SaaS Updates Summary: March 8 – 12

We saw most of the action at the beginning of the week, but it was still a doozy. Last week we got the ability to set up breakout rooms ahead of meetings in Google Calendar (finally) and expanded telephony coverage for meet. Plus a friendly reminder that you should upgrade to Google’s new chat application by March 30th. Read about this and more in the links.

Reminder: Switch to the New Desktop Google Chat App Before March 30 2021
Google Workspace Updates | As previously announced, Google plans to switch users from the old electron-based Google Chat app to the new Chat standalone app in March 2021. If you or your users are still using the old version of desktop Google Chat, you should upgrade to the new desktop Chat app before March 30 to minimize any potential disruption.

Set Up Google Meet Breakout Rooms Ahead of Meetings in Google Calendar
Google Workspace Updates | You can now set up Google Meet breakout rooms in advance on Google Calendar. This makes it easier for teachers and meeting facilitators to prepare for differentiated learning, be thoughtful about group dynamics and avoid losing valuable time setting up breakout rooms during the call.

New Google Meet Global Dialing Subscription Expands Telephony Coverage for Meet
Google Workspace Updates | This new add-on subscription will help improve access to video calls by enabling outbound calls to global destinations and dial-in to meetings from more countries. There is no subscription fee; you only pay for the calls your organization makes at the per-minute rate.

Google Workspace Education Plus Admins Can Enable Google Meet Recording for Users With Student Licenses
Google Workspace Updates | Google is adding a new setting for Google Workspace for Education Plus (formerly G Suite for Education) admins that will enable Google Meet recording capabilities for users with Education Plus student licenses. Student licenses are available to customers who purchased Education Plus for their staff.

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