Google Drive

333 'Google Drive' stories September 2011 - November 2018

See All Stories

Google Drive was launched in April of 2012 and encompasses Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, among other Google apps. In addition to being an office productivity suite, Drive allows users to upload their files and photos. Users get 15GB of free storage between Gmail, Photos and Drive, with the option to purchase more on a monthly basis.

Like with Docs, Google allows users to create links to share uploaded files. Google Drive supports a variety of image and video formats, as well as Microsoft Office and Adobe file formats. Third-party apps can integrate and store data in Drive, while the official Mac and Windows apps allow automatic syncing of local data from a desktop.

On Chrome, the Drive app can sync files for offline viewing. Android and iOS apps allow users to view all their files on the go and make edits.

Google Drive

Manual Google Drive device backup support rolling out to Android now

Kyle Bradshaw Nov 9 2018 - 1:05 pm PT

Android has had device backup and recovery support for many years, including automatic upload and download from Google Drive. One thing that was sorely missing, however, was the ability to initiate manual Android backups to Google Drive. Though it seems now this feature is rolling out to many devices, including older ones.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive

Activity dashboard in Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides updated w/ Google Material Theme

Abner Li Oct 29 2018 - 12:26 pm PT

Earlier this year, Google introduced an Activity dashboard in Docs, Sheets, and Slides that allowed users to easily keep track of file history. Like Google Drive, it’s now gaining the Google Material Theme with a redesigned interface on the web.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive for Android’s Material Theme redesign w/ new bottom bar detailed

Abner Li Oct 5 2018 - 12:10 pm PT

Google Drive

Google Drive on the web was one of the first services to receive a Material Theme during I/O 2018. At Cloud Next in June, the Google Drive Material Theme for Android and iOS was detailed, and now we have a look at the redesign that’s also currently in beta for enterprise customers.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive opens beta for ‘Priority’ AI file suggestions and ‘Workspaces’

Abner Li Sep 19 2018 - 12:05 pm PT

Google Drive Priority

At Cloud Next 2018, Google emphasized machine learning to help improve work productivity. In Google Drive, “Priority” works to suggest relevant documents, while “Workspaces” help arrange files that you might need quick access to. Google is now opening this new page up for beta testing.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive won’t count WhatsApp backups towards your storage total, but they’ll lose encryption

Ben Schoon Aug 30 2018 - 6:19 am PT

WhatsApp has a huge and very loyal user base, and when those users swap phones they often use the backup feature to keep their messages safe. Now, Google Drive is opening up its arms to WhatsApp backups without counting them against your storage, but there’s a slight catch…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive

The next version of Android will allow manual Google Drive backups

Kyle Bradshaw Aug 17 2018 - 4:43 pm PT

Android has almost always offered a way to backup your device, to keep your data safe in case anything should happen to it. Today, those backups are saved automatically to Google Drive, but in a future version, users will be able to save backups manually.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google preps Classroom, Drive updates, more VR, & ARCore on Chromebook tablets for new school year

Abner Li Aug 7 2018 - 9:18 am PT

Google Education ISTE 2019

With the new school year almost underway, Google is launching a number of education features across its products. Many were announced earlier this year and are coming out of beta, including a big revamp to Google Classroom, formating updates for Google Docs, and a suite of new AR/VR features.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive’s upcoming ‘Priority’ view features ‘Suggested’ files feed, user-made Workspaces w/ Material Theme for Android

Abner Li Jul 25 2018 - 4:47 pm PT

As Google moves to an AI First world, all of its products are being infused with machine learning smarts. Nowhere is that more apparent in G Suite as Google tries to differentiate its Cloud offerings. Google Drive is working on a new “Priority” view that features a Feed, as well as user-curated Workspaces.

Expand
Expanding
Close

G Suite adds Google Voice for enterprise calling, standalone Drive Enterprise, Cloud Search

Abner Li Jul 25 2018 - 9:00 am PT

G Suite Google Drive

Google yesterday unveiled Grammar Suggestions for Docs and Smart Reply in Hangouts Chat. At the second day of Cloud Next 2018, G Suite is adding Google Voice support, third-party integrations in Cloud Search, and a new Drive Enterprise app.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Docs adds Grammar Suggestions, Drive nears 1B users, & Smart Reply in Hangouts Chat

Abner Li Jul 24 2018 - 9:40 am PT

At Cloud Next 18, Google announced a number of machine learning-powered updates for G Suite. Smart Reply is now coming to Hangouts Chat and Smart Compose is now available for all G Suite customers, while Google Docs will now offer “grammar suggestions.”

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Material demo reel shows off revamped Gmail, Drive on mobile, Google Photos on web

Abner Li Jul 23 2018 - 10:23 am PT

Google’s transition to update all of its apps with the Material Theme is well underway. A new video now shows off elements of the company’s new design language, while featuring various concepts for refreshed Google apps and services.

Expand
Expanding
Close

How to celebrate Pride with Google Sheets’ hidden Easter egg

Justin Duino Jun 1 2018 - 4:59 pm PT

A while back, Google added an Easter egg to Sheets that adds a rainbow theme to the entire spreadsheet. Here’s how to use the Pride-themed Easter egg in Google Sheets.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides adding file stats, charts & in-line emailing to collaborators

Abner Li May 31 2018 - 3:29 pm PT

In March, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides added an Activity dashboard that allows users to see a file’s history and read status. The feature is now gaining more viewing statistics and the ability to quickly email collaborators.

Expand
Expanding
Close

‘Google One’ simplifies cloud storage plans w/ family sharing, customer support, & freebies

Abner Li May 14 2018 - 10:23 am PT

Google One

Google is revamping its cloud storage offerings to better reflect the rise in high-res images and 4K video, especially due to Photos, while also integrating family plans. “Google One” features simplified plans that are cheaper and also give subscribers other benefits, like deals and better customer support.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google rolling out its redesigned Material Theme to Drive on the web [Gallery]

Abner Li May 9 2018 - 2:46 pm PT

Last month’s Gmail revamp introduced a refreshed Material Design on the web. This Material Theme is now coming to the Google Drive web client to match its fellow G Suite products and Google’s new look.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive

Google Slides adds support for inserting slides into Google Docs, new guides and rulers, more

Justin Duino Apr 18 2018 - 8:58 pm PT

To better compete with Microsoft Office, Google is continually adding new features to its suite of apps within Google Drive. This time around, Google Slides is getting an update that adds new guides and rulers to make it easier to format a slide, the ability to add a single slide and place it into a Google Doc, and more.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive

Google Drive’s ‘Access checker’ will now directly suggest who to share files with

Abner Li Apr 2 2018 - 3:41 pm PT

Google apps like Gmail and Calendar have long had a useful “Access checker” tool that determines whether the recipient of a shared Google Drive file has access permission. New updates today make the functionality smarter and more convenient.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides add Activity dashboard w/ shared user viewing history

Abner Li Mar 7 2018 - 8:30 am PT

Google Drive

To make collaboration more efficient and effective, Google Drive is adding a new Activity dashboard that lists the view history of a shared file. Intended to improve the follow-up experience, it will begin rolling out this month in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive’s file system gets a revamp w/ AI smarts for organizing shared files

Ben Schoon Mar 6 2018 - 7:57 am PT

Google Drive is a powerful tool for online storage, but its true power comes from its collaborative abilities. Sharing on Drive is easy, and with a new update, Google is making it easier to find shared content in your file system.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive, Gmail, and Hangouts Chat integrations coming to Dropbox

Abner Li Mar 1 2018 - 9:38 am PT

Google Dropbox

Following its IPO filing last week, Dropbox today announced a new partnership with Google Cloud to integrate G Suite with the former’s platform. Integrations range from productivity and communication services, including with the just announced Hangouts Chat.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive

Google Drive now allows comments on PDF, Office files without needing to convert

Abner Li Feb 7 2018 - 9:51 am PT

In a new update, Google Drive is letting users leave feedback on uploaded Microsoft Office files, PDFs, and images without needing to convert them into a Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides. This change is aimed at increasing Drive’s interoperability with the multitude of file types in use.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive

New Slack integration shows share activity, comments in Google Drive, expands language support

Abner Li Jan 31 2018 - 11:34 am PT

Back in 2016, Slack added G Suite integration that allowed for fast file creation and import. Today, Google is gaining the ability to see Slack-related activity from right within the Drive app.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive

Google Drive adds ability to only search within specific folders

Abner Li Jan 9 2018 - 10:05 am PT

Search in Google Drive is about to get a convenient boost with the ability to search within specific folders. At the moment, lookup capabilities are quite general and broad.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive

Google Drive removing ‘Google Photos’ tab from the nav drawer next month

Abner Li Dec 4 2017 - 2:35 pm PT

Google Drive has long featured a tab for Google Photos in its navigation drawer that provides users with another method to view their uploaded images and videos. Starting next month, this integration will get de-prioritized, but ultimately remain accessible.

Expand
Expanding
Close