SaaS Updates Summary: December 8 – 11

It was a busier week than normal for the folks at Google. Over the last few days, we began saying our goodbyes to IE 11 support on Google Workspace. Plus, multiple page orientations in one doc now! Rejoice! Dive into the links to learn more about these and all of the other updates from Google this week.

Control Access to AppSheet With a New Admin Console Setting
Google Workspace Updates | On December 14, 2020, Google Workspace admins will begin seeing a new control for AppSheet in the Additional Google services section of the Admin console. AppSheet is available to all Google Workspace customers; this new setting simply gives admins the ability to enable or disable user access to AppSheet at the domain, organizational unit (OU), group, or level.

Use the New Apps Script Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Script Editor
Google Workspace Updates | Google redesigned the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Google Apps Script. The new IDE offers a more modern and simplified development experience which makes it quicker and easier to build solutions that make Google Workspace apps more useful for your organization.

Ending Support for IE11 for All Google Workspace Apps
Google Workspace Updates | Microsoft recently announced that they will stop supporting Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11). As a result, Google recommends that users switch to a different browser as soon as possible, to avoid any possible disruptions in service such as degraded performance or security vulnerabilities. Google Workspace will officially stop supporting IE 11 on March 15, 2021.

Improving Search in Google Drive on Android and iOS
Google Workspace Updates | Google is launching new features for the Google Drive mobile apps that will help you search more quickly and efficiently. Now, Android and iOS users with the latest versions of the Drive app will be able to see and re-run recent desktop and mobile searches. Additionally, you can view and select intelligent suggestions as they type, including suggestions for people, past searches, and keywords, as well as recently accessed files.

Some Google Meet Settings Now “Sticky” for Education Users
Google Workspace Updates | Google is changing the behavior of some Google Meet settings for G Suite for Education and Enterprise for Education customers. Specifically, certain settings are now “sticky.” This means that if you turn them on or off during a meeting, they will be saved for any future meetings that use the same meeting code.

Increasing Shared External Contact Limit to 200,000 Contacts
Google Workspace Updates | Shared external contacts are users outside of your domain who you add to your company directory. Previously, there was a limit of 50,000 external contacts. Now that limit is 200,000. Additionally, the total storage limit has been increased from 20MB to 40MB.

Use Macro Converter Add-On to Convert Microsoft Excel Files With Macros to Google Sheets
Google Workspace Updates | Many organizations use macros in Sheets and Excel to automate processes. Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers can use the Macro Conversion add-on to determine the compatibility of Excel files, and help convert them where possible.

Use Secure LDAP to Log Into macOS With Google Credentials
Google Workspace Updates | You can now use Secure LDAP on MacOS devices. Once enabled, users can log in to MacOS devices with their Google Workspace or Cloud Identity login credentials. This can help simplify access management by using a single directory—the Workspace identity and access management (IAM) platform—to manage access to MacOS devices.

For last week’s SaaS updates (and beyond), click here for our archive.