Highlights –
- All the new features are advancements and extensions to the smart canvas launched last year.
- The newly-launched feature includes automatic generation of the summaries within Google docs.
In May 2021, Google had introduced smart canvas within Google Workspace, its productivity suite. Smart canvas could provide a layer of context and collaboration around Google docs, sheets, and slides with a modular set of tools. Now, the tech giant is bringing a series of updates that will make the smart canvas even smarter – it can automatically summarize the content within Google Docs.
Automatically generated summaries
The automatic-generated summaries in docs will allow users to understand and get a gist of the shared documents at a glance. The summaries are generated based on built-in intelligence, but users can also edit or create their summaries manually. The feature is now generally available to all.
Pageless format
The other new feature in smart canvas is a pageless format for docs and a new email draft template. The pageless format feature helps users eradicate page breaks and margins that restrict document production, thus providing users more space to collaborate, creating an uninterrupted flow of information, and adding more horizontal space for content like tables and images. Pageless formatting will also allow users to view the documents in expansion mode, irrespective of the device or the screen used. If users want to print a document or convert it to a PDF, they can switch back to a paginated view.
Expanding the use of Google Maps smart chips
The smart canvas also comes with a new email draft template for Google Maps smart chip to help users preview a map link directly in docs. Google is also expanding the use of smart chips: Clickable smart chips or clickable objects that can pull relevant information directly reflects in the collaboration canvas. WYears can preview a Google Maps link in docs.
After clicking on the smart chip, it pulls up a thumbnail containing information like an image of the location in maps and the address. Clicking on the thumbnail will open a preview in the Docs side panel.
Google also presented a few stats to show the traction smart canvas has had with customers. The company mentioned that the usage now exceeds the usage of comments in docs: More than six million checklists and six million smart chips are added to documents each week via smart canvas.
Email draft templates
Google is also planning to roll out an email draft template in the coming weeks. With this feature, it will be easier for users to collaborate on emails with a new email draft template in docs. So, when users are ready to send their message, they need to click a button to export the content into a draft email in Gmail, with all the relevant fields automatically populated.
Formula corrections
Google also launched intelligent suggestions in sheets to help users correct formulas. The smart canvas comes with formula corrections to sheets. The new, intelligent feature identifies errors and suggests ways to troubleshoot formulas. This feature is an extension of the formula suggestions feature that Google introduced last year to recommend formulas and functions based on the analyzed data.
Availability
Pageless formatting and document summaries in Google Docs will be available to all Google Workspace customers, legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers.
Summary suggestions in Google Docs will be available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, Frontline, and Nonprofits.
Summary suggestions will not be available to Google Workspace, Education Fundamentals, and Nonprofits.
Meanwhile, Google has also worked on improving the search experience in chat on the web. Now, when a user clicks in the search bar, one can see people’s suggestions based on the user’s chat activity. Also, when a user starts typing in the search bar, intelligent suggestions for people, spaces, and group messages will appear.
