google AI Pro and Ultra 
*As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details. 
**For a limited time, at least through May 31st, 2026, Business Starter, Enterprise Starter and Nonprofit accounts can access generative AI features in Vids. Learn about Google Vids availability. 

Resources 

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What’s changing 

Last year, we brought the best of Google AI, including Google Workspace with Gemini, to Workspace for Education customers with two paid add-ons: Gemini Education and Gemini Education Premium. 

This past June, we notified education customers that we are simplifying our offerings and bringing even more value by consolidating Gemini Education and Gemini Education Premium into a single add-on subscription, Google AI Pro for Education. 

This includes all the advanced features previously found in Gemini Education Premium. Google AI Pro for Education provides access to Gemini in Google Workspace apps, including AI-powered note taking and summaries in Google Meet, expanded access to premium models and features in Gemini for Education and NotebookLM, and more proactive security with AI-enhanced data loss prevention. 

Starting today, new customers and resellers can purchase the Google AI Pro for Education add-on, and the Gemini Education and Gemini Education Premium add-ons are no longer available for sale. 

Getting started 

  • Admins: No action is needed. 
    • Customers with a Gemini Education subscription now have access to all the features previously found in Gemini Education Premium. At your next renewal, your subscription will be renamed to Google AI Pro for Education. 
    • Customers with a Gemini Education Premium subscription will not see immediate changes. At your next renewal, we will migrate your subscription to Google AI Pro for Education. 
  • End users: There is no end user impact or action required. 

Rollout pace 

  • Updates in Admin Console will begin taking effect starting August 28, 2025 and may take a couple weeks to roll out for new customers purchasing a Google AI Pro for Education subscription. 
  • Updates to feature availability for existing customers with a Gemini Education subscription are complete. 

Availability 

This update impacts Google Workspace for Education customers who previously purchased Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-ons. 

Google AI Pro for Education is available for Google Workspace: 

  • Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus 

Resources 

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