Google Docs adds new smart canvas features

What’s changing

In 2021, Google launched smart canvas to drive the next era of collaboration in Google Workspace. We’re now announcing new smart canvas features that will create a more flexible, interactive, and intelligent experience, enhancing the content and connections that fuel collaboration across Google Workspace.

Now you can:

• Add a summary to your document, giving readers a high level overview of its content.
  • Note: For some Google Workspace editions, you’ll see automatically generated summary suggestions in certain cases. See below for availability.
• Create pageless documents in Docs, making it easier to collaborate on documents with wide tables, large images, and more.

You can read more about these features on the Google Cloud Blog. 

Who’s impacted

End users

Why it’s important

Summaries in Docs provide a brief overview of the main points in a document, so you can quickly parse the information that matters and prioritize where to focus. You can also edit the summaries, or create your own.

Pageless format in Docs gives teams more space to collaborate, helping to create an uninterrupted flow of information for both writers and viewers, as well as adding more horizontal space for content like tables and images.

Getting started

• Admins: There is no admin control for these features.
• End users: These features will be available by default. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Visit the Help Center to learn more document summaries and pageless formatting.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domainsExtended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 15, 2022

Availability

Summary and Pageless formatting

• Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers.

Summary suggestions

• Available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus and Frontline
• Not available for Google Workspace customers, Education, Fundamentals. and non-profit organizations.

Source: Gimasys