Google Workspace updates from June 5

New features and improvements for Google Workspace

View this email in your browser Update(s) in this email: Write messages faster and easier with smart compose in Google Chat Simplify and strengthen sign-in by enabling passkeys for your users, available now in open beta Write messages faster and easier with smart compose in Google Chat June 5, 2023, 3:47 pm What's changing We've made it easier for you to write high-quality emails and content faster with smart compose in Gmail and Google Docs. This machine-learning powered feature suggests relevant contextual phrases as you type, saves you time by cutting back on repetitive writing, and also reduces spelling and grammatical errors.  Today, we're excited to announce smart compose is now available in Google Chat on web. Coupled with smart reply, an existing assistive tool that suggests short replies to messages, this feature will help you communicate with colleagues quicker to move conversations or projects forward more efficiently.  Who's impacted  End users  Why it matters  Many rely on Chat for their immediate communication needs while juggling competing priorities. This feature helps you compose messages faster and easier, saving time and effort.  Additional details  Smart compose is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian.  Getting started  Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. Smart compose in Chat respects the user's smart features and personalization setting. A default value of this setting can be controlled by admins. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning on or off Gmail, Chat, and Meet smart features and personalization.  End users:  This feature will be ON by default and can be disabled by unchecking "Enable predictive suggestions as you compose a message on web and desktop" under smart compose within Chat settings.  When you see a suggestion that you like, click the "tab" button to use it. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Smart Compose in Google Chat. Rollout pace  Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 5, 2023 Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 26, 2023  Availability  Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts  Resources  Google Workspace Admin Help: Turn on or off Gmail, Chat, and Meet smart features and personalization  Google Help: Use Smart Compose in Google Chat Simplify and strengthen sign-in by enabling passkeys for your users, available now in open beta June 5, 2023, 12:11 pm What's changing Google Workspace is enabling the use of passkeys as a simpler and safer alternative to passwords to sign-in to Google Accounts. Additionally, Workspace admins can now allow users to use passkeys to skip passwords at sign-in for Workspace apps — this feature gives users the option to skip entering their password and sign-in with passkeys using a fingerprint, face recognition, or other screen-lock mechanism across phones, laptops, or desktop.  This feature is available as an open beta, which means admins can use it without enrolling in a specific beta program.  Passkeys have been designed with user privacy in mind. When a user signs in with a passkey to their Workspace apps, such as a Gmail or Google Drive, the passkey can confirm that a user has access to their device and can unlock it with a fingerprint, face recognition, or other screen-lock mechanism. The user's biometric data is never sent to Google's servers or other websites and apps.  Who's impacted  Admins and end users  Why you'd use it  Passkeys are a new, passwordless sign-in method that can offer a more convenient and secure authentication experience across websites and apps. Passkeys are based on an industry standard and available across popular browsers and operating systems that people use every day, including Android, ChromeOS, iOS, macOS, and Windows. Google early data (March - April 2023) shows that passkeys are 2x faster and 4x less error prone than passwords.  Passkeys are based on the same public key cryptographic protocols that underpin physical security keys, such as Titan Security Key, and therefore can be resistant to phishing and other online attacks. In fact, Google research has shown that security keys provide a stronger protection against automated bots, bulk phishing attacks, and targeted attacks than SMS, app-based one-time passwords, and other forms of traditional two-factor authentication (2FA). For a closer look at how passkeys work under the hood, check out our technical blog post.  Getting started  Admins: Admins can allow users in their organizations to skip passwords at sign-in using a passkey. By default, this setting is off, which means that users can't skip passwords during sign-in, but can still create and use passkeys as a 2-Step Verification (2SV) method. To allow users to skip passwords, administrators can follow these simple steps in the Admin console.  Admins can turn on / off the ability to use passkeys to skip passwords in the Admin console under Security > Passwordless.  End users: If enabled by your admin, visit g.co/passkeys to start using passkeys instead of passwords, or as a 2SV method. Visit the Help Center to learn more about signing in with a passkey instead of a password. If enabled by your admin, you can opt to skip password entry in your account settings. Rollout pace Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 5, 2023  Availability  Available to all Google Workspace customers and Cloud Identity customers  Resources Google Workspace Admin Help: Allow users to skip passwords at sign-in (beta) Google Help: Sign in with a passkey instead of a password Previous Posts: Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap - June 2, 2023 Better control the flow of meetings with viewer mode in Google Meet Declutter your conversations in Google Chat Plan, organize, and analyze assignments and grades with grading periods in Google Classroom See the top search results first in Gmail on mobile Note: We've recently changed how we send these emails. Please let us know if you have any feedback on this change here.  Google Workspace Updates Blog Google Workspace Release Calendar @GoogleWorkspace @GoogleWorkspace Google Cloud Community © 2023 Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 You're receiving this email as you're subscribed to updates from the Google Workspace Updates blog. To change how you receive these emails, update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.