Google shares information about changes to G Suite applications–such as Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Keep, and more–in several different places. While some of the information is aimed at administrators, there are plenty of places that anyone with an interest can learn about the newest features of G Suite. Here are five ways to stay informed.

1. See G Suite release dates on a calendar

You may view all G Suite release calendars at: https://gsuite.google.com/whatsnew/calendar/.

The four calendars displayed show:

  • Rapid release features, in red
  • Scheduled release features, in green
  • Resource releases, such as training materials, in blue
  • Other releases, for newsletter, design changes, pre-announcements, and more, in yellow

Select the “+ Google Calendar” icon in the lower right corner of the monthly calendar to subscribe to any, or all, of these four calendars. Typically, you’ll want to subscribe to either the “Rapid Release” or “Scheduled Release” launch calendars, not both.

If you’re not sure which launch cycle your account is on, check with your G Suite administrator. (If you’re a G Suite administrator, you can review your organization’s release settings at admin.google.com > Company profile > Profile > New User Features. There, you can choose between the two release schedules.)

After you subscribe, you can view G Suite release information wherever you view your Google Calendar. And, of course, you can choose to toggle the display of these calendars off (and back on) at any time.

SEE: Software licensing policy (Tech Pro Research)

2. Review last month’s launches

If you prefer to periodically review updates, read the monthly G Suite launch recap newsletter at https://gsuite.google.com/whatsnew/newsletter/.

With a month-in-review approach, you can browse the headlines and follow links to learn the details of items that interest you. Google makes the newsletter available as as either a Google Doc or a downloadable PDF in five languages (English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish).

3. Receive G Suite blog posts

Details about most significant updates are provided in blog posts at https://gsuite.google.com/whatsnew/product-updates/.

Bookmark that page for future reference, or choose to receive blog updates either in email or in your favorite RSS reader.

4. Explore the details by product, date, or keyword

For a long and detailed list of changes, see the “What’s new in G Suite?” support page at https://support.google.com/a/go/whatsnew. You can enter a keyword to search for a specific change, or select an item from a dropdown menu to see changes for a specific application. You also can select the release week column to show either the oldest updates first, or, more likely, to show the most recent updates first. If you need to get an understanding of significant changes to an app over time, explore this page.

Google also provides an “Upcoming G Suite releases” page at https://support.google.com/a/go/upcomingreleases. This page is a bit more speculative–note the complete lack of dates–but it does indicate features being developed for possible future release. As with launched changes, you may search by keyword and filter by product.

5. Follow G Suite on social media

G Suite also highlights changes, case studies, and useful tips on several social media streams. If you prefer to watch video, explore the G Suite YouTube channel and take a look at the monthly What’s new for G Suite Admins video news summary.

The G Suite team shares news, announcements, and product tips regularly on both Twitter (@GSuite) and, not surprisingly, Google+. While the discussion and engagement within each platform differs, the G Suite-provided content is much the same, so feel free to follow G Suite in whichever community you prefer.

Extra info for G Suite Admins

G Suite Administrators have the opportunity to join a community of other IT administrators, CTOs, and CIOs, to discuss G Suite practices and tips in the Google Cloud Connect Community (https://www.cloudconnectcommunity.com/ccc/ls/community/g-suite). There, G Suite Administrators can discuss features and concerns with other tech innovators and leaders.

How do you stay up-to-date?

What’s your preferred way to track G Suite changes? Do you watch the monthly YouTube video, follow on Twitter, or read the monthly newsletter? Or, do you subscribe to other sources, such as TechRepublic’s Google Weekly newsletter (see the link below)? Let me know how you track updates, either in the comments or on Twitter (@awolber).