Calendar GData API / Google Calendar Connectors deprecation

Back in November 2011, we announced the deprecation of the Calendar GData API (v1, v2) when the APIv3 was made available. We’ll now be shutting down these older versions on November 17, 2014.

Any service dependent on the Calendar GData API (v1, v2), such as the Google Calendar Connectors (GCC), will no longer work as intended. GCC users should update to use Calendar Interop or their own custom built connectors that sync with v3 of the API.

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Gmail Will Remove Calendar Invitation Feature

When you use Gmail's "insert invitation" button, you get this message: "Starting July 2014, this feature will no longer be available. You can continue sending email invitations from Google Calendar."

Probably this feature wasn't used very often, but a small percentage of Gmail users will miss it, especially business users. Adding invitations from Gmail is more convenient than opening Google Calendar in a new tab, creating a new event and inviting guests.

"It (truly!) is always tough choosing which features to continue to support. We make these decisions carefully, so please know that! We'll still be supporting creating invitations, just through different steps. The workaround now is to click into calendar and to create an invitation from there," inform Gmail Community Managers.

{ Thanks, James Sacuan. }

Hangout links in Android Calendar app event views

We are updating the Calendar app on Android devices so that Hangout links are available to those viewing meeting events on mobile devices. A “Join Hangout” link will appear in meeting events if a Hangouts video call was added in Calendar. Named Hangout calls will appear the same as non-named calls. The name of the Hangout will not be visible. The “Join Hangout” link is not not editable from the Android Calendar event view. This change only impacts the Google Calendar app on Android devices.

Editions included: 
Google Apps for Business and Education

For more information:
https://plus.google.com/+googleenterprise/posts/P12cgVZUgmY
https://support.google.com/a/answer/4362302

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No More Google Notifier

Gmail Notifier and Google Notifier will no longer be available. They were two apps for Windows and Mac that displayed notifications for Gmail and Google Calendar (Mac-only) in the system tray, while also allowing you to set Gmail as the default mail client for your computer.

From the description of the Windows app (last updated in 2006): "The Gmail Notifier is an application that alerts you when you have new Gmail messages. It displays an icon in your system tray to let you know if you have unread Gmail messages, and shows you their subjects, senders and snippets, all without your having to open a web browser."

From the description of the Mac app (last updated in 2010): "The Google Notifier is an application that shows you alerts in your menu bar, so you can see when you have new Gmail messages or upcoming Google Calendar events without having to open a web browser."

Google sent this message, which suggests some alternatives:

We're writing to let you know about an important change to Google Notifier Beta. Starting on 31 January, Google Notifier Beta will no longer be supported, meaning that the app will no longer show recent emails and calendar events.

Since Google Notifier Beta was launched in 2005, a lot has changed. Smartphones can now notify us of new messages wherever we are, and improvements to web technology enable similar features to be built right into the browser.

If you want to continue to receive notifications, you can use any of the following alternatives to Google Notifier Beta, using the Chrome browser. To see the number of unread messages in your inbox at a glance, install the Gmail Checker Chrome app. To preview new messages on your desktop, go to Gmail's settings and enable Desktop Notifications. You can uninstall Google Notifier Beta by following these instructions.

It's funny to see that the apps were still in beta.

{ Thanks, Koen. }

Export Gmail and Google Calendar Data

Google Takeout now lets you export your calendars and it will soon add a similar feature for Gmail. The calendar exporting feature is not new - you could find it in the Google Calendar settings, but it's nice to see that Google Takeout gets more comprehensive and adds support for new services.

The Gmail exporting feature is completely new and it will be gradually released next month. It will let you download a big MBOX file you can import in mail clients like Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail. You can also use this feature to backup your Gmail messages and read them offline.

"You can download all of your mail and calendars or choose a subset of labels and calendars. You can also download a single archive file for multiple products with a copy of your Gmail, Calendar, Google+, YouTube, Drive, and other Google data," informs Google.

Location Autocomplete in Google Calendar

When you enter a location for a Google Calendar event, Google now shows a list of suggestions. For example, if you type "Google H", one of the suggestions is "Google Headquarters". The nice thing is that Google also adds the address.

It's not clear how suggestions are ranked, but they're different from the Google Maps search suggestions. Nearby places are placed at the top of the list even if they're not that important.

{ Thanks, John Wilke. }

New Google Calendar Controls for Android

Google Calendar's app for Android has been updated with new controls for selecting time, date, timezones, colors and editing repeating events. I wonder if the next Android version will use these controls instead of the existing pickers.

Selecting the time is a 2-part process: you first select the hour and then the number of minutes. The time picker is based on a real 24-hour clock.

Selecting the date is straightforward: Google uses a scrolling calendar that's great for picking a date from the current month or next month. If you want to pick a date from a different year, tap the year and you can quickly switch to 2014, 2015 or any other year.

Here are the standard time/date Android pickers that were previously used by the Google Calendar app. "Each picker provides controls for selecting each part of the time (hour, minute, AM/PM) or date (month, day, year). Using these pickers helps ensure that users can pick a time or date that is valid, formatted correctly, and adjusted to the user's locale."

And here are the original pre-Honeycomb pickers:

The control for repeating events looks much better. "You can now set events to repeat every Tuesday and Thursday, every month, or every 7 weeks, it's completely up to you," informs the Android blog.

Now you can pick different colors for events and calendars:

There's also a different way to select time zones: instead of showing a long list of time zones, countries and regions, Google Calendar lets you enter the country name and it displays the relevant time zones.

I've found it easy to compare the old and new controls because my phone has both the stock Calendar app and the Google Calendar app from Google Play. It's a good idea to disable the notifications for one of the apps if you don't want to get multiple notifications for the same event.

New: Google Apps Calendar Interop for Microsoft® Exchange

Designed for organizations in which some users use Google Calendar and other users manage their calendars in Microsoft® Exchange, Calendar Interop enables you to sync the free/busy status of users in both calendar systems.

This enables users in one calendar system to view the availability of users in the other system before scheduling a meeting.

Editions included:
Google Apps for Business and Education

Languages included:
All supported languages

For more information:
http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1330365

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New look for Google Calendar now the default for all Google Apps domains

The new look for Calendar is now the permanent interface for all Google Apps domains and users.

Release track:
Rapid & Scheduled

Editions included:
Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Government and Education

Languages included:
All languages supported by Google Calendar

For more information:
http://support.google.com/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1351806
Resources for users here.

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Changes to Calendar sharing settings and ability for delegates in Gmail to RSVP to events

- We recently made some changes to how the sharing settings in the administrator control panel affect calendars. Previously, these settings only affected primary calendars but now they affect secondary and resource calendars as well.

If you have a secondary calendar or resource embedded in a site you may have to modify these settings to make sure that it’s still visible or has the sharing setting you desire.

- In Gmail, users can delegate access to their account so that other users can read and send messages on their behalf. This is often useful in the scenario of an assistant/PA. However, these users were unable to RSVP to calendar invites in Gmail. Based on your feedback, delegates can now RSVP to events in Gmail on behalf of the account owner.

Editions included:
Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Government and Education

Languages included:
All languages supported by Google Calendar

How to access what's new:
- In the administrator control panel, go to “Settings”, then “Calendar” and “Sharing options.”
- Gmail delegates can RSVP to an invite in Gmail by clicking ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘Maybe’ in the first section of the invite message, not in the invite header below.

For more information:
http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=60765&topic=9201&ctx=topic
https://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=138350&ctx=mail

New look available for Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Sites! Find out more at whatsnew.googleapps.com/new-look

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Having trouble scheduling that event? Suggested times now available in Google Calendar

A ‘Suggested times’ feature is now available in Calendar. If a guest is using Google Calendar and you or users at your domain have access to their calendar, when you click on this new feature, a popup will display times when guests are available.

Release track:
Rapid*

Editions included:
Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Government and Education

Languages included:
All languages supported by Google Calendar

How to access what's new:
1. Add a guest to your event and the ‘Suggested times’ link will appear.
2. Click the link to open a popup that will display times when guests are available.
3. Find a time that works and click to select it.
4. The calendar event page will automatically update to reflect your chosen time.

Note:
- If you don’t have access to a guest’s calendar, the popup will still indicate if “All participants can attend” as it only checks those calendars that you have access to, including your own.
- If there isn't a time when all of your guests are available, the popup will display the error message, "No free times for all participants were found through [day and time range you selected]. Choose a different start time to search again". This may happen if some guests have all-day events or working hours set.
- The list can also be navigated using the arrow keys and is accessible with a screen reader for accessibility.

For more information:
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/suggested-times-in-google-calendar.html

*Rapid Release track: Domains with ‘Rapid release’ checkbox enabled in the administrator control panel. Learn more

New look now available for Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Sites! Find out more at whatsnew.googleapps.com/new-look

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Accessibility improvements to Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Sites

We’ve recently made some accessibility enhancements to Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Sites. Improvements have been made in keyboard shortcuts and support for screen readers among other items.

Google Calendar: Google Calendar now has new keyboard shortcuts and better screen reader support for our blind users. Members of the blind community can now use JAWS, VoiceOver and ChromeVox to manage your calendars, create and edit events or simply browse your events.

Google Docs and Google Sites: New keyboard shortcuts and better screen reader support with support for two screen readers: JAWS and ChromeVox.

Editions included:
Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Government and Education

For more information:
Google Calendar: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/improved-accessibility-for-google.html
Google Docs and Sites: http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2011/09/improved-accessibility-in-google-docs.html
Accessibility: http://www.google.com/accessibility/

New look on the way for Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Sites! Find out more at whatsnew.googleapps.com/new-look

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Gmail, Calendar and Docs without an internet connection

Offline access to Gmail, Calendar and Docs has recently been made available to Google Apps domains

Gmail: Gmail Offline is a Chrome Web Store app based on the Gmail web app for tablets.
Calendar: When offline, you can view events and RSVP to appointments.
Docs: You can view documents and spreadsheets offline.

Editions included:
Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Government and Education

How to access what's new:
Gmail: Install the Gmail offline app from the Chrome Web store. Administrators need to first allow access to the ‘Chrome Web Store’ service. IT administrators can deploy Chrome Web Store apps to users en masse by setting up organizational policies for Chrome.
Calendar and Docs: Click the gear icon at the top right corner of the web app and select the option for offline access.

For more information:
http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/08/using-gmail-calendar-and-docs-without.html
Gmail offline: http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?answer=139154
Calendar offline: http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?answer=1340696
Docs offline: https://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1628514&topic=1628465

New look on the way for Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Sites! Find out more at whatsnew.googleapps.com/new-look

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Offline Google Calendar

As previously announced, Google Calendar's offline mode started to be rolled out and some of you can already use it. Just like the offline Gmail, Google Calendar only works in Google Chrome and requires to install an app from the Chrome Web Store to enable an advanced permission for "unlimited" local storage (it's not really unlimited, but the app can use a lot more than 5 MB, the default limit). If you click the wrench icon and select "Offline", Google will ask you to install the app.





After installing the app, Google starts to save the events from your calendars to you computer. To customize the list of calendars that are available offline, click the wrench icon, select "Offline" and then "Offline settings".







When you are offline, most Google Calendar features are disabled, just like in the Gears implementation. You can't create new events, edit the existing events, search your calendars or print your calendars. You can only view some of the events from your calendars and RSVP to existing event invitations. Google Calendar doesn't even save all the events from your calendars. When trying to find older events, Google Calendar showed this message: "Your offline calendar only contains events from Jul 21, 2011 to Jan 5, 2012".





Google says that you can only use offline Google Calendar for one account, even if you use multiple sign-in. Google Apps users can try this feature, but only if the admins have switched to the new infrastructure. "To disable your offline access, click the gear icon and select Disable offline calendar from the drop-down menu. This will disable offline access and remove any data stored on your computer."



While it's nice that the offline Google Calendar is not a separate app, the offline mode is read-only and doesn't even sync all your events. Google should let you search, create and edit events and add support for other browsers.



{ Thanks, Scotty. }

Offline Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs

As promised, Google brought back the offline mode for Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs. The updated apps use HTML5 features and no longer require the Gears plugin.



For Gmail, Google chose the easy way out and tweaked the tablet interface. You can only use it in Google Chrome after installing this app from the Chrome Web Store. The app lets you archive and label email, compose new messages and read the messages you've received, but it doesn't have all the features from the standard version. The interface is more suitable for tablets, so this is more like a temporary workaround instead of a definitive solution.







Offline Google Calendar and offline Google Docs aren't yet available to everyone and will be rolled out in the coming days. Google says that the offline mode is built into the apps, just like the Gears version. "Google Calendar and Google Docs let you seamlessly transition between on- and offline modes. When you're offline in Google Calendar, you can view events from your calendars and RSVP to appointments. With Google Docs you can view documents and spreadsheets when you don't have a connection. Offline editing isn't ready yet, but we know it's important to many of you, and we're working hard to make it a reality. To get started using Google Calendar or Google Docs offline, just click the gear icon at the top right corner of the web app and select the option for offline access," explains Google.



I don't see the offline settings for Google Calendar and Google Docs in my account, but offline Gmail is disappointing. It only works in Chrome, it has a different URL (https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/), the interface is optimized for iPad and Android tablets and it's very limited. Hopefully, Google will add support for offline access to the regular interface.

Google Calendar Grays Out Old Events

Google Calendar found a way to separate old events from upcoming events: old events are now grayed out. The interface also grays out future recurring events because it's likely that they're less important (this was an experimental feature in Google Calendar Labs).





If you don't like the new features, it's easy to disable them: go to the "Options" menu from Google Calendar's navigation bar, select "Calendar settings", go to the "Event dimming" section and disable these two options: "Dim past events" and "Dim recurring future events".





Google says that the brightness of these events is reduced "so you can focus on today", although you'll be able to better focus on the future, as well.



{ Thanks, Cougar. }

Google Calendar's Design Refresh

After Google Search and Google Maps, it's time for Google Calendar to switch to a Google+ interface. The new design is a lot cleaner, even if no important feature was removed. "Quick add" is now available if you click the arrow next to the "Create button" (not very intuitive), "Print" and "Refresh" are now buttons instead of links, the month view below the "Create" button can be collapsed, "Save" and "Discard" buttons are only displayed at the top of the page.



"Right now, the changes are just cosmetic and have not affected the way Calendar works. You can choose to turn off the new look by clicking the gear icon and choosing Use the classic look (you can turn it back on by going to the gear icon and choosing Try the new look)," explains Google. Obviously, at some point, Google Calendar will integrate with Google+ and we'll see even more changes.

{ Thanks, Andrew. }

Google Calendar Adds Event Colors

Google Calendar still doesn't offer support for labels, but you can now pick a color for each event. By default, each event inherits the calendar's color, but you can change it by clicking the event and using the small drop-down displayed next to the event's title.

"Color Coded Events lets you assign specific colors to certain events: put pink on your daughter's soccer practice or make your lunch dates red. It's a great way to stay organized, keep track of recurring events, and add a little flair to your calendar. Color coding is private to you and anybody who can edit your calendar," explains Google.



If you want even more options, go to Google Calendar Labs and enable "Event flair" to be able to add icons to your events.

{ Thanks, Brahm. }

New version of the Google Calendar Connector for Lotus Notes tool available

Google Calendar Connector for Lotus Notes R1.2.3 is now available for download:

New connection test feature: Checks the tool’s and domain configuration. Also identifies any firewalls or proxy restrictions between the Domino server and the web.
Bug Fixes: The connector tool was failing to return Notes busy time for user's where there was an apostrophe in the name.

Editions included:
Google Apps for Business, Government and Education

Languages included:
US English Only

For more information:
http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?answer=181256

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Google Calendar's Favicon Changes Every Day

When Google Calendar changed the favicon, many people wondered why it only shows 31. "Does it mean that starting today, every day will be the 31st ? Serously, favicon should be changed everyday to match the date," suggested a Google Calendar user.

Google listened to the feedback and the favicon will now change every day. "When you look at the Google Calendar icon at the top of your browser window, it will no longer always display 31 but will instead change to reflect the current day of the month. Today's date is now always a short glance away."


Google Calendar is the first Google service that has a dynamic favicon, but you can change Gmail's favicon to show the number of unread messages.