Summary

  • Google Workspace’s Gemini AI side panel, introduced last summer, now includes a new “Catch me up” feature for Google Drive, accessible via “Nudge” chips and individual file icons.
  • “Catch me up” automatically identifies and provides a high-level overview of changes (edits and comments) in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides since they were last viewed, both across multiple files and within specific documents.
  • Rolling out now to eligible Google Workspace and Google One AI Premium subscribers, this English-only tool is especially useful for teams, students, or anyone needing to quickly stay updated on shared or frequently accessed documents.

Google’s suite of Workspace apps gained a dedicated Gemini AI side panel last summer, essentially unlocking a versatile range of features and functionalities for Google Docs, Gmail, Slides, Sheets, and Google Drive users.

The side panel in docs, for example, can help you write or refine text, while in Gmail, it can summarize an email thread, suggest relevant replies, and even answer queries and find specific information from emails within your inbox.

The latter Gmail functionality extends to Google Drive as well, which means the side panel can analyze one or multiple documents to give you quick facts about it.

Use Gemini and Workspace to be more productive

Fast-forward to March this year, and Google rolled out new contextual chips in Google Drive to ‘nudge’ users about quick shortcuts for common Gemini workflows.

Nudges appear as clickable shortcuts at the top of Drive homepage and folders and offer instant access to common tasks like “Summarize a folder in Drive,” “Learn about a file in Drive,” “Ask about this folder,” and more. When first revealed, Google said that the convenient shortcuts will evolve over time, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing now.

The tech giant is introducing a new ‘Catch me up’ feature for Google Drive that can show you a high-level overview of multiple and specific files. The tool shows up as a Nudge chip and also as an icon in specific files.

Here’s how it works

Google Drive

Catch me up can identify changes made to relevant files and documents since the last time those documents were viewed. This includes file edits on Docs and file comments on Docs, Sheets, and Slides, according to Google in a new Workspace updates post.

When accessed via its Nudge chip, the tool can provide “a high-level overview of important changes across documents from your Drive.” When accessed via its dedicated icon (shows up next to the document’s name) the tool’s focus can be narrowed down to highlight only the “main changes and comments in a particular file since it was last opened.”

Currently limited to English, the tool is highly beneficial for large teams that might be working on shared documents. It is also useful for students collaborating on group assignments, or for families maintaining a shared document. Catch me up for Google Drive is rolling out now and can take up to 15 days to be widely visible.

Currently, the tool is only rolling out to Google Workspace customers with a:

  • Business Standard or Plus plan.
  • Enterprise Standard or Plus plan.
  • Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on .
  • Google One AI Premium.