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Google Docs, Sheets and Slides has launched a new save status and offline indicator as confirmed by G Suite. In a blog post, the company confirmed that this new introduction will roll out in the very near future. The update to Google Docs is designed to give users more easily available information about the status of their current work.
Google Docs Save Status
The blog post confirms that users will now be able to see easily what the save status of their work is at the top of the document. This will be located next to the document name.
Google Docs, Sheets and Slides files will also now have more descriptive text to indicate where the file is saved. This will, therefore, tell users whether their file is saved to the cloud or is offline and saved to their device.
Finally, the update will provide a new way to enable offline availability. Simply by clicking on the document status icon you can do this. Beforehand one would have to go to File > Make available offline.
The company has also said that for users where admins have turned off editors offline access, it will adjust the message to avoid confusion. Therefore this appears to be streamlining the whole process as well as making important information easily available.
How To Enable Save Status
For Google Docs admins the new Save Status update will automatically by enable by default. The blog post directs users to its help centre to see whether their files are available offline. For End Users, the feature will also be on by default.
In terms of when this will roll out, it will occur in two stages. Rapid Release Domains will have received the update. For Scheduled Release Domains it will gradually roll out over the next two weeks as of June 8. At the latest arriving on the 23 June.
Google Docs has gradually updated an improved its software over the years. Two years ago it began to introduce Grammar Suggestions to help users. Additionally back in 2019, the platform began to display a Live Word Counter.
Both of these changes were relatively simple and small additions but welcomed by users. The save status update to Google Docs appears to be very similar. Nothing radical or game-changing but something that will help users when editing their documents.