Until now, what the Gemini side panel could do for you depended on which app you happened to be in. For example, you had to be in Slides to create presentations, in Docs or Sheets to create new files from scratch, or in Gmail to get the full context of your inbox.
Google has just fixed that, and it's probably the most useful Gemini update for Workspace ever released. There are also two much smaller updates further down that I've been waiting on for ages.
Create anything from anywhere with the Gemini side panel
You can now ask Gemini to create a Doc, Sheet or Slides presentation from wherever you are, whether that's Gmail, Drive, Docs, Slides or Chat, and it works the same way in each one. It uses Workspace Intelligence to pull in context from your files, emails and chats, then hands you a link to the finished file to review.
A few of Google's examples:
Ask Gemini in Chat for a project update and then build a slide deck built from the conversation and your inbox
Prompt Gemini in Drive to use the info from the folder you're in into a spreadsheet
Draft and send a recap email to your team from inside a Doc
Turn a long Gmail thread into a structured briefing Doc
Turn a written proposal you’re reading in Docs into a branded deck
Just open the side panel in whichever app you're in and give it a go. I'll do a proper walkthrough on YouTube once I've had a chance to test it. Google's full announcement is here.
Two smaller Gemini updates you might have missed
These both landed in the Gemini app for Workspace accounts recently. They're two of the simplest things I've ever shared here, but if you use Gemini every day at work, they're a big quality of life improvement!
Delete chats in Gemini
Hover over any chat in the panel on the left and click the three dots that appear next to it
Click Delete, then confirm when Gemini asks if you're sure (you can't get a chat back once it's gone)
Start temporary chats in Gemini
Use temporary chats anytime you have a chat that you’d likely delete anyway. For example, quick one off questions, working with Gemini to write a decent prompt for another task, etc.
Click the Temporary chat icon in the top-right corner (it looks like the new chat icon with a dotted outline)
Ask Gemini whatever you need, just as you would in a normal chat
With all this in place, the biggest gap left for Workspace users is memory in the main Gemini app. As I mentioned above, Gemini has Workspace Intelligence, so it can look across your documents and emails, but it doesn't remember what you told it in a previous chat. Perhaps that will be next!
Quick note: A temporary chat on a Workspace account isn't completely invisible. Your admin can set retention rules across Workspace using a tool called Google Vault, and Gemini is no different, so depending on those rules the chat could still be retrievable later on. Stick to using it for work, just as you would with any other chat.
Thanks for subscribing, and I'll see you in the next one!
Dean
