Techsplaining 101: Google Updates 2025
There is plenty of Google news to alert you to this summer.
Techsplaining 101: Google Updates 2025
It’s that time of year again – our Google Workspace service has some small updates incoming, and we’re here to tell you all about it! We also have an opportunity for folks to learn more about the ‘Pending Delete’ label in Google Drive and a reminder about an upcoming deadline.
As always, if you have any questions about Google Workspace or find yourself unable to access any features, please contact IT Help!
Let’s get started!
Mail merging, the Google way
Google Mail Merge is an easy way for faculty and staff to personalize email messages to particular audiences. You can add tags like @firstname and @lastname in order to give your message a personal touch and send a unique email to each recipient.
As you’re composing your email, simply click “Use mail merge” next to the “To” line in your message. The icon looks like an outline of the torsos of two people with a plus sign next to them. You can also link a spreadsheet that contains your recipients’ contact information, with each column a separate tag you can link in your message.
This ability in Google was enabled earlier this summer, just for faculty and staff, so it is possible not everyone has access quite yet. If you do see the icon, you can get started today! If you don't see the icon, please reach out to us at muit-comm@MiamiOH.edu, and we can work on getting you enabled.
Please note: There are some sending limitations for Google accounts. Google Workspace accounts (like the one all Miami users have) can send 2,000 outgoing messages per day. However, when mail merging, you can send one message to a maximum of 1,500 recipients per day.
More information can be found in Google’s support article about the subject.
Action item: Export your Google Duo calling and message history
In September 2025, Google Meet will become the primary Google calling application. Previously, folks could use Google Duo (NOT to be confused with Duo Security, our multi-factor authentication app), and Google Duo and Meet were merged earlier this year.
If you used Google Duo previously and want to save your calling history and messages, you will need to export that information before they remove the Duo branding entirely. Please follow the guidelines in the Google support article to make sure you get all your messages before the September deadline!
Again: This is not related to Duo Security, the MFA app used when logging in to Miami systems. The products just have the same name (which might be why Google changed it!).
Reminder: Find and organize files that have a “Pending Delete” tag
On September 15, 2025, files that have been shared in Google Drive by Miami personnel who have been gone from the university for more than seven (7) years will be removed. A “Pending Delete” label has been applied to these documents. Please see the news article for more information.
IT Services is hosting a couple workshops to help you work through the list of files and organize them. Here are the times and dates:
- Tuesday, August 5, 2025: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Staff Development Center Computer Lab
- Tuesday, September 2, 2025: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Staff Development Center Computer Lab
- Wednesday, September 3, 2025: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Virtual via Zoom
Seating is limited for the in-person workshops, so please sign up now!
Changes to location-based reminders in Google Keep
On November 7, 2025, Google Keep reminders will be moved to Google Tasks. Location-based reminders will no longer notify at the set location as part of this transition.
If you use location-based reminders, beginning on October 7 you will see an in-product notice in Google Keep, saying reminders will be moved to Google Tasks. After November 7:
- Google Keep reminders will automatically move to Google Tasks
- Your tasks will show saved locations in Google Calendar or Google Task lists but won’t trigger notifications
- You can open your migrated reminders as tasks from Google Calendar, Google Assistant, the Google Workspace sidebar, and the Google Tasks app
- You won’t be able to set new location-based reminders in Google Keep or Google Tasks
Google provides some helpful resources for working with tasks. These include:
