What you need to know Google is updating the look of its Workspace apps with Material Design-based elements. Apps like Docs and Sheets are getting additional functionality with new chips like Maps and Emoji voting. Third-party chips are rolling out in the coming weeks across a range of apps.
Google’s popular workspace apps are getting a Material Design makeover. In the coming weeks, Google will be giving apps like Docs, Sheets, Drive, and Slides a fresh coat of paint and adding new features to help you get more done.
The new look for Google’s Workspace apps is based on the company’s Material Design 3, which is seen on all Google products, including the latest Android phones. According to Google, the new visual update should help “even further optimize the daily workflow”.
(Image credit: Google)
Along with the new look, Google is adding a bunch of new features to its Workspace apps with new smart chips. For example, in Google Sheets, you can use a Place smart chip to insert the Google Maps data, so you can easily select and preview the location.
(Image credit: Google)
In addition to the Place Smart Chip, Sheets is also getting a new Finance Smart Chip for inserting stocks, mutual funds, and currencies. Advanced date functions also make it easy to insert important dates with @today, @yesterday, @tomorrow, and @date.
Additionally, Google Docs is getting a new stopwatch chip and emoji voting chip, as well as a new template for calendar event invitations. Third-party smart chips are also making their way into workspace apps in the coming weeks, including those from Google’s partners like Atlassian, Asana, Figma, Miro, Tableau, and ZenDesk.
(Image credit: Google)
Finally, Google for Drive makes it easy to access common tasks like downloading and deleting multiple files at once. Users can also access certain features simply by hovering over items. And new search chips also help users filter files to find them faster.
(Image credit: Google)
The new Google Docs and Drive features will be available in the coming weeks. However, the new Smart Chips for Sheets are available starting today. Google also has a separate Workspace blog post that explains how to use some of the new smart chips.
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