Google Drive in the latest update gets improved expiring access controls which now also includes the editors. Google recently announced several new improvements for its paid Google Workspace subscribers like increasing cloud storage limit from 15GB to 1TB, ability to mail merge tags and more. Google is also making Drive safer by adding inbuilt protection against spams and malware to protect users from hack threats. Drive users also get another major improvement to the storage service by introducing the ability to add an expiration date for editors when sharing a file.
In the latest move, Google is now focussing on improving the existing expiration access controls for users. Google Workspace account holders, once received the feature, will be able to set expiring access when sharing files in My Drive. They will also be able to add expiring access for editors.
“This update improves the existing expiring access capabilities by allowing you to add an expiration when sharing, as opposed to after a person already has access to the file. Additionally, you can now add expiring access for editors, as opposed to just for viewers and commenters,” Google mentions on its blog post.
Google says that this update makes sharing files and media across Google Workspace more secure by making it easier to specify when a given collaborator should lose access to a specific file. This comes handy in cases where a file editor or creator needs to share something for only a specific time period.
“With this security feature, you don’t have to clean up a file’s access control list after collaboration has ended,” Google mentions in the post.
Google is rolling out the feature to the web first. Android users will receive this ability by November-end. Note that this is a gradual roll out and could take some time for complete roll out.
It is also important to know that this ability isn’t coming for all. Only those using Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, Education Standard, and Nonprofits customers will receive the ability to add expiration access for editors. It won’t come to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Education Fundamentals, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Frontline, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers.
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