Google Workspace, born G Suite, has some very new options in the near future. If you use Workspace at your company (and / or have Google hardware in your home), you will soon have access to interesting new ways of working remotely.
One interesting addition looks like the “second screen” capability above, which allows you to see meeting attendees on one screen (like a TV via Chromecast) while using your laptop or smart screen for other functions. The live captioning feature available on Pixel devices will be enabled in workspace meetings in English, Spanish, German, Portuguese and French, and a split-screen option on mobile devices is also planned. Calendar gets the opportunity to split work hours into more variable pieces without needing more entries (for those who do not do a conventional 9-5 workday), and the option to share places and availability with colleagues. A new Focus time tool will help minimize notifications and distractions for allotted periods.
Google also plans to launch Workspace Frontline, a new level specifically designed to switch between conventional work teams and frontline workers, such as firefighters, police and emergency medical services. Custom AppSheet applications and enhanced data security will be part of this, although there is no indication of when these services will launch.
If you rely on Google Assistant’s voice commands in your home or in your daily work, you may be frustrated that its powers are mostly limited to your personal Google Account. As of today, this is changing: Assistant now has access to Google Workspace accounts, giving you the opportunity to use and change information in Gmail and Google Calendar. The feature was previously in beta.
You can now use the “hey Google, when is my next meeting” command without entering your work calendar into your personal account, or even dictating a quick email to someone in your work contact list. Do not try, however: this feature will be extended to Google Workspace accounts over the next two weeks, and it will be disabled by default (your Workspace administrator must enable it first). It should work on phones and smart speakers, although technically it’s still in beta for the latter.
