What's New?

The latest news about bConnected services. 

News

February 17, 2021

New Google Storage Policy coming in July 2022

Today Google introduced a new storage policy that will eliminate the current unlimited storage option for education in July 2022. Because these changes are similar to those announced by Box last year, we will be taking a bigger picture look at the overall file storage and collaboration strategy for campus. Both Google and Box are funded as part of the Productivity Suite and any decisions about these service offerings will be a part of the ongoing governance conversation with campus partners.

January 19, 2021

Updates to the UC Berkeley Mobile App

Users are able to sign into the app using CalNet credentials. This will enable quick access to tools like the Daily Symptom Screener, Berkeley Moves, booking a testing appointment, and other tools to navigate the pandemic safely whether you are on campus or off campus. There are multiple options for personas including: Student, Staff and Faculty, and Visitor or Friend Students will now have a Wellness and Aid & Assistance page. The testing pages have been updated.

January 5, 2021

Advanced Google Meet features to be removed January 7, 2021

Last March, Google provided free access to advanced features in Google Meet such as increased participants, live streaming, and recording, in response to COVID-19. These advanced video-conferencing capabilities will be removed from bConnected accounts on Thursday, January 7, 2021.

October 15, 2020

Easily add and manage citations in Google Docs
Google is launching a new feature to help you add, manage, and format academic citations in Google Docs. This will make writing academic papers easier since you won’t have to use add-ons, or copy citations from other tools. 
Using this feature, you can easily insert in-text citations and create a bibliography in the MLA, APA, or Chicago (author-date) styles. Sources types supported include books, book sections, websites, journal articles and newspaper articles. 

October 13, 2020

New Google Groups will become the only user experience beginning November 9, 2020
In May 2020, we launched new Google Groups to provide a modern experience that matches Gmail and other Google services. In September, we made new Groups the default experience for all users, but allowed individual users to choose to use the classic Groups interface. 

September 14, 2020

New Google Groups becoming the default on September 15, 2020
Earlier this year, Google made the new Google Groups generally available. Starting on September 15, 2020, the new Google Groups will become default for all users. When this happens:
  • Any users who were using classic Groups will start to see new Groups instead. 

August 5, 2020

Updated video conferencing policies for delegated and transferred Google Calendar events

Google will be making changes that affect the Google Meet video conferencing policies applied to a Google Calendar event that is organized by a delegate or when a meeting is transferred.

July 2, 2020

Student Technology Equity Program (STEP) Available

STEP Poster

Apply for STEP

If you are an undergraduate or graduate student in need of hardware or internet access:

July 1, 2020

Filter out disruptive noise in Google Meet on the web
To help limit interruptions to your meeting, Google Meet can now intelligently filter out background noise like keyboard typing, doors opening and closing, and construction outside your window. Cloud-based AI is used to remove noise from your audio input while still letting your voice through. 

June 30, 2020

Update your G Suite mobile and desktop apps before August 12, 2020, to ensure they continue working
Some older versions of G Suite desktop and mobile apps may stop working on August 12, 2020. In particular, versions released prior to December 2018 may be impacted.
To ensure your workflows are not disrupted, make sure you are using the most up-to-date versions of the following Google apps:

    June 24, 2020

    Edit Calendar events directly from Gmail and Docs

    You can now edit Google Calendar events in the quick-access side panel in Gmail and Docs, without having to go to the full Calendar page in your browser. You can even use “Find a Time” to see others’ calendar availability when scheduling events. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Calendar in the side panel.

    May 15, 2020

    Use Zoom for G Suite Add-On to easily schedule, join, manage, and customize meetings
    Use Zoom to easily schedule, join, manage, and customize meetings from Gmail and Google Calendar. 

    Key Features

    April 30, 2020

    Start or join a Google Meet video meeting directly from Gmail

    What’s changing

    Google Meet is now available in Gmail, which means you can start and join meetings right from your inbox, making it even easier to stay connected.

     

    New Meet Options

    Options to start or join a Google Meet video meeting now in Gmail

    March 31, 2020

    G Suite Marketplace Service Interruption
    We have received reports from individuals experiencing a service interruption with G Suite Marketplace apps, such as Zoom for G Suite and Asana for Gmail. The bConnected team has escalated the issue to Google Support. We will provide updates as available.

    March 18, 2020

    Exciting new features available in Google Chat

    Google Chat is a great way to stay connected with colleagues. This week we are adding several new features that make Chat even more useful while we’re all working from home. 

    Chat features include:

    February 4, 2020

    Love Data Week 2020 -- Join us!
    Celebrate Love Data Week (LDW) by joining us for a series of events from February 10 through February 14, 2020.
    Love Data Week 2020

    January 13, 2020

    Propose a new meeting time or add a note to Calendar invites from Gmail

    When you open a Google Calendar invite in Gmail, you’ll see a new “More Options” dropdown menu, allowing you to propose a new time for the meeting or add a note to your RSVP. Selecting either option will open the respective event section in calendar.google.com, where you can make those updates directly.

    Send emails as attachments in Gmail

    You can now attach emails to other emails in Gmail without downloading them first. This is useful for situations where attaching emails makes more sense than forwarding separate emails, like wanting to forward multiple messages related to a single topic. With this new functionality, you can do exactly that. Sending emails as attachments allows you to write a summary email message to your recipients, and attach the set of supporting emails that recipients can directly open in their mail client. 

    January 6, 2020

    Change to locations of booked rooms in Google Calendar events

    Google has made a slight change to where you can find rooms and resources in a Google Calendar event. When looking to see what rooms or resources have been booked for an event, you’ll now see this information in the guest list and no longer in the location field.

    December 20, 2019

    IT Schedule for Holidays & Curtailment 2019

    bConnected staff will respond to any critical problems throughout the holiday curtailment period. End user support will be available through the ITCS Service Desk on all non-holiday dates to assist campus units via phone, email, or online.