Google has announced that it's making Google Workspace available for all Google accounts rather than just for enterprise accounts. The features that come with Google Workspace are available as standard for all account holders now.
Google Workspace Is Now Available to Everyone
Google Workspace launched in 2020 as a rebranding of G Suite for paid-for business and enterprise accounts. As announced in an article on The Keyword, Google is now making Workspace features available for all Google accounts, so you no longer need to pay for the features.
Workspace combines a bunch of different Google apps such as Gmail, Chat, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Google Meet into one window. To enable the feature, users will need to turn on Google Chat in Gmail's settings on the web.
When using one of these Google apps, users will see an option to switch to another app in the same tab. For example, you can add new information to a Sheets document while in Gmail.
Google explains that it created Workspace to "make it easy for people to stay connected, get organized and achieve more together". It seems that Google realized that a lot of normal users will also benefit from the easy multitasking than Workspace brings, rather than only business users.
Another benefit that comes with Google Workspace is access to the new Smart Canvas feature that was announced at Google I/O 2021. With smart canvas, Google combined Docs, Sheets, and Slides into one app to save the need to switch between each of the individual platforms.
Google Is Also Introducing a Workspace Plan
Although the Google Workspace features are available for all Google accounts for free, the company is also launching a premium tier called “Google Workspace Individual” at $9.99 per month.
The Individual plan gives users more Workspace tools without requiring them to set up their own domain or custom email address. Google's subscription plan will include features such as personalized email marketing, video meetings, and more just by using your existing Gmail account.
Google states that Workspace Individual is “rolling out soon” to six different markets, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and Japan. Of course, this will not affect current business or premium users from accessing Google Workspace.
Google Is Offering Multitasking to Everyone
Although Google tailored Workspace to help users collaborate with one another, the biggest advantage is the ability to multitask. Being able to access different Google apps from within Gmail is a big time-saver for many users, as they won't need to switch between apps anymore.
Google has had the ability to offer such a multitasking feature for a while now, so it's great to see the company offer it to everybody now.