U-M Google Updates

Updates

Calendar

• Automatic addition of owned secondary calendars to your calendar list

  As part of Google’s secondary calendar management changes, all secondary calendars you own will now consistently be displayed in your calendar list within your Calendar settings. You may have noticed that calendars you’d previously unsubscribed from have since been added back to your calendar list if Google assigned you as the owner. If you no longer wish to manage a specific calendar, you can either delete it or transfer ownership to someone else.

Chat

• Schedule messages to be sent later

  Similar to Slack’s schedule send feature, you can now schedule Chat messages to be sent later. When composing a message in a Chat conversation or space, click the down arrow to the left of the send (paper plane) icon and select a suggested date/time or custom time from the drop-down. You can schedule messages to send up to 120 days in the future. Learn more about scheduling messages in Chat.

• Block messages from unknown senders

  A new setting in Chat allows you to restrict who can invite you to 1:1 conversations and spaces. By default, this setting allows invitations from anyone, but you can also restrict incoming requests to known senders only for 1:1 conversations, spaces, or both.

  If you restrict conversation invites, you can only be contacted by someone external to U-M if you’ve previously interacted with that individual or they’re in your contacts. Invitations that don’t meet this criteria will be sent to spam. This setting has no impact on messages between you and other individuals at U-M, regardless of whether you’ve had previous conversations with them. Learn more about restricting conversation invitations in Chat.

• Control whether others can request to join a space

  Another new setting in Chat allows space owners and managers to control whether others can request to join their space. Toggling the “Request to join” setting off prevents others from requesting to join your space if they receive a direct link to it.

• Forward messages

  You can now forward messages from external (non-UM) conversations to your internal (U-M) conversations. This includes 1:1 and group conversations and spaces. When you forward a message from a 1:1 or group conversation, a reminder about sensitive information will appear.

  At this time, you can’t forward messages:

  - From an internal conversation to an external conversation.

  - From an external conversation to other external conversations.

  Learn more about forwarding messages in Chat.

Drive

• Set Forms to automatically stop accepting responses based on date/time or response count

  Form owners and editors can now set a specific date/time to close the form, or a response count that will automatically trigger it to close. Previously, form creators had to manually stop a form from accepting new responses. This feature is off by default when creating forms and can be enabled by form creators after publishing a form. Learn more about automatically closing a Form for new responses.

  

• Edit password-protected Microsoft files in Drive

  You can now edit password-protected Microsoft files within Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web. When opening a password-protected file, you have two options: preview or edit. Opening the file in Edit mode requires you to enter the file’s password to access it. This removes the password from the file for all collaborators, so they won’t need to enter the password each time they open the file in Drive. Opening the file in Preview mode keeps the password on it and must be entered again the next time you open it. Learn more about editing password-protected Microsoft files in Drive.

  

• Save PDFs opened in Chrome to Drive

  When signed into and using the Chrome browser on your computer, you can now save PDFs directly to Drive without leaving the page. These PDFs are saved to a “Saved from Chrome” folder in your My Drive. You can still save other web content using the "Save to Google Drive" Chrome extension. Learn more about saving PDFs to Drive from Chrome.

Gemini & NotebookLM

• Structured Data Tables in NotebookLM

  You can ask NotebookLM to organize and analyse your source information into a structured data table that can be exported to a Google Sheet. Under Studio to the right, click Data Table or the pencil icon on it to customize your table prompt. When satisfied with the result, click the three-dots icon next to the generated table and select Export to Sheets. The content of your data table will populate the first tab of a new Sheet, and any citations will populate the second tab.

• Add NotebookLM notebooks as a source in Gemini

  You can finally reference your NotebookLM notebooks as sources in the Gemini web and mobile apps. Click the plus (+) sign on the left of the prompt box and select NotebookLM. Select the specific notebooks you want to use and click Add.

• Create custom soundtracks with Lyria 3 in Gemini

  Using Google’s new Lyria 3 music generation model, you can create custom 30-second soundtracks in Gemini on the web and mobile app. In the prompt box, click Tools, then select Create music. (As with all Gemini features, there are limits for how many tracks you can create with Lyria. You’ll receive a notification when you’ve exceeded the limit and when you can access the feature again.) Learn more about creating music and tips for prompting Lyria 3 in Gemini.

Meet

• Share stereo sound with audio content

  If a presenter is sharing content with stereo audio (separate left/right audio channels), the stereo sound will now apply to the audio presented via Meet as well. This feature is only available for Meet on the web in the Chrome and Firefox browsers for both presenters and attendees. Learn more about presenting in Meet.

• Share your device’s audio when presenting

  You can now share your device audio when presenting a specific window or your entire screen during a Meet session. Previously, you could only share audio from the specific Chrome tab you were presenting. Technical requirements include macOS 14.2 or newer or Windows 11 or newer, and your browser must be Chrome 142 or newer. Toggle the Presentation audio setting on while presenting, or Also share system audio when selecting the content to screen share.

  

• Move shared content to a separate window

  Similar to Zoom’s tab feature, meeting participants can now move screen-shared content into a standalone window with the “Open in new window” option. This feature works for all screen share content types.

Previously Communicated

Changes to secondary calendar management in Google Calendar

Updates

Calendar

• New pre-configured appointment booking pages

  Individuals who didn’t have an appointment schedule set up previously have had a pre-configured booking page created for them in the left sidebar. The pre-configured booking page is based on your working hours, and will automatically update to avoid conflicts on your calendar. (If you change your working hours at a later date, you will need to update the availability of your appointment schedule manually to reflect this change.) There is also no way to delete this pre-configured booking page.

  Additionally, appointment schedules can now be viewed in the left sidebar. You can choose to quickly hide any booking pages you don’t want to appear on your calendar by clicking the three-dot icon while hovering over a schedule and selecting Hide from calendar. Learn more about editing your appointment schedules.

• Block off time to complete a task

  You can now block off time on your calendar to complete a Google Task. Previously, the task would only appear at the top of your day view with other “all-day” events. As you would with any calendar event, you can select a time block, click Task at the top of the event details, add the relevant information such as description and visibility, and click Save. The task will also appear on your Google Tasks list (either from the right side panel or at tasks.google.com), and you will be reminded until it is completed. Learn more about creating a Task in Calendar.

  

Chat

• Changes to membership roles in spaces

  In October, Google made a significant change to membership roles in spaces. The changes are as follows:

  - Existing "Space Managers" are now known as "owners" and retain full control over the space.

  - A new "manager" role has been added. Managers have the same permissions as owners, except they cannot delete the space or upgrade members or other managers to the owner role.

  - The "member" role remains unchanged.

  Learn more about the owner and manager roles in Chat spaces.

• Use stickers to chat

  You can now send stickers in your one-to-one or group direct messages and spaces. Stickers are available on the web via chat.google.com or in the Chat tab of Gmail. Learn more about sending stickers and GIFs in Chat.

• A redesigned space integrations menu

  The redesigned menu is accessible through the plus (+) button beside the compose bar or by typing a forward slash (/) in your Chat space. The redesign is meant to make it easier to find and use your apps and actions quickly.

• A redesigned Chat conversation header

  The redesigned conversation header includes a side panel where you can access shared content and manage tasks without leaving the conversation view. The panel’s width can also be adjusted or expanded to a full-screen view as needed. The new header icons and their actions are as follows:

  - Folder icon to access shared files, links, and media.

  - Checkmark icon to create and manage space tasks.

  - Spool icon to view and respond to active threads.

  - Push pin icon to view pinned messages, files, and shared links. 

  Learn more about navigating Chat.

• Inline threading now available in direct messages

  Google has brought inline threading to one-to-one and group direct messages (DMs). This update allows you to reply in-thread to any message in a DM. Previously, inline threading was only available in spaces. Within a DM, hover over the message you want to reply to and click the spool icon to reply in a threaded chat.

• Preview unread messages in the left navigation

  You can now preview the last unread message in a conversation directly from the left navigation in Chat without marking it as read by hovering over the bolded conversation. 

Drive

• Set sharing expirations on files and folders in shared drives

  You now have the ability to set expiring access for files and folders in shared drives directly from the sharing dialog on the web. Previously, this feature was only available for files/folders in your My Drive. Files in shared drives can have their expiration set for any collaborator role (Viewer, Commenter, or Editor). However, folders in drives can only have an expiration date set for the Viewer role.

  Additionally, Google has changed the expiration behavior of files/folders in My Drive to align with the new shared drive experience. Previously, when you granted someone temporary Editor access to a file inside a parent folder of which they were a Viewer, they would lose all access to the file once their Editor permission expired. Now, when their temporary Editor access expires, their permission on the file will revert to the access they have on the parent folder, and they won’t lose access to the file completely. Learn more about managing expiring access in Drive.

• Additional languages available for automatically generated captions for videos in Drive

  When you upload a video to Drive, Google will automatically detect if the video is in one of the 27 newly supported languages and generate captions for it. Previously, this feature was only available in English. New languages available include Arabic, German, Korean, Spanish, and more. Support for Chinese is coming soon. Learn more about automatically generated captions in Drive.

• New interface for viewing PDFs, videos, images, and audio files in Drive on the web

  Google has improved the interface for viewing third-party file types, such as PDFs, videos, images, and audio files. To open the new interface, you must open the file in a new tab and not in Preview mode (which is the mode you’re placed in when double-clicking on a third-party Drive file). Instead, right-click on the file, hover over Open with, and select Open in new tab.

  The new interface includes:

  - A new left rail for PDFs, which includes a table of contents (where applicable) and thumbnails

  - A new file menu similar to what you’d find when opening a Google Doc

  - A new toolbar and app bar

  - An option to search by transcript when looking at a video

  Tip: If you would like PDFs to always open in a new tab, rather than in Preview mode, you can adjust this within your Drive settings. (Unfortunately, this is not an adjustable setting available for other file types.) Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select Settings. Scroll to the “Open PDFs” section and select New tab.

  

Gemini & NotebookLM

• Gems sharing in the Gemini web app

  You can now share Gems you’ve created in the Gemini web app with other U-M Google accounts. Gems are customizable versions of Gemini that you can personalize. Once shared, the Gem is stored in Drive and other accounts can edit, use, or make a copy of the Gem.

  Gems are only shareable when custom knowledge is uploaded from a device to the Gem or files are added from Google Drive. If any other file types are added (e.g., code folders, emails, etc.), the Gem will no longer be shareable, and the sharing button will be greyed out and unavailable. Learn more about sharing Gems in the Gemini web app.

• Learning Guide in NotebookLM

  The new Learning Guide option in NotebookLM acts as your personal tutor by breaking down problems step-by-step and adapting explanations to your needs as you study. Learn about other ways NotebookLM can support your learning.

• Generate presentations in the Gemini app

  You can now ask Gemini to generate Slides presentations using the Canvas tool in the app. (Note this is not the same as Canvas at U-M or Slack canvases.) Open the Gemini web app, click Tools in the toolbar, select Canvas, and ask Gemini to “create a presentation.” You can specify a topic or upload your own source with the prompt.

• Gemini Deep Research now integrates with your Workspace content

  Gemini’s Deep Research tool now integrates directly with your Gmail, Chat, and Drive. This update eliminates the need for manual file uploads by allowing Gemini to automatically pull context from your emails, Chat conversations, and Drive files (including Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDFs, and other non-Google files). This allows the tool to generate more comprehensive and personalized reports. Learn more about using Deep Research in Gemini.

  To engage with this new update, you must connect Gemini with the Google Workspace app. Go to the Gemini Connected Apps page on the web and toggle the Google Workspace app on.

• Gemini 3 for the Gemini app

  In November, Google updated the models used in the Gemini app from version 2.5 to 3. They also renamed the models in the following ways:

  - Fast (previously Flash) now uses the 3 Flash model.

  - Thinking is a new option for more advanced questions that also uses the 3 Flash model.

  - Pro (and its Deep Research tool) now uses the 3 Pro model.

  Additionally, Google redesigned the web app’s navigation sidebar and added a new “My Stuff” folder where you can find the images, videos, and reports you recently created. Learn more about using the Gemini app at U-M.

• Nano Banana Pro in Gemini app and NotebookLM

  Also in November, Google introduced Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image), their new AI image generation and editing model for the Gemini app and NotebookLM. With Nano Banana Pro, you can generate images in the Gemini app and create infographics in NotebookLM. Learn more about using Nano Banana Pro in the Gemini app and NotebookLM.

Meet

• Set timers on the web

  You can now create meeting timers from the Meet sidebar. Host/co-hosts can manage the timer if host controls are on. If the host controls are off, anyone in the meeting can manage it. Once the timer is started, it will be visible to all meeting participants. You can also pause or cancel the timer once it starts. Learn more about using timers in Meet.

• Changes to meeting links when changing recurrence or start time of recurring Calendar events

  Google has changed what happens to Meet links when you edit recurring Calendar events. Moving forward, when you modify the start time or recurrence of a recurring event for "This and following events," the remaining events will automatically generate a new, unique Meet link. The original event series will keep the original Meet link. All properties of the Meet session (e.g., host, cohosts, access restriction, etc.) are preserved for both Meet links. Previously, when this action was taken on an event, the remaining events used the original Meet link.

• Automatically open picture-in-picture mode when screen sharing

  Meet now supports automatically opening picture-in-picture mode when starting a screen share during a meeting. This will allow you to view your audience while focusing on your presentation content. Previously, picture-in-picture mode only opened automatically when you switched tabs.

  In addition to this change, you can now control when picture-in-picture should open automatically from the General tab in Meet settings.

  Note that automatic picture-in-picture mode for tab switching requires you to grant permission in your browser once. Learn more about using automatic picture-in-picture mode in Meet.

Previously Communicated

Updates to restricted file/folder sharing experience in Google Drive

Google has made a significant change to the way secondary calendars in Google Calendar are managed and owned. A secondary calendar is any calendar you create or that someone else creates and shares with you. These differ from your primary calendar and any resource calendars you may manage, which currently remain unaffected by this change. (Refer to the ITS Knowledge Base if you’re unsure whether your calendar is a secondary or resource calendar.)

What’s changing?

• Secondary calendars now have a single, dedicated owner. Previously, secondary calendar ownership was managed using the “Make changes and manage sharing” permission.
  • Now, the calendar creator becomes the owner when a new secondary calendar is created.
  • Existing secondary calendars created before this change have had an owner assigned based on the existing calendar permissions.
    • Based on our testing, the individual who created the calendar and had the “Make changes and manage sharing” permission has been assigned as the owner.
    • However, Google has not informed us of how they determined ownership for existing calendars. This includes scenarios such as:
      • There were multiple individuals with the “Make changes and manage sharing” permission, and the creator is no longer shared on the calendar and/or no longer has an active U-M Google account.
      • No one shared on the calendar had the “Make changes and manage sharing” permission.
    • If you notice an owner is assigned incorrectly, reach out to the individual and ask them to transfer ownership to the appropriate person.
• You can now transfer ownership of secondary calendars to another individual at U-M.
  • Only the current calendar owner can transfer ownership.
  • Secondary calendars cannot be transferred to an external (non-UM) Google account. (They must have a U-M Google account with Calendar access.)
  • The individual must be shared on the calendar before you can transfer ownership to them. (They don’t need to have the “Make changes and manage sharing” permission.)
  • After you transfer the calendar to another owner, they will receive an email with a link. The new owner has 60 days to accept ownership, and you will remain the owner until they do so. If they never accept, you will remain the owner.
  • Once the new owner accepts the transfer, your permission level for the calendar automatically changes to “Make changes and manage sharing.”

Refer to the ITS Knowledge Base for more information on transferring ownership of secondary calendars.

Google has announced two changes to how restricted sharing permissions are handled in Google Drive. These updates, which build upon the new "limited access" folder feature from earlier this year, are designed to simplify permission management within shared folders.

What’s changing?

• Individuals with permission to restrict access on a parent shared folder will no longer see the “Update item only”/ “Remove from item” options.
  • These options would previously appear when:
    • You changed a collaborator's role on a file to something different than what their role is on the parent folder, such as changing it from Editor to Viewer (“Update item only” option).
    • You unshared/removed access to a file from someone who is shared on the parent folder (“Remove from item” option).
• Moving forward, an individual’s permissions on the parent shared folder will always cascade down to every file and folder within it. The only situation in which this wouldn’t occur is if you create a limited access folder and restrict their access to the files within it.
  • Pre-existing files that you updated before this change won’t update their permissions to match the parent, even if you move them within the shared folder.
  • Google has stated that they will apply limited access permissions to pre-existing files in 2026. We will provide additional communications closer to when that change occurs and as we know more from Google.

• Files with the “Allow editors to change permissions and share” setting turned OFF will be updated.
  • As of September 22, when a file has this setting turned off and the owner moves it into a shared folder, any changes made to the parent shared folder’s permissions afterward will also be applied to the file. (Previously, those changes were only applied if the file owner was the one making the folder permission change.)
    • This ensures that the folder's permissions control the access for everything it contains, even when this setting is turned off at the file level.
  • Beginning October 8, Google will automatically apply limited access to individual files that have this setting turned off. The file owner will still be the only person who can share these files. Limited access will not be applied to files that turn the setting off after October 8.
    • Note: You can’t apply limited access to an individual file yourself. Only Google can do this as part of system-wide permission upgrades like this one. If you’d like to apply limited access to an individual file after October 8, follow Google’s guidance on moving it to a limited access folder.
    • According to Google, when they automatically apply limited access to an individual file within a shared folder, it remains hidden from people with access to that shared folder. The automatic change doesn’t change who can access the file.

Refer to the Google Help Center to learn more about limiting access to folders in My Drive and shared drives. Refer to Best Practices for Sharing in Google Drive for other tips on sharing at U-M.

Updates

Chat

• Mark a thread as unread

  You can now mark threads as unread in Chat messages. Previously, you could only mark messages in the main conversation stream as unread. Learn more about marking a thread as read/unread.

Drive

• New alert badge when accessing externally-owned or shared files

  A badge now displays on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files when the file is owned by or shared with someone external to U-M Google. You'll also see a pop-up with more details and the option to report the externally-owned file for abuse (if applicable). These alerts help you identify potentially harmful files and when to be cautious when sharing confidential information in external files.

  

• Granular control options for who can respond to existing Forms

  Last year, Google upgraded Forms to give you more granular control over who can access and respond to them. At the time, this only applied to newly created forms. In August 2025, Google automatically upgraded all existing forms to the new controls. The upgraded experience is now similar to how you normally share Google files with external individuals. Learn more about publishing and sharing forms with responders.

  One major change is that you could previously restrict responses to “trusted domains” (i.e., University of Michigan). This capability was phased out on September 8 as part of the upgrade. Responders from trusted domains can no longer access or submit responses to these forms. You must review the sharing settings in your upgraded forms to ensure responders regain access if you used the “trusted domains” feature.

• Restrict printing, copying, and downloading abilities of editors

  File owners and shared drive Managers can now apply printing, copying, and downloading restrictions to collaborators with edit permissions. (Editors still retain their editing abilities.) Previously, they could only apply this restriction to viewers and commenters. Learn more about restricting permissions for collaborators in Drive.

• Send feedback directly to Form owners 

  Form responders can now contact form owners directly by clicking Help and feedback at the bottom of a form and selecting Contact form owner. Learn more about contacting form owners.

• Search for embedded content in Sites

  When you perform a search, the results will also include content from within embedded files, such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and PDFs. Previously, searching on a site only showed results from the text directly on the pages. Learn more about searching for embedded content in Sites.

• Refreshed user interface in Google Drive for desktop app

  The Drive for desktop app will now display important information, such as sync activity, notifications, shared files, and more in a single view. Learn more about the Google Drive for desktop redesign.

  

• Video engagement insights in Drive

  You can view the total number of times a video is opened under a new Analytics section within the Details panel. To view the new Analytics section, open the video in Drive > click the three-dot menu > click Details > locate the "Analytics" section.

• Thumbnail previews on video progress bars in Drive

  Similar to YouTube, you can now view thumbnail previews when hovering over the video’s progress bar in Drive. This feature is only available for newly uploaded videos.

• Arrow keys move an object by a pixel distance in Slides

  Using the arrow keys to “nudge” an object in a Slides presentation will now move it by one pixel. If you want to move the object a larger distance, press Shift + arrow key.

Gemini & NotebookLM

• Create quizzes in Gemini

  You can generate quizzes for any subject in the Gemini app by uploading relevant documents or entering a prompt like “Give me a practice quiz about the nervous system.” Based on the uploaded files or prompt, Gemini will generate interactive quizzes, featuring multiple-choice or true-or-false questions. Once you’ve completed the quiz, you’ll see an overall score, accuracy breakdown, and insights regarding areas of improvement and where to focus your study efforts. Learn more about creating quizzes in Gemini.

• New study tools in Gemini

  You can now use Gemini to create flashcards and study guides, and customize the number of questions and question types in generated quizzes. Gemini will now automatically integrate visuals and YouTube videos into its responses. Finally, you can utilize the new “Guided Learning” feature, which walks you through subjects step-by-step. Learn more about Guided Learning and the other study tools in Gemini.

  

• Create illustrated storybooks in Gemini

  You can now use Gemini to craft personalized, illustrated storybooks about any topic with read-aloud narration.

• Video Overviews and upgrades to the Studio panel in NotebookLM

  Like Audio Overviews, you can now turn your notebooks and their sources into Video Overviews that are narrated by an AI voice. You have the option to customize your Video Overview by specifying topics to focus on, indicating your learning goals, describing the target audience, and more. Relatedly, you can now generate multiple Audio Overviews in a single notebook and shareable links to content, such as Audio Overviews and Video Overviews. Learn more about Video Overviews in NotebookLM.

• Introducing Gemini Live

  Gemini Live is a conversational feature available in the Gemini mobile app. With Live, you can talk naturally with Gemini, asking it questions, brainstorming ideas, and more. You can even share your live camera view to ask questions about your surroundings. (As with other Gemini features, your interactions are not human-reviewed or used to train Google’s AI models, as long as you are using your U-M Google account to access the app.) Learn more about using Gemini Live.

• Incorporate information from Calendar, Tasks, and Keep in your conversations with Gemini Live

  You can now reference Calendar, Tasks, and Keep in your conversations with Gemini Live. Examples include asking Gemini about upcoming meetings on your Calendar, specific notes in Keep, or upcoming Tasks. To reference Calendar, Tasks, and Keep in conversations, the “Google Workspace apps” app must be enabled in your Gemini settings.

Mail

• Link your Calendar booking pages when composing emails

  By clicking the Calendar icon at the bottom of your email draft in Gmail, you can view a list of existing booking pages (i.e., appointment schedules) and an option to create a new booking page. Once a booking page is selected, it will be automatically inserted into the email draft. Learn more about appointment schedules and booking pages in Calendar.

Meet

• Customizable caption styling

  You can now customize the styling of captions in Meet, including the font size, font type, color, and background color. You can customize captions during the meeting by hovering over them or going to Settings > Captions > Customize your captions. Your settings will persist across your meetings and can be changed at any time.

• New host management control for who can ask to join a meeting

  Meeting hosts can now control who can request to join a meeting. This option is available when the meeting access type is “Trusted” or “Restricted” and can be configured:

  • From the Calendar invite: Go to Video call options (gear icon) > Host controls > Meeting access type. When “Trusted” or “Restricted” is selected, you can uncheck the “Anyone with the meeting link can ask to join" box.
  • During the meeting: Go to Host controls (lock icon) > Meeting access type. You can uncheck the “Anyone with the meeting link can ask to join” box.

  Learn more about controlling access to Meet sessions.

Previously Communicated

None!