Google just recently rebranded their Google Apps For Work package to G Suite, and although the name change is all about focusing on bringing together team members and allowing them to better connect to work efficiently, the rebrand also comes along with individual updates to a few of the apps that are included in G Suite. This includes updates to Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Google Calendar, all aimed at offering a more intelligent experience to businesses and teams so that they can continue to stay as productive as possible and get things done.
The updates that Google are pushing out to the G Suite apps today are all about making things smarter so that users will be able to more easily make the apps work for them as opposed to working for the apps. Google is making things smarter by utilizing their machine intelligence technology and applying it across the apps listed above, the first of which is Drive with the Quick Access feature that was added today as part of its update. With Quick Access, Drive will attempt to recommend and offer up files to users before they ask or try to search for them based on Drive’s understanding of each user’s individual workday. The idea here is to have the file that you need to access next right on the home screen so there is less browsing that needs to be done, which means more time saved, and overall less time messing about so that users can keep things moving.
When it comes to Docs, Sheets, and Slides, Google has updated these apps with a new Explore feature that will allow users to ask for related files. Explore will also recommend things that are related to what you’re doing in each app. For example, if you’re working on a project for school or work that is about a specific political topic, Docs would try to recommend related content from images to other details that might be of interest or for the user to learn about so that they might be able to insert the additional information into their document. Similar things happen for Slides, as Explore will offer up suggestions based on the stuff that is in a particular slide of the presentation.
As for Sheets, users can ask Explore to offer up answers about their data, all by using words instead of formulas to get the answers they need. The update to Calendar introduces the new “Find a Time” feature that has the ability to suggest times for meetings based on when the contacts you’ve invited are open to attend, and if you’re booking the meeting in a place you’ve booked before, Find a Time will also show you available rooms so you spend less time trying to pin one down. It’s worth noting that the Find a Time feature is only new to iOS at the moment, as Android already offers this feature, but it will be coming to Calendar on the web later this year. Lastly, Google is extending the availability of the Team Drives feature to more users through their Early Adopter Program, which allows team members to collectively manage content that is shared. Google is also extending a feature for Hangouts called Team Meetings, which has been in a small preview status just like Team Drives and will be opening up to more users through the same Early Adopter Program. With Team Meetings, joining a video call to have a meeting is as simple as it’s ever been, allowing anyone to join a meeting even if they don’t have a Google account, as each meeting generates a short link and dial in number to make things quick and painless. While most of these features should be available for the corresponding apps across Google’s platforms as of today, Google mentions that more updates to G Suite apps will be on the way to improve them even more and allow for even better workflow.
