Goodbye Google Reminders, Hello Priority and Workspaces

Back in 2019, Google announced that it would be integrating Google Assistant with the Google Workspace productivity environment. This service would allow users to remind themselves to do essential tasks with the help of an automated assistant in Google Calendar and other essential tools. However, at the beginning of August, users on Google Workspace (G-Suite) started to notice that Google Assistant had suddenly stopped working.

Instead, users are being presented with the message "Sorry; reminders are currently not available for G-suite users". Currently, Google states that this loss functionality is intentional. The company has announced that it is no longer supporting the option for Google Workspace (G-Suite) to use the Assistant for reminders, as they're working on improving the experience. Hopefully, this will mean that Google Workspace (G-Suite) users will see more advanced features coming in the future to help them enhance their productivity and keeping track of their schedule.

In the meantime, Google Workspace (G-Suite) users have a few workarounds that they can try. For instance, you could use Google search to remind you to do something by typing or saying, "Remind me to [do something] at [time/date].". This should process the request and add it to your reminders - for as long as reminders continue to work on the Google web interface. You can also consider reverting the Google app to an older version so you can continue to use the native reminder UI. However, this could be a dangerous strategy for privacy and security reasons. Older versions of software don't always work as securely as their updates. There's also the option to add a reminder to your schedule from Google Calendar.

New Features for Google Productivity

Although one of the features that companies might have wanted for productivity purposes has bit the dust (at least for now), Google is hoping to distract customers with other functionalities instead. For instance, Google has continued to implement advanced new machine-learning powered features into the Google Workspace (G-Suite) space over the last month or so. In Google Drive, you can forget all about the loss of the Google Assistant reminder feature, by exploring your "Priority" home page instead.

The Priority homepage on Google Drive surfaces your most relevant documents and personalized workspaces. This could help to remind you of what you need to work on by keeping your most relevant documents and tools close-to-hand. The Priority homepage feature has already had beta and enterprise launches the past year, but now it's going to be available for all Google Workspace (G-Suite) editions.

When you're logging in from the web, your "Priority" page will appear first in your navigation list, on top of your shared drives and files. However, you need to manually set the page as your default home page if you want to visit it first when you go to your Google G-Suite app. At the top of this section, you'll see a scrolling selection of items that you've recently received comments on, as well as documents that have been edited, shared, or updated.

Each item in your priority list shows up as a card with notes of what you need to do with those documents and a preview. Access to inline buttons means that you can quickly access sharing preferences or click through to the entire threat. The whole experience is far more immersive and speedier than the traditional Google Workspace (G-Suite) solution.

Introducing Google Workspaces

Workspaces are the other significant update to the Google Workspace (G-Suite) environment that may make you feel a little better about your lost reminders. Now that Google Drive can automatically group files together that you often open in tandem, the Google Workspace (G-Suite) can give you a more comprehensive workspace for your projects. Google uses machine learning to intelligently list all of the documents related to the files that you already have open. You can also right-click on files to add them to your workspace or create your unique groupings.

Last 2019, Google introduced this machine-learning feature in Beta form, adding it to Google Workspace (G-Suite) Business, Basic, and Enterprise additions. Now, Google is rolling this feature out to the other Google Workspace (G-Suite) editions, including Enterprise for Education, Education, and NonProfits. The full rollout will be on as default for all accounts.

Will these workplace and priority updates replace Assistant reminders? Possibly not, but they might be enough to show you that Google still has your productivity in mind as they work on whatever they're doing with the reminder feature.

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