Google Apps

538 'Google Apps' stories May 2011 - May 2016

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Google Hangouts on the web now has a dense mode without the clutter

Stephen Hall May 10 2016 - 1:03 pm PT

You may know that you can access Hangouts via classic Google+ and Gmail, but did you know it also has a standalone web client over at hangouts.google.com? Now, Google has announced that you can show the list of conversations at all three sites in a new denser view.

This might be particularly enticing if you were a long-time GChat user, as it ditches the profiles images and frills to provide an experience that’s straightforward and simple…

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Google Calendar now sends web notifications to remind you of events

Abner Li May 10 2016 - 9:42 am PT

After adding a new Goals feature on Android and iOS, Google Calendar will now send users event notifications on the web. Google is likely moving away from using email notifications as Drive recently added a similar capability.

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Google feeds its AI machines steamy romance novels to improve natural language processing

Cam Bunton May 5 2016 - 6:05 am PT

Over the past couple of years, Google has been implementing a number of AI, or machine-learning technologies, in to its products. Whether it’s intuitive search within the Photos app, better automatic thumbnail creation in YouTube, ‘Smart Reply’ in Inbox, or just straight-out beating an 18-time Go world champion, its artificial intelligent brains are being developed and honed.

With all of its incredible talent, apparently, there’s still work to be done when it comes to results from neural networks sounding and looking like naturally spoken or written human language. The solution: feeding it steamy romance…

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Google Slides receives big update w/ audience Q&A feature, new iOS presentation options, more

Abner Li May 4 2016 - 11:48 am PT

Google’s web-based alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint is getting a big update today that adds the ability for members of the audience to easily ask questions during a presentation. Additionally, Google Slides is adding more presentation options on iOS and a cool laser pointer tool.

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Google Contacts preview now supports contact import from third-party services

Abner Li May 3 2016 - 2:33 pm PT

Despite being announced over a year ago, the revamped Google Contacts still remains a preview. An update to the web app today adds the ability to import contacts from a variety of popular third-party services.

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Google acquires training service Synergyse, will integrate into Apps later this year

Abner Li May 2 2016 - 10:41 am PT

Google continues to double down on its enterprise offerings with more than two million businesses around the world paying for the Apps suite of products. To encourage users to make the most out of Gmail, Drive, and Calendar, Google is acquiring cloud-based training software company Synergyse.

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Google Drive will now send alert notifications on the web in Chrome

Abner Li Apr 25 2016 - 10:43 am PT

In the past, the primary way of interacting with Google Drive notifications was through email. It was only recently that Drive on Android and iOS begin sending alert notifications. Starting today, Google Drive will also send out notifications on the web in Chrome.

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Google Keep gets a Chrome extension to easily save & add notes to links and images

Abner Li Apr 20 2016 - 10:39 am PT

Update: The Android app is receiving a similar update that allows users to add notes right from the Share menu. Additionally, hashtags in notes now act as labels.

Google Keep started out as a basic, cross platform note taking app with reminders and has slowly gained more features like image uploading, advanced search, and drawing. An update today adds a new Chrome extension that allows users to easily save and markup web pages and images.

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Inbox by Gmail update makes newsletters glanceable and adds a Pocket-like save feature

Abner Li Apr 20 2016 - 9:55 am PT

Since its launch in 2014, Inbox has been updated with many smart features to make managing email simpler. An update today adds a trio of new features to keep better track of Google Calendar events, shorten newsletters, and save links to view later.

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Ability to download individual Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for offline editing now rolling out

Abner Li Apr 18 2016 - 6:17 pm PT

In 2013, Google Drive addressed one of the biggest advantages of Microsoft Office: offline access and editing. With this feature enabled, Docs, Slides, and Sheets effectively becomes a native application. An update starting today will allow users to select specific files to store and edit without an internet connection.

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Podcasts are now live in Google Play Music & rolling out to Android users, coming soon to iOS

Abner Li Apr 18 2016 - 10:39 am PT

As leaked by NPR last week, podcasts are now live in Play Music. Google announced the feature last October and podcasters have since been able to upload their shows. Besides just subscribing and listening, Google will apply the same recommendation features for music to podcasts.

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Google Calendar for Android and iOS will intelligently find a time for your personal goals

Abner Li Apr 13 2016 - 1:47 am PT

Last year, Google Calendar was updated with reminders that sync between Inbox, Keep, and Google Now. Users can now add personal goals, and Calendar will intelligently finding the best time for them. The updated Android and iOS apps also has smart features like reminders and will automatically reschedule in case of conflicts.

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Google Photos for Android gains the ability to manually backup photos

Abner Li Apr 12 2016 - 2:52 pm PT

In the last Google Photos for Android update, edited images no longer made a copy and replaced the original picture. Today, a smaller update is rolling out that adds the ability to manually backup photos in albums that do not have automatic upload turned on.

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Google Photos on the web gets direct album uploads and new keyboard shortcuts

Abner Li Apr 8 2016 - 1:05 pm PT

The most recent update to Google Photos on the web introduced some much-needed editing features. Today’s addition of direct album uploads and new keyboard shortcuts will be a huge help when editing photos in bulk.

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Updated plugin allows users to browse and insert Drive files from Microsoft Outlook

Abner Li Apr 6 2016 - 9:59 am PT

Last July, Google created a plugin that allowed Office users to open documents stored in Google Drive and automatically sync back edits. Today, while these are features that have long been part of Gmail on the web and Android, an update to the Drive plugin for Outlook will allow users to insert Drive documents into emails, save incoming attachments, and have access to other features found in Gmail.

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Google brings Reminders feature to Calendar on the web

Jordan Kahn Apr 5 2016 - 9:24 am PT

Google is today making Reminders accessible in Google Calendar on the web after previously adding the feature to the app for Android and iPhone users. The Reminders that you create in other Google app– like Inbox, Keep, and the Google app, for example– will show up in Calendar and stay synced across apps as you make changes.

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Google Admin app for Android updated w/ full mobile device management features

Abner Li Mar 28 2016 - 12:03 pm PT

Mobile first is a frequent buzz phrase for newly minted startups and for the most part it is easy for them to achieve. However, for legacy companies with products designed for the web, it is often harder to cram functionality and information on a smaller screen. With that in mind, the Google for Work Admin app for Android has been updated with mobile device management features previously restricted to the full web app.

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PSA: Google has made phone calls to Belgium and Turkey free on Hangouts

Abner Li Mar 22 2016 - 4:29 pm PT

In light of today’s appalling events in Brussels, as well as recent violence in Turkey, Google is offering free calls using Hangouts and Google Voice to the two countries. The company has done the same after similar events in France and is rolling out additional emergency resources via Google Now and Search to those in Brussels.

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Albums in Google Photos get smarter, now let you add maps, locations, and captions

Abner Li Mar 22 2016 - 10:25 am PT

Google Photos launched last year with numerous smart features, like face and object detection, that make sorting and finding your photos much easier. While the Assistant feature can already create photo collages and animations from burst shots, albums are about to get smarter with more features in an update rolling out today…

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Minor Google Drive for Android update now lets you edit files with just a tap

Abner Li Mar 21 2016 - 12:34 pm PT

An update rolling out to Google Drive for Android will allow you to more easily edit documents and images uploaded to Drive using edit apps like Google Photos and Google Docs. The update also adds more options to sort files.

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Google Hangouts now lets App customers video chat with up to 25 participants

Jordan Kahn Mar 16 2016 - 11:07 am PT

You’ll soon be able to hold video chat meetings with much larger groups as today Google begins increasing the number of participants Apps customers can have in a Google Hangouts video call at any one time. The old limit of 10 participants today gets increased to 25 users.

The change comes to Apps customers only— Business, Government, and Education— while all other Hangouts users will still have the old limit of 10 participants for video.

Google notes that it will only show “the 10 most active video call participants” along the bottom of the video chat to maintain quality, but it will switch on the fly between active users for the new limit of up to 25 participants.

All Apps customers should start to see the new participant limit increase roll out over the next few days.

Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, & Slides will soon let you set expiration dates for document access

Jordan Kahn Mar 15 2016 - 11:01 am PT

Google is adding the ability to set expiration dates for access to documents across Google Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides apps. The idea is that you can limit a contributor’s access to a document for a specific time period, which Google points out will come in handy for companies and organizations that often share files with third-parties temporarily:

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Google Docs apps add much-needed iPad Pro support, but still lack iOS 9 multitasking

Zac Hall Mar 8 2016 - 10:08 am PT

Google is on a roll lately with readying its iOS apps for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro announced last September and released last November.

Google’s YouTube app gained native resolution two weeks ago, but lacked iOS 9 multitasking features like Split View and Picture-in-Picture, then yesterday we saw Google Photos update with iPad Pro support in an update that actually includes Split View and Slide Over features.

Now it’s the Google Docs apps turn, at least to start, as the latest version of Google Docs for iOS adds native resolution support for the iPad Pro.

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Google for Work’s new Hub shows what apps employees are able to use

Abner Li Mar 2 2016 - 1:15 pm PT

Since last year, Google has been working to streamline its enterprise and cloud business. Dianne Greene, formerly of VMWare, is head of a group that combines the previously separate Google Cloud Platform, Google Apps, and Google for Work. A quick update today for the latter service adds a view that shows all the apps to which a user has access.

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