Google Calendar will now always tell your team exactly where you’re working
Working Location feature will now be on by default
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
A newGoogle Workspaceupdate will make it harder for you or your co-workers to hide from your office meetings.
The company hasannouncedit is allowing users to set their working location onGoogle Calendarby default, rather than having to enable the feature manually.
The move will let users of thecalendar appshow colleagues whether they’re at home or in the office, making it easier to know if someone is around for a face-to-face meeting, or having to endure anothervideo conferencingcall.
Working from home
The feature wasfirst announced back in August 2021as part of a move to help the growth ofhybrid workingfollowing the pandemic.
However, users were often left confused as showing whether you were working at home or in the office displayed onGoogleCalendar as an all-day event, cluttering up people’s schedules.
This was fixed in a May 2022 update that introduced a “more compact format” that sits at the top of your daily schedule, distinctly different from meeting invites and other events in your calendar.
Until now, this feature had been toggled off by default, meaning end users had to make sure their company admins had activated it.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
The change is rolling out now, and will be available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Business customers.
However Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Enterprise Essentials, and Frontline, as well as legacy G Suite Basic customers, won’t get access, nor will users with personal Google Accounts.
Google Calendar update will help you clear up that mess you call an inbox»Google Calendar update will prevent disastrous scheduling mishaps>This Google Calendar update gives your co-workers nowhere to hide
Recently, Google Calendar was also upgraded to show a range of status options in Google Chat, giving you extra information on what you or your co-workers are up to. Previously limited to just showing when someone was out of office, Google Chat is now able to show a number of different statuses, including “in a meeting” or “in focus time”.
Google Calendar also recently received a"Focus time"feature, where users can block out periods of time where they can avoid meetings and get their heads down for actual work.
Setting such a marker in your Google Calendar will also allow users to automatically decline meetings, meaning no last-minute rush to finish off work.
Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK’s leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he’s not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.
Best secure file transfer solution of 2024
Best lightweight Linux distro of 2024
Apple might still be developing that fabled smart ring after all, according to latest leak
