Google Workspace Migration Timelines
G Suite Legacy Free Edition & Google Sites 

This email arrived for a domain I chose not to migrate to Google Workspace Legacy Free Edition.  It was sent to an email address I would not have expected ... perhaps a recovery email for the domain. 
I was  expecting the cancellation - no surprise there.

email from Google Workspace Team:

Your Google Workspace Business Starter subscription is scheduled for cancellation

Hello,

It looks like your Google Workspace Business Starter subscription was suspended on October 21, 2022.

To keep your subscription, follow the steps below or Google will cancel your subscription on or after March 2, 2024.

Activate your subscription

1. Before March 2, 2024, sign in to your Google Admin console.

2. Go to the Billing > Subscriptions page and follow the steps to activate your subscription.

3. Within the next 48 hours, look for an email from us letting you know that your subscription is no longer targeted for deletion.

Your Google Workspace account

Username:

<you>@<yourdomain>

Domain:

<yourdomain>Sign i

Sincerely,

The Google Workspace Team

To clarify where our Classic Sites went (in November!)

email from Google Workspace Team:

Dear Administrator,

As previously announced we began migrating Classic Sites to New Sites earlier this year. This email is to notify you that we’ve migrated all remaining classic sites in your XXXXXXX.xxx domain to Google’s New Sites product, and the Classic Sites versions of these sites are no longer available.

What does this mean for your organization?

Classic sites in your XXXXXXX.xxx domain have been migrated and are now available as “Drafts” in New Sites. Site owners can review and publish these migrated drafts in New Sites if they haven’t already. Until site owners publish these auto-migrated drafts, site viewers will see an error message when they visit the site URLs. Note that the Classic Sites versions are no longer available.

For more information about Google Sites, refer to the Sites Help Center.

What do you need to do?

You can find a file in Google Cloud Storage that contains details of the migrated sites, their respective owners, links to exports of attachments for converted sites, and links to download exports of Takeout data of the classic sites.

If the sites’ owners want their sites to be available to viewers, they will need to publish their migrated unpublished New Google Sites drafts. You can use the Classic Sites Manager to find the links to the migrated “drafts” in New Sites. Classic sites that did not have an eligible owner for migration have not been migrated to New Sites but have been exported and shared as a Takeout archive with the domain super admin. We’ve also shared them with the site owner(s) if they are eligible to receive Takeout data from Classic Sites.

Classic sites’ Takeout data is available for download in Google Cloud Storage for one year.

Please note that Takeout archives are unavailable if classic sites were:

• Deleted by the user, or

• Manually migrated and republished on the same web address

We’re here to help

For more details about the migration, refer to the Sites Help Center.

Thanks for choosing Google Workspace.

– The Google Workspace Team

Was this information helpful?

A number of updates in July - See https://support.google.com/a/answer/60217 for latest

Summary of changes

• Google Workspace transition section:

  • Clarification that business users will get new security and collaboration functionality st no cost for at least one month ... previously "through August 1, 2022"

•  Section:  What if I used G Suite legacy free edition for personal use

  • Better instructions on how to retain no-cost services for individuals and families

• Couple of new/updated FAQ's in common questions section

  • How do I know I have a no-cost subscription for personal use?

  • What happens if my account is suspended?

    • Clarification:  "Additional Google services, such as YouTube, Google Maps, and Google Photos, will continue to be available."

    • Details on cancellation after 60 days of suspension ...  

      1. link to How to Cancel article @ https://support.google.com/a/answer/1257646 

      2. How to restore an account after it has been cancelled via account recover form @ https://support.google.com/a/contact/recovery_form

      3. How non-commercial users can resubscribe during suspension

  • What can I do if I get an error when I try to revert to a no-cost option?

    • A new/interesting table of potential Errors and Solutions for those attempting to revert to no-cost option 

Suspension of inactive accounts .... per warnings.  This is what seems to happen https://support.google.com/a/answer/33312

<Text only version of email - graphics not allowed in these text boxes>

The Google Workspace Team

Jul 1, 2022, 6:40 PM (2 days ago)

to me

Hello,

It looks like you haven’t used your Google Workspace account for the organization, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX in the past 180 days. Google has suspended your account, and will close your account and delete your account data on or after Jul 29, 2022, unless you take action as described below.

Want to keep your account?

If you want to keep this Google Workspace account, please sign in to admin.google.com before Jul 29, 2022, and we’ll know that you’re still using the account. If you’ve forgotten your username or password, we can help you recover your account. Once you sign in, you should receive an email within the next 48 hours letting you know that your account is no longer targeted for deletion.

To unsuspend your account, please follow the instructions that appear in your Admin console.

Don’t want your account or your data?

If you don’t want this Google Workspace account and don’t want to save any of your data (such as any Gmail messages or contacts, or files stored in Drive), you don’t need to do anything. We’ll automatically close your account and delete your data on or after Jul 29, 2022.

When your account is closed, you will no longer be able to access your Google Workspace account for the organization, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX., and all your data in that account will be permanently deleted. No one will be able to access your old data by creating a new Google Workspace account with this organization name.

Want to export your data?

If you want to export your data from your Google Workspace account, you can sign in to admin.google.com and export your data any time in the next 28 days. Then, if you want to delete your account, follow these instructions to delete your account.

Visit the Google Workspace Help Center to learn more about why Google closes inactive accounts.

Sincerely,

The Google Workspace Team

© 2022 Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You’re receiving this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Workspace product or account.

// June 30 Page edits in blue //

Upgrade from G Suite legacy free edition

Get premium collaboration tools, more storage, and increased security

If you have the G Suite legacy free edition, we will automatically upgrade you to a paid Google Workspace subscription, or you can opt out if you used your account for personal use.

Google Workspace transition

If you're using the G Suite legacy free edition for business purposes, we'll automatically upgrade your account to a Google Workspace subscription starting June 27, 2022. Use your new security and collaboration functionality at no cost through August 1, 2022.

To complete your upgrade and prevent your subscription from being suspended, you need to set up Google Workspace billing before August 1, 2022.

What if I use G Suite legacy free edition for personal use?

For individuals and families that used your account for non-commercial purposes, you can identify as a personal user and revert to a no-cost subscription by clicking below. You can continue using your custom domain(s) with Gmail, retain access to no-cost Google services such as Google Drive and Google Meet, and keep your purchases and data.

Sign in to an administrator account (doesn't end in gmail.com) to identify as a personal user.

G Suite legacy free edition is only intended for personal non-commercial use. If you’re using G Suite legacy free edition for business purposes, we will transition your account to Google Workspace. G Suite legacy free edition does not include support, and in the future we may remove certain business functionality.

Upgrade to Google Workspace

When you upgrade in the Admin console, you immediately switch to a paid Google Workspace subscription. If you select a Business edition and the Flexible payment plan, billing won't start until at least August 1, 2022.

Not sure which subscription to choose? Go to Choose your Google Workspace subscription.

Upgrade to a paid subscription of Google Workspace

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.
   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. On the Admin console Home page, go to Billing Get more services.

3. At the edition you want, click Switch.

4. Review the impact this change will haveclick Get started.

5. Select a payment plan:

   • Flexible Plan—No long-term commitment, pay for the users you have each month, and add or remove users as needed.
     Note: If you select this plan and a Google Workspace Business edition, billing won't start until at least August 1, 2022. Billing grace period does not apply to Enterprise editions.

   • Annual Plan (Monthly Payment)—Requires a 1-year contract, pay monthly for users committed upfront, and add users as needed. You can increase the number of users in the users needed field. If you select this plan, billing starts immediately.

6. Click Checkout.

7. Enter your billing information click Place Order.

G Suite legacy free edition transition questions

Below are some common questions about transitioning from G Suite legacy free edition.

Open all  |  Close all

// Quite a few FAQ changes, READ THEM @ https://support.google.com/a/answer/60217 //

Second warning to inactive accounts ....

<Text only version of email - graphics not allowed in these text boxes>

The Google Workspace Team

Thu, June 16, 12:24 AM

to me

Hello,

It looks like you haven’t used your Google Workspace account for the organization, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, in the past 180 days. Google will suspend your account on or after Jun 29, 2022, and will close your account and delete your account data on or after Jul 29, 2022, unless you take action as described below.

Want to keep your account?

If you want to keep this Google Workspace account, please sign in to admin.google.com before Jul 29, 2022, and we’ll know that you’re still using the account. If you’ve forgotten your username or password, we can help you recover your account. Once you sign in, you should receive an email within the next 48 hours letting you know that your account is no longer targeted for deletion.

Don’t want your account or your data?

If you don’t want this Google Workspace account and don’t want to save any of your data (such as any Gmail messages or contacts, or files stored in Drive), you don’t need to do anything. We’ll automatically close your account and delete your data on or after Jul 29, 2022.

When your account is closed, you will no longer be able to access your Google Workspace account for the organization,  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, and all your data in that account will be permanently deleted. No one will be able to access your old data by creating a new Google Workspace account with this organization name.

Want to export your data?

If you want to export your data from your Google Workspace account, you can sign in to admin.google.com and export your data any time in the next 60 days. Then, if you want to delete your account, follow instructions to delete your account.

Visit the Google Workspace Help Center to learn more about why Google closes inactive accounts.

Sincerely,

The Google Workspace Team

© 2022 Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You’re receiving this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Workspace product or account.

To potentially inactive accounts ....

<Text only version of email - graphics not allowed in these text boxes>

The Google Workspace Team

May 30, 2022, 3:26 PM (2 days ago)

to me

Hello,

It looks like you haven’t used your Google Workspace account for the organization, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, in the past 180 days. Google will suspend your account on or after Jun 29, 2022, and will close your account and delete your account data on or after Jul 29, 2022, unless you take action as described below.

Want to keep your account?

If you want to keep this Google Workspace account, please sign in to admin.google.com before Jul 29, 2022, and we’ll know that you’re still using the account. If you’ve forgotten your username or password, we can help you recover your account. Once you sign in, you should receive an email within the next 48 hours letting you know that your account is no longer targeted for deletion.

Don’t want your account or your data?

If you don’t want this Google Workspace account and don’t want to save any of your data (such as any Gmail messages or contacts, or files stored in Drive), you don’t need to do anything. We’ll automatically close your account and delete your data on or after Jul 29, 2022.

When your account is closed, you will no longer be able to access your Google Workspace account for the organization,  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, and all your data in that account will be permanently deleted. No one will be able to access your old data by creating a new Google Workspace account with this organization name.

Want to export your data?

If you want to export your data from your Google Workspace account, you can sign in to admin.google.com and export your data any time in the next 60 days. Then, if you want to delete your account, follow instructions to delete your account.

Visit the Google Workspace Help Center to learn more about why Google closes inactive accounts.

Sincerely,

The Google Workspace Team

© 2022 Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You’re receiving this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Workspace product or account.

<Text only version of email - graphics not allowed in these text boxes>

The Google Workspace Team

May 26, 2022, 3:45 PM (6 days ago)

to me

Dear Administrator,

We previously notified you that you would need to upgrade from the G Suite legacy free edition to Google Workspace by June 1, 2022 or your account would be automatically upgraded. However, we've recently updated our timeline for the transition and you now have until June 27, 2022 to take action.

As your account has been inactive for quite some time, we are now reaching out to your secondary email address.

What do I need to do?

For businesses, the G Suite legacy free edition will no longer be available after June 27, 2022 (updated from June 1, 2022). We recommend you upgrade now to a Google Workspace subscription that meets your needs. Upgrading from your G Suite legacy free edition to Google Workspace will only take you a few short steps and is not disruptive to your end-users.

When you've identified your preferred subscription follow these steps:

1. Go to your Admin console.

2. Select your new subscription offering.

3. Enter your billing information.

If you take no action by June 27, 2022, we’ll begin to upgrade your organization seamlessly to a new Google Workspace subscription. The new subscription will be based on what you currently use with your G Suite legacy free edition.

In addition to recent innovations like smart canvas, meetings in documents, and dedicated Spaces to help organize people, topics and projects, Google Workspace includes more storage, increased security, 24/7 support, and more. To complete the transition and avoid account suspension, switch now and enter your billing details in your Admin Console before August 1, 2022. You’ll have limited time discount options to support you in this transition.

If you’re an individual or family using your account for non-commercial purposes, you can continue using the G Suite legacy free edition and opt out of the transition to Workspace in the Google Admin console before June 27, 2022.

If no action is taken, we’ll begin upgrading your organization seamlessly to a new Google Workspace subscription starting June 27, 2022. To complete your upgrade and avoid account suspension, you'll need to set up Google Workspace billing before August 1, 2022.

In case that you need to reactivate your account, you’ll need to log into the Admin console and enter a valid form of payment.

Qualifying educational institutions and nonprofits have the option to migrate to Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals or Workspace for Nonprofits without service disruption.

Timeline Summary

Date

Action

Before June 27, 2022

Upgrade to a new Google Workspace subscription or opt out of the transition.

Before August 1, 2022

Complete your upgrade by setting your Google Workspace billing.

FAQs

Visit the help center for information on the G Suite legacy free edition to Google Workspace transition.

We’re here to help

If you have questions or need assistance, please Contact Google Workspace support. When you call or submit your support case, use reference issue number 205265775. If you have trouble accessing your administrator account, please refer to instructions to reset your administrator password.

Thanks for choosing Google Workspace.

– The Google Workspace Team

Was this information helpful?

© 2022  Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You have received this important update about your Google Workspace account because you designated this email address as a primary or secondary contact for mandatory service communications in your Google Admin console profile.

<Text only version of email - graphics not allowed in these text boxes>

The Google Workspace Team

May 24, 2022, 5:14 PM 

to me

Please take action before June 27, 2022, to avoid service disruption.

Dear Administrator,

We previously notified you that you’ll need to upgrade from the G Suite legacy free edition to Google Workspace by June 1, 2022, or your account would be automatically upgraded. However, we've recently updated our timeline for the transition and you now have until June 27, 2022 to take action.

Along with this change, we’ve added an offer for those using G Suite legacy free edition for non-commercial use, such as individuals and families, to opt out of the transition.

What do I need to do?

For businesses, the G Suite legacy free edition will no longer be available after June 27, 2022 (updated from June 1, 2022). We recommend you upgrade now to a Google Workspace subscription that meets your needs. Upgrading from your G Suite legacy free edition to Google Workspace will only take you a few short steps and is not disruptive to your end-users.

When you've identified your preferred subscription follow these steps:

1. Go to your Admin console.

2. Select your new subscription offering.

3. Enter your billing information.

If you take no action by June 27, 2022, we’ll start upgrading your organization seamlessly to a new Google Workspace subscription. The new subscription will be based on what you currently use with your G Suite legacy free edition. To complete your upgrade and avoid account suspension, you'll need to set up Google Workspace billing before August 1, 2022.

In addition to recent innovations like smart canvas, meetings in documents, and dedicated Spaces to help organize people, topics and projects, Google Workspace includes more storage, increased security, 24/7 support, and more. To upgrade from G Suite legacy free edition and avoid account suspension, switch now and enter your billing details in your Admin Console before August 1, 2022. You'll have limited time discount options to support you in this transition.

If you’re an individual or family using your account for non-commercial purposes, you can continue using the G Suite legacy free edition and opt out of the transition to Workspace in the Google Admin console before June 27, 2022.

In case that you need to reactivate your account, you’ll need to log into the Admin console and enter a valid form of payment.

Qualifying educational institutions and nonprofits have the option to migrate to Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals or Workspace for Nonprofits without service disruption.

Timeline Summary

Date Action

Before June 27, 2022 Upgrade to a new Google Workspace subscription or opt out of the transition.

Before August 1, 2022 Complete your upgrade by setting your Google Workspace billing.

FAQs

Visit the help center for information on the G Suite legacy free edition to Google Workspace transition.

We’re here to help

If you have questions or need assistance, please Contact Google Workspace support. When you call or submit your support case, use reference issue number 205265775. If you have trouble accessing your administrator account, please refer to instructions to reset your administrator password.

Thanks for choosing Google Workspace.

– The Google Workspace Team

Was this information helpful?

© 2022  Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You have received this important update about your Google Workspace account because you designated this email address as a primary or secondary contact for mandatory service communications in your Google Admin console profile.

Again - absolutely no communications from G Workspace group on this ... No emails, just a change to notice on the Admin Console.
My trusty Web-Page Watcher @ https://versionista.com notified me of the change to Legacy Free Support article @ https://support.google.com/a/answer/60217.    Changes in blue.   IF you read all the way thru it may imply that Free Personal Subscriptions may be limited to 20 users ... Our's (circa 2007) still shows 150 users w/ 15g/user.

Upgrade from G Suite legacy free edition

Switch to a paid subscription and get premium collaboration tools, more storage, and increased security

If you have the G Suite legacy free edition, you can upgrade to a paid Google Workspace subscription.

Upgrade to Google Workspace by June 27, 2022

For businesses, the G Suite legacy free edition will no longer be available starting June 27, 2022. We recommend you upgrade now to a Google Workspace subscription that meets your needs to begin using your new security and collaboration functionality at no cost through August 1, 2022. Select the Flexible payment plan when you upgrade to a Business edition and billing won't start until at least August 1, 2022.

If you wait, your account will be automatically transitioned to Google Workspace after June 27, 2022. To complete your upgrade and avoid account suspension, you'll need to set up Google Workspace billing before August 1, 2022.

If you don’t upgrade to a Google Workspace subscription but remain an active user, you will not lose access to additional Google services or paid content you purchased with your legacy edition account (such as movies purchased in the Google Play Store).

UPGRADE NOW

What if I use G Suite legacy free edition for personal use?

If you’re using the G Suite legacy free edition for non-commercial purposes, you can opt out of the transition to Google Workspace by clicking here (requires a super administrator account) or going to the Google Admin console. You can continue using your custom domain with Gmail, retain access to no-cost Google services such as Google Drive and Google Meet, and keep your purchases and data.

If you don’t take any action, your account will be suspended starting on August 1, 2022. To reactivate your account, you will either need to upgrade to Google Workspace or opt out of the transition for non-commercial use.

G Suite legacy free edition is only intended for personal non-commercial use. If you’re using G Suite legacy free edition for business purposes, we will transition your account to Google Workspace. G Suite legacy free edition does not include support, and in the future we may remove certain business functionality.

If you transitioned to Google Workspace after January 19, 2022 and used G Suite legacy free edition for personal use, you can contact Support.

Upgrade to Google Workspace

When you upgrade in the Admin console, you immediately switch to a paid Google Workspace subscription. If you select a Business edition and the Flexible payment plan, billing won't start until at least August 1, 2022.

Not sure which subscription to choose? Go to Choose your Google Workspace subscription.

Upgrade to a paid subscription of Google Workspace

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.
   Sign in using an account with super administrator privileges (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. On the Admin console Home page, go to BillingGet more services.

3. At the edition you want, click Switch.

4. Review the impact this change will haveclick Get started.

5. Select a payment plan:

   • Flexible Plan—No long-term commitment, pay for the users you have each month, and add or remove users as needed.
     Note: If you select this plan and a Google Workspace Business edition, billing won't start until at least August 1, 2022. Billing grace period does not apply to Enterprise editions.

   • Annual Plan (Monthly Payment)—Requires a 1-year contract, pay monthly for users committed upfront, and add users as needed. You can increase the number of users in the users needed field. If you select this plan, billing starts immediately.

6. Click Checkout.

7. Enter your billing informationclick Place Order.

Legacy free edition transition questions

Below are some common questions about transitioning from the G Suite legacy free edition.

Open all  |  Close all

General

How does the transition affect my current G Suite legacy free subscription?

For business, your current G Suite legacy free subscription and related services will continue to function as they do today, until you self-upgrade or we upgrade you automatically to Google Workspace starting June 27, 2022.

We recommend you upgrade now to a Google Workspace subscription that meets your needs and begin using your new security and collaboration functionality at no cost through August 1, 2022. Upgrading does not affect your data or service availability. If you prefer, we will upgrade you automatically and seamlessly after June 27, 2022. To complete the upgrade and prevent your subscription from being suspended, you need to enter your billing information before August 1, 2022.

For individuals and families using your account for non-commercial purposes, you can opt out of the transition to Google Workspace by clicking here (requires a super administrator account) or going to the Google Admin console.

If you don’t take any action, your account will be suspended starting on August 1, 2022. To reactivate your account, you will either need to upgrade to Google Workspace or contact Support to identify as a non-business user.

Can I keep my G Suite legacy free subscription?

For individuals and families using your account for non-commercial purposes, you can opt out of the transition to Google Workspace by clicking here (requires a super administrator account) or going to the Google Admin console.

For businesses, you must upgrade to a Google Workspace subscription. We recommend you upgrade now to a Google Workspace edition that meets your needs. If you choose not to upgrade by June 27, 2022, we will automatically upgrade your organization to a recommended subscription.​

Upgrading only takes a few short steps and it’s not disruptive to end users. To help ease the transition, we’re offering deep, region-based discounts on Google Workspace Business editions starting at 50% for the first twelve months after August 1, 2022. To view your discounts, please sign in to your Admin console. If you select a Google Workspace Business edition and the Flexible payment plan, billing won't start until at least August 1, 2022. Discounts and the billing grace period do not apply to Enterprise editions.

Can I transfer my data out of Google?

If you want to move your data, your administrator can export your organization’s data and cancel your legacy subscription. If you want to retrieve data from additional Google services, you can export your data (including Google Workspace and additional Google services) with Google Takeout at takeout.google.com. The administrator will need to have Google Takeout enabled.

More

If the administrator is not available, can a user become an admin?

Yes. Current users can ask to become an administrator on the account by completing this form. Users will be required to verify domain ownership by adding a TXT record or CNAME record to their domain host (typically where your domain name was purchased). If you’re not sure who your domain host is, go to Identify your domain host.

If the domain registration verification is successful and none of the existing administrators object, the user will be promoted to the super administrator role.

Who is my administrator? Your administrator is the person who originally signed you up for the G Suite free edition account.

What happens to the additional Drive storage I purchased when I switch to Google Workspace?

You will not lose any previously purchased or promotional storage, and your data will not be affected when upgrading. Your new storage limits depend on which Google Workspace edition you upgrade to:

• Business Starter–You will automatically get 30 GB of storage per user as part of your upgrade. Any individually purchased storage subscription will automatically be applied to the user that purchased the storage, and their data will not be affected. Note that even though the storage is available, the amount of purchased storage might not be reflected accurately in photos.google.com or drive.google.com.

• Business Standard–You will automatically get 2 TB per user added to pooled storage.

• Business Plus–You will automatically get 5 TB per user added to pooled storage.

The Business Standard and Business Plus storage limits are larger than any promotional or purchased storage so you may no longer need the additional storage. You can cancel your additional purchased storage at pay.google.com/gp/w/home/subscriptionsandservices.

What happens to my Google Voice account when I switch to Google Workspace?

If you’re using Google Voice, you won’t lose any existing Voice data when you switch to Google Workspace. Your existing configuration settings and linked phone numbers will also stay the same. After you transition to Google Workspace, the administrator will need to set up Voice with Google Workspace for your organization before users can sign up for new Voice accounts. Learn more about how to Set up Voice for your organization.

After I upgraded I lost my Discover feed. How can I get it back?

If you stopped getting your Discover feed after you updated to Google Workspace, your administrator needs to follow the instructions in Turn Search and Assistant on or off for users.

If your mobile device is managed by your organization, your administrator also needs to:

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.
   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. From the Admin console Home page, go to Devices.

3. On the left, click Mobile & endpointsSettingsUniversal settings.

4. Click Data AccessGoogle Assistant.

5. Check the box for Allow Google Assistant for iOS and Android.

Where can I get help?

If you have questions, you can contact:

• Google Workspace support

• Google Workspace Sales if you have more than 20 users.

Woa!  Classic to New Google Sites Migration timeline extended AGAIN!

From Workplace Blog Daily update email:

May 16, 2022, 11:34 am

Quick summary 

We’re extending the previously announced timeline to give Google Workspace customers more time to migrate from classic Google Sites to new Google Sites. The new timeline is: 

• Starting December 1, 2022 (previously June 1, 2022): You will no longer be able to edit any remaining classic Sites in your domain. 

• Starting January 1, 2023 (previously July 1, 2022): Classic Sites will no longer be viewable unless they are converted to new Google Sites. 

To ensure a smooth transition and access to new Sites functionalities, end users and admins are encouraged to use the Classic Sites Manager to complete migration and convert individual classic Sites to new Google Sites before December 1, 2022. 

After January 1, 2023, we will replace each remaining classic Site with a Takeout archive and will attempt to convert each classic Site to a new Site. Review your domain’s settings prior to January 1, 2023 to ensure a successful migration. 

You will be notified once all the sites on your domain have been migrated. This may take multiple months for your domain, depending on the number and complexity of your sites. In the meantime, you can check the status of your sites in the Classic Sites Manager. After migration, your classic Sites will no longer be available.

<clip - you can see it all @ https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2022/05/classic-sites-new-sites-timeline-update-may-2022.html>

This is getting weird:  The banner/notification for nocost waitlist was removed from the Google Admin Console

Some of the popular google support threads are coming up blank too!     

• https://support.google.com/a/thread/158848566/if-you-want-the-no-cost-option-you-need-to-join-this-waiting-list

• 
  

Still VERY limited communications from G Workspace group on this ... No mention in regular Google Workspace Update Blog and rare emails to some administrators.   My Versionista monitor noticed the following change to the FAQ area of the Legacy Free Support article @ https://support.google.com/a/answer/60217.    Interesting ... This will be impossible for users who bought  Domains via Google Apps.  You'd need Admin access to add TXT or CNAME!

If the administrator is not available, can a user become an admin?

Yes. Current users can ask to become an administrator on the account by completing this form. Users will be required to verify domain ownership by adding a TXT record or CNAME record to their domain host.
 

If the domain registration verification is successful and none of the existing administrators object, the user will be promoted to the super administrator role.

Interesting Chat with Google Workspace Support.   Names changed and some highlighting in chat transcript below.  

In a nutshell, it SOUNDS like Family and Groups GAPPs users may not be affected by all this!?!?   I sent support rep copy of the April 7 email, he talked to someone on his end and seemed to confirm our legacy free edition would not be affected.   

Still worried, this is Tooo Weird - I don't know if Support Group is in the loop here!   

----------------------------------

Subject: I am a GApps Legacy Free user. My Domain just renewed for 12 months as usual. Will I have one more year at this rate? If not, can I still access enom to manage my domain of my Gapps legacy free organization is suspended. Thanks in advance

Chat transcript:

Chat started: Wed, 27 Apr 2022 18:02:19 +0530

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Thank you for contacting Google Workspace Support. My name is <Support Rep> and I'll be working with you today. While I read over your message, is there anything else you'd like to add?

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Hello, how are you doing today?

<ME>: I'm so so.  Struggling with the timelines to convert classic google sites to new AND trying to figure out what to do about my 10+ year old legacy free org/domain

<ME>: First:  Will the free option for Legacy Free users retain our domains for google sites .... e.g. www.tpedersen.net?  

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: I understand how important this is to you. Since you have reached me today I will try my best and will help you with this.

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Yes you will not have any issue with the domain and it will remain the same.

<ME>: good, will we lose ALL mail accounts @ tpedersen.net or can I keep one (super admin)

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: You will not loose any email account. You will have all the email accounts and you can chose which account needs to be active.

<ME>: I am planning on going with the Free option, not upgrading/paying 

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: I understand and even with the free option you will not have any issue the email accounts will remain same.

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Can I have the right number to reach you in case the chat  gets disconnected?

<ME>: This is GREAT!   How many accounts can I keep.  My Family & Friends edition now has 200 max w/ 15g per account.  nnn-nnn-nnnn is my cell

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: I understand and you can have all the 200 accounts and the storage will be based on the new plan that you will be selecting. If you select the business starter plan then you will get 15Gb per user and for business standard you can get 30Gb per user.

<ME>: I am talking about the new FREE plan that they emailed us about

<ME>: I'm not going to pay

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Can you kindly confirm the name of the free plan that you have received.

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: If possible can you kindly share with me the email that you have received on the chat so I can check and help you with this.

<ME>: It was Called Google Apps Standard, Family and Groups was the original name in 2007

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Got it.

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Allow me 2 minutes I will check on this and will help you.

<ME>: thats fine, I'm looking for the email

<ME>: Hope this works:  Email received on April 7 from Google Workspace team:  

Hi there,

Discontinued in 2012, the G Suite legacy free edition has provided access to premium Google Apps features for over 10 years. On June 1, 2022, Google will begin upgrading G Suite legacy free edition accounts to Google Workspace.

Don’t wait: Upgrade today and save.

When upgrading to a Google Workspace paid subscription, you’ll unlock new premium collaboration and security features, while continuing to have access to all the ones you already love like using Gmail with your custom domain (ex. your-name@example.com) and the ability to manage multiple users. As a valued customer, you can get started now with Google Workspace Business Starter. Billing will not start until at least August 1, 2022, and you’ll also get a discount of at least 50% for 12 months after that date.*

Note: If you no longer want to use Gmail with your custom domain or the ability to manage multiple users, you’ll be able to join a waitlist in the Google Workspace Admin Console for a no-cost option in the coming weeks.

In addition to all the features you already rely on, let’s take a look at several new capabilities Business Starter gives you:

Double the storage

Increase your cloud storage capacity to 30 GB per user. And pooled storage lets users who aren’t using their full storage allowance to share it with other team members.

Increased security

Help protect devices and data with fundamental endpoint management. Features include passcode enforcement and device management, endpoint verification, device reports, and more.

Access to add-ons

Deep integration between Google Workspace and other productivity applications can allow work to happen across platforms, all from inside Google Workspace.

To get started, visit your Google Workspace Admin Console. Learn more about making the transition to Google Workspace or compare the service editions.

If you do not take action by June 1, 2022, Google will begin transitioning your organization to a new Google Workspace subscription. To complete the transition and avoid account suspension, enter your billing details in your Admin Console before August 1, 2022.

In the future, if you choose the no-cost option or if your subscription is in a suspended state, you won’t lose access to additional Google services, including YouTube, Google Photos, and Google Play – or to paid content, including your YouTube and Google Play purchases.

Switch now

See you online,

The Google Workspace Team

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Thank you for the email.

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: And as per the new plan suggested through email you will get 30 Gb per user.

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Not to rush, are we still connected?

<Support Rep> Actually Called me on the Phone!   Confirmed!  I thanked him for the info!  And gave him 5-Star's on the Survey!

Google Workspace Support, <Support Rep>: Thanks for contacting Google Workspace Support! There’s a short survey coming up and we’d love to hear your feedback about our interaction today.

I will proceed to close the chat and the case, keep in mind that you can reopen this case within the next 30 days, if you have any other questions related to this issue. Have an excellent rest of your day!

<Text only version of email - graphics no allowed in these text boxes>

[Action required] Upgrade to get started with Google Workspace

Inbox

The Google Workspace Team

Thu, Apr 7, 2022 12:49 PM 

to me

What you need to know about your subscription

See what’s changing – and get the details on upgrading to Google Workspace.

Switch now

Hi there,

Discontinued in 2012, the G Suite legacy free edition has provided access to premium Google Apps features for over 10 years. On June 1, 2022, Google will begin upgrading G Suite legacy free edition accounts to Google Workspace.

Don’t wait: Upgrade today and save.

When upgrading to a Google Workspace paid subscription, you’ll unlock new premium collaboration and security features, while continuing to have access to all the ones you already love like using Gmail with your custom domain (ex. your-name@example.com) and the ability to manage multiple users. As a valued customer, you can get started now with Google Workspace Business Starter. Billing will not start until at least August 1, 2022, and you’ll also get a discount of at least 50% for 12 months after that date.*

Note: If you no longer want to use Gmail with your custom domain or the ability to manage multiple users, you’ll be able to join a waitlist in the Google Workspace Admin Console for a no-cost option in the coming weeks.

In addition to all the features you already rely on, let’s take a look at several new capabilities Business Starter gives you:

• Double the storage

Increase your cloud storage capacity to 30 GB per user. And pooled storage lets users who aren’t using their full storage allowance to share it with other team members.

• Increased security

Help protect devices and data with fundamental endpoint management. Features include passcode enforcement and device management, endpoint verification, device reports, and more.

• Access to add-ons

Deep integration between Google Workspace and other productivity applications can allow work to happen across platforms, all from inside Google Workspace.

To get started, visit your Google Workspace Admin Console. Learn more about making the transition to Google Workspace or compare the service editions.

If you do not take action by June 1, 2022, Google will begin transitioning your organization to a new Google Workspace subscription. To complete the transition and avoid account suspension, enter your billing details in your Admin Console before August 1, 2022.

In the future, if you choose the no-cost option or if your subscription is in a suspended state, you won’t lose access to additional Google services, including YouTube, Google Photos, and Google Play – or to paid content, including your YouTube and Google Play purchases.

Switch now

See you online,

The Google Workspace Team

------------------------------

Transition FAQ Compare editions Go to Console

*Discounts will be determined based on current product usage and location.

It was previously communicated that we would begin to upgrade accounts on May 1, 2022. To provide customers with more time to transition or join the waitlist for a no-cost option, we will now begin to upgrade accounts on June 1, 2022 and require billing details be provided by August 1, 2022 to avoid account suspension.

Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You’re receiving this email because it contains important information about your Google Workspace account.

VERY limited communications from G Workspace group on this ... No emails since 1/27, no mention of Legacy Free changes on workspaceupdates.googleblog.com .... Soooo I found a GREAT utility @ https://versionista.com to watch and notify me if/when there are changes to Legacy Free Support article @ https://support.google.com/a/answer/60217.    

Upgrade from G Suite legacy free edition

Switch to a paid edition and get premium collaboration tools, more storage, and increased security

If you have the G Suite legacy free edition, you need to either upgrade to a paid Google Workspace subscription to keep your current services, or transition to a no-cost option without the premium features of using Gmail with your custom domain (for example, your-name@example.com) and the ability to manage multiple users. The G Suite legacy free edition will no longer be available starting June 1, 2022.

Upgrade to Google Workspace by June 1, 2022

When upgrading to a paid Google Workspace subscription, you’ll unlock new premium collaboration and security features while continuing to have access to all the features you love, using Gmail with your custom domain (for example, your-name@example.com) and the ability to manage multiple users. Select the Flexible payment plan when you upgrade to a Business edition and billing won't start until at least August 1, 2022.

If you choose to wait, Google will begin upgrading subscriptions automatically on June 1, 2022. To complete the upgrade, set up Google Workspace billing before August 1, 2022. If you don't provide your payment information, your Google Workspace subscription will be suspended until you set up billing.

After 60 days in suspension, you'll no longer have access to Google Workspace core services, such as Gmail, Calendar, and Meet. Enter a valid form of payment to restore your suspended account.

If you don’t upgrade to a Google Workspace subscription, you will not lose access to additional Google services or paid content you purchased with your legacy edition account (such as movies purchased in the Google Play Store).

I filled out the G Suite legacy free edition feedback form about 2 months ago, with no acknowledgments,  feedback or communications since.   I've also subscribed to workspaceupdates.googleblog.com and watched for any news- nada.  I even opened (promptly closed) a support ticket to see if I could get a handle on the plan (and timeline) for Legacy Free users ... not very encouraging. 

Since deadline for G Suite legacy free edition feedback  was April 1, I submitted one more ... just to be safe!

This time I remembered to snap a picture of the form (see below) - I'm pretty sure I would have asked for additional communications but MADE SURE I checked the box to receive "tailored updates and special offers regarding your G Suite legacy free edition."

------------------

How do you use your G Suite legacy free edition account?

We understand that some customers may not use G Suite legacy free edition for business. Please complete the following form if you have 10 seats or less and are interested in receiving updates on more options for your non-business legacy account in the coming months.

You must fill out this form with your G Suite legacy free edition administrator account. By submitting this form you agree that Google may use this information to reach out with tailored updates and special offers regarding your G Suite legacy free edition.

For more information on the transition from G Suite Legacy Edition to Workspace, please visit our Help Center: https://support.google.com/a/answer/60217

<admin>@<yourdomain> Switch account Draft saved

* Required

Email *
<My Email>@<My Domain>
I use my G Suite Legacy Free edition account *

X For personal use or to manage my family

To manage a business

For both

Other

Do you agree to receive additional communications from Google about your G Suite legacy free edition account? *
If you select No, you will not receive tailored updates and special offers regarding your G Suite legacy free edition.

X Yes

No

------------------

Response Approx 11:20 3/31/2022

How do you use your G Suite legacy free edition account?

Thank you for submitting your information. Stay tuned for updates in the coming months.

This form was created inside of Google.com. Report Abuse

Interesting changes to the Google Workspace help Article for G Suite Legacy Free users ...

A special 'call-out' was added to the top of the help article in late January to help people who are using G Suite Legacy free in Non-Business setting - presumably for those of us in the original "Family and Groups" tier.  It was prominently plopped on top of the page and looked a little like this (Internet Archive January 25 page capture)

"Important: If you're using G Suite legacy free edition for personal use, please go to this FAQ."

This notification was removed somewhere between March 9th and March 25th.  The FAQ offering help to NonBiz users is still on the page (as of March 31) but not as prominent/accessible ...  

Also a little difficult to get to the G Suite legacy free edition feedback form

It seems that IF you access Help article @ https://support.google.com/a/answer/60217#nonbiz without being signed in as G Suite Administrator, it looks something like this:

What if I use G Suite legacy free edition for personal use and don't want to upgrade to a Google Workspace subscription?

Upgrading to a Google Workspace subscription is a seamless transition for all customers currently on the G Suite legacy free edition. However, we understand some customers may not use their G Suite legacy free edition for business and may be interested in other options. If you have 10 or fewer users in your group and do not use your G Suite legacy free edition for business, please sign in to your administrator account to provide more information.

Sign in to an administrator account (doesn't end in gmail.com).

Note that even if you decide you don't want to upgrade to Google Workspace, you'll still retain access to additional Google services and paid content purchased though non-Google Workspace services made with your legacy edition account (such as movies purchased on Google Play). Learn more above.

BUT ... if you look at the same article WHILE currently logged in as administrator, it looks like this:

What if I use G Suite legacy free edition for personal use and don't want to upgrade to a Google Workspace subscription?

Upgrading to a Google Workspace subscription is a seamless transition for all customers currently on the G Suite legacy free edition. However, we understand some customers may not use their G Suite legacy free edition for business and may be interested in other options. If you have 10 or fewer users in your group and do not use your G Suite legacy free edition for business, please complete the form below by April 1, 2022 if you're interested in learning about different options for your account in the coming months.

G Suite legacy free edition feedback form

Note that even if you decide you don't want to upgrade to Google Workspace, you'll still retain access to additional Google services and paid content purchased though non-Google Workspace services made with your legacy edition account (such as movies purchased on Google Play). Learn more above.

I tossed this one into the collection because emails to admins have been a tad erratic ... some of my gapps admin receive them, others do not.   I also had a bunch of oddities to cleanup in New Sites today but can't see how any of it was related to this.  It's been a pretty tough migration ... much of it by hand.

Important information about your Google Sites migration

Inbox

The Google Workspace Team

Mar 2, 2022, 4:24 PM (16 hours ago)

to me

Dear Google Workspace Administrator,

We're writing to let you know about a technical issue that may have caused unintended behavior for sites converted from classic Sites to new Google Sites on your domain. These behaviors have been fixed in classic Sites conversion tools. However, there are some steps that you and your users should take to ensure that sites on your domain have the intended sharing settings.

What happened

Some of your converted sites and site attachments may not have the expected sharing settings:

• Some users who had access to a classic Site may not have access to the converted new Site. (Marked as “Some users missing access” in the attached CSV.)

• The suggested published viewer access on the unpublished converted new Site may have been broader than the viewer audience on the classic Site. Users who intended to preserve the viewer audience from the classic Site may not have changed this setting before publishing. (Marked as “Incorrect published viewer setting” in the attached CSV.)

• If your domain has enabled a default link sharing policy, it was applied to your converted new Sites and site attachments. (This setting did not apply to classic Sites.) In some cases, these files also became discoverable in Drive and Cloud search for members of your domain's default sharing group. (Marked as “Default link sharing setting applied” in the attached CSV.)

What to do

For your reference, we have included a list of converted new Sites potentially affected by this issue, the sharing permissions on the corresponding classic Sites, conversion timestamp (in UTC), and the owner of the converted new Sites (attachment_1.csv). (If your domain only has potentially impacted attachments and no remaining impacted new Sites, the CSV will show "CSV intentionally empty - No impacted new Sites. No action required.”)

To ensure that your sites have the correct sharing settings:

• Site owners can check the sharing permissions on their converted sites.

• You can use the Drive Permissions API to check and update sharing settings for sites on your domain.

Alternatively, you can use this form to request that we update the sharing settings on your converted sites as follows (and as permitted by your domain’s current sharing policies):

• For sites marked as “Some users missing access”: Editors, owners, and viewers on the classic Site will be given corresponding permissions on the converted new Site and attachment folder. (This includes domain-wide settings such as, “Anyone within domain can edit.”)

• For sites marked as “Incorrect published viewer setting”: Published viewer settings will be adjusted to match viewer settings on the classic Site, unless the published viewer setting has been changed to be different from the setting of the new Site at the time of conversion. In some cases, this may expand access outside the domain, if the classic Site was shared publicly.

Please submit your request by March 15, 2022. We will notify you when the fix is complete.

Please note:

• For sites marked as “Default link sharing setting applied”: We will address issues with link sharing defaults, if applicable on your domain, regardless of whether you complete the request form. (Link sharing access will be removed.)

  • For your reference, we have included a CSV with a list of site attachments potentially impacted by this issue (attachment_2.csv).

  • If no site attachments were affected by this issue, the CSV will show "CSV intentionally empty - No attachments impacted by "Default link sharing setting applied" issue. No action required."

• We may not be able to fix all your sites or attachments due to data retention policies that limit the data we have available. This is reflected in the attached CSVs. For these, the sharing permissions for the corresponding classic Sites will also not be available in the CSV.

We're here to help

We appreciate your business and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you have any questions, please contact Google Support and reference issue number 204077491.

Sincerely,

The Google Workspace Team

Reference: 204077491

This was interesting .... and encouraging!  Google renewed my domain for another year!  $10, as always!  Paid!

Registration of tpedersen.net successfully renewed

Inbox

The Google Workspace Team <workspace-noreply@google.com>

Mon, Feb 28, 4:12 PM

To:  Me

Domain registration successfully renewed

Your domain name, tpedersen.net, was successfully renewed with enom for one year. You can now continue using tpedersen.net with Domain Registration through February 28, 2023 and your account will soon be charged for the purchase.

Please do not reply to this email; replies are not monitored.

Sincerely,

The Google Workspace Team

© 2022 Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You’re receiving this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Workspace product or account.

[Action Required] Upgrade to a Google Workspace subscription

The Google Workspace Team <workspace-noreply@google.com>

Mon, Jan 31, 2022 at 11:09 AM

Reply-To: The Google Workspace Team <workspace-noreply@google.com>

To: Me

Dear Administrator,

We are writing to let you know that your G Suite legacy free edition will no longer be available starting July 1, 2022. To maintain your services and accounts, you need to upgrade to Google Workspace.

We launched our G Suite legacy free edition —the original Google Apps offering for businesses and schools— 16 years ago. In 2012 we discontinued this service, and we will now transition all remaining users to an upgraded Google Workspace paid subscription based on your usage.

What does this mean for my organization?

In 2020, we introduced —Google Workspace— and tailored our offerings to provide more options to fit our customers’ needs. Google Workspace includes all the features you already use, plus several new capabilities including more storage, increased security, 24/7 support, and more.

Upgrading from your G Suite legacy free edition to Google Workspace will only take you a few short steps and is not disruptive to your end-users. To support you in this transition, you will have discount options for 12 months after July 1, 2022.

What do I need to do?

To avoid disruption and maintain your account(s), please upgrade to Google Workspace by May 1, 2022. Begin the upgrade by reviewing the transition help center article, and selecting the option that best suits your organization’s needs. When you've identified your preferred subscription:

1. Go to your Admin console.

2. Select your new subscription offering.

3. Enter your billing information.

Once you’re upgraded, you can use your new Google Workspace subscription and functionality at no-cost until at least July 1, 2022.

If you take no action by May 1, 2022, Google will begin upgrading your organization seamlessly to a new Google Workspace subscription. The new subscription will be based on what you currently use with your G Suite legacy free edition.

If you do not enter your billing details before July 1, 2022, your subscription will be suspended.

If your needs have changed and you do not want to upgrade to a Google Workspace subscription, you can export your organization’s data with the takeout feature.

FAQs

Visit the help center for information on the G Suite legacy free edition to Google Workspace transition.

We’re here to help

If you have questions or need assistance, please Contact Google Workspace support. When you call or submit your support case, reference issue number 205265775. If you have trouble accessing your administrator account, please refer to instructions to reset your administrator password.

Thanks for choosing Google Workspace.

– The Google Workspace Team

© 2022  Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You have received this important update about your Google Workspace account because you designated this email address as a primary or secondary contact for mandatory service communications in your Google Admin console profile.

Updates to the transition timeline for Classic Google Sites

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

What’s changing

In 2017, we announced that we would replace classic Google Sites with new Google Sites. We’re extending the previously announced timeline to make the migration process easier for Google Workspace customers. The new timeline is: 

• Starting June 1, 2022 (previously December 1, 2021): You will no longer be able to edit any remaining classic Sites in your domain.  

• Starting July 1, 2022 (previously January 1, 2022): Classic Sites will no longer be viewable unless they are converted to new Google Sites.

Additionally, the bulk conversion tool in the Classic Sites Manager will be temporarily unavailable as we make improvements to conversion fidelity for sites settings. We will update the Google Workspace Known Issues page when the feature is re-enabled. 

In the meantime, end-users and admins can still convert individual classic Sites to new Google Sites and use other tools in the Classic Sites Manager to make progress on migration. 

Note: This timeline change does not impact the transition for users with personal Google accounts. 

Who’s impacted

Admins and end-users  

Getting started

• Admins: 

  • We recommend notifying your end-users about the updated timeline.

  • Use the Classic Sites Manager to help your users make the transition. 

• Google Workspace end-users:

  • Users need to transition from classic to new Sites according to the new timeline outlined above. Visit our Help Center to learn how to convert a classic Site to a new Site.

  • To ensure a smooth transition, we recommend the following best practices when migrating your sites:

    • Create an archive of your classic Sites in the Classic Sites Manager so that you can refer to them later, if needed. 

    • Since sharing settings work differently in new Sites than in classic Sites, always check your sharing settings after conversion:

      • Check that you are sharing with the desired audience before publishing.

      • Control whether collaborators can share your site with other users or publish the site in sharing settings.

        • Note: We recently changed how this setting is set during conversion. All converted sites will now have this setting disabled.

      • If your domain’s classic Sites sharing options are different from its Drive sharing permissions, confirm that access is correctly set for any users outside your domain. 

• End users with personal Google accounts: This timeline update is not applicable to users who use Google Sites with a personal account — visit the Help Center to learn more about the transition timeline from classic Sites to new Sites.

Availability

• Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers

Resources

• Google Workspace Admin Help: Manage users’ access in Sites 

• Google Workspace Admin Help: Transition from classic Sites to new Sites 

• Classic Sites Manager

• Google Sites Migration Guide 

• Google Workspace Updates Blog: Timelines and tools for transition from classic to new Google Sites

Labels: Google Sites , Other

The Google Workspace Team <workspace-noreply@google.com>

Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 11:39 AM

to me

You won’t be able to edit classic Google Sites starting December 1, 2021. Starting January 1, 2022, classic Google Sites will no longer be viewable.

Dear Google Workspace Administrator,

As previously communicated in August 2020 and April 2021, classic Sites is no longer available for website creation. If you haven’t already done so, enable new Sites creation for your users today.

We’re writing to remind you that the following changes will happen to your classic Sites:

• Starting December 1, 2021, users in your domain(s) tpedersen.net will no longer be able to edit their remaining classic Sites.

• Starting January 1, 2022, classic Sites will no longer be viewable unless they are converted to new Google Sites.

If you want your organization’s classic Sites content to continue to be viewable without interruption, make sure all of your existing classic Sites are migrated by December 31, 2021. Review the transition timeline below for more details.

What do I need to know?

In 2016, we launched an updated Google Sites designed to help you create websites without programming skills, optimize across mobile and desktop, and co-build with real-time collaboration. In 2017, we announced that we’re replacing classic Sites with our new Google Sites product. We shared more details about the transition timeline in August 2020 and sent a reminder in April 2021.

Below is the remaining transition timeline:

• Starting December 1, 2021 — Editing of remaining classic Sites will be disabled.

• Starting January 1, 2022 — Any remaining classic Sites will automatically be transitioned as follows:

  • Downloaded as an archive and saved to the website owner’s Google Drive.

  • Replaced with a draft in the new Google Sites for website owners to review and publish.

• After this process has taken place for a given site: When you or your users try to visit the classic Site, you will no longer see the website content if it hasn’t been published in new Google Sites.
  
  Note: We anticipate the transition process for all remaining classic Sites will take up to three months to complete. You’ll receive a notification once this is completed for your domain. During the transition period, you and your users will still be able to take action on remaining classic Sites.

Important: Some sites may not be automatically replaced with a draft new Google Site due to page count limits or other factors. Please see this help center article to understand if your site may be impacted and take action before December 31, 2021.

Read what’s new in Google Sites.

What do I need to do?

Use the Classic Sites Manager to help your users make the transition. This console helps you with the following actions:

• View all classic Sites in your domain.

• Convert, archive, or delete your websites.

• Update owners.

• Disable editing on specific sites.

• Export a summary report of your classic Sites to Google Sheets for project management.

If you don’t take any action, the changes outlined in the transition timeline above (under What do I need to know?) will automatically be applied to your domain. For more details about this process, refer to the Sites Help Center.

How can I get help?

If you have additional questions or need assistance, please contact Google Workspace support. When you call or submit your support case, reference issue number 160618210.

Thanks for choosing Google Workspace.

The Google Workspace Team

© 2021  Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You have received this important update about your Google Workspace account because you designated this email address as a primary or secondary contact for mandatory service communications in your Google Admin console profile.

The G Suite Team <gsuite-noreply@google.com>

Thu, Aug 6, 2020, 5:27 PM

to me

Google Sites creation will only be available in the new experience. Transition your active classic sites before September 2021.

Dear Tom,

In 2016, we launched an updated Google Sites (referred to in this email as "new Sites") designed to help you create websites without programming experience, optimize across mobile and desktop, and co-build with real-time collaboration. In 2017, we announced that we are replacing the previous Sites experience, referred to as "classic Sites" with our new Google Sites product. Since that announcement, we've invested in the new Sites experience by building top requested features.

We’ve identified that you own one or more active classic Sites. You must take action before September 2021 to avoid disruption.

Additionally, starting November 1, 2020, site creation will no longer be available in classic Sites. Any newly generated websites will only be available in the new experience.

What do I need to do?

• Start your migration today. If you want your site to continue to be available to viewers, you must convert and publish it to the new experience before September 2021.

• If you take no action, starting September 1, 2021 your active sites will automatically be:

  • Downloaded as an archive and saved to your Google Drive.

  • Replaced with a draft in the new Sites experience for you to review and publish.

• We’ve created a new Classic Sites Manager to help you transition your website(s) using the options below:

•  Convert your site(s) to the new experience if you want your site to continue to be available to visitors.

•  Download your site(s) if you want to store an archived version of your website.

•  Delete your site(s) that you no longer need.

Learn more about how to manage your transition.

Learn more about the new Google Sites

We’ve listened to your feedback, and your top requests are now included in the new Sites experience.

• Section layouts and pre-built templates let you create websites with fewer clicks and less site creation knowledge.

• Version history allows you to see your edit history, revert and restore previous versions, and review the history of who made changes.

• New tile types let you be more expressive with website content, including a table of contents, image carousels, collapsible text, and more.

• Custom URLs and publishing to an audience let you share your website content.

See what’s new in Google Sites.

For additional resources on what you need to know and how to manage your transition, visit the Sites Help Center.

Thanks for choosing Google Sites.

—The G Suite Team

The G Suite Team <gsuite-noreply@google.com>

Thu, Aug 6, 2020, 6:53 AM

to me

Your domain uses classic Google Sites, and we recommend taking action in August 2020 to successfully start the transition to new Sites.

Dear Administrator,

In 2016, we launched an updated Google Sites (referred to in this email as "new Sites") designed to help you and your users to create websites without programming experience, optimize across mobile and desktop, and co-build with real-time collaboration. In 2017, we announced that we are replacing the previous Sites experience, referred to as "classic Sites", with our new Sites product. Since that announcement, we've invested in the new Sites experience by building top requested features. In July 2020, more than 90% of users chose the new Sites experience for site creation.

Starting August 13, 2020, new Sites will become the default option for website creation. If you haven’t done so already, as the next step in your classic Sites transition, we recommend that you enable new Sites before the aforementioned date for all user groups that don’t already have access within your domain. Your users will still be able to toggle back to classic Sites as needed.

What do I need to know?

All existing classic Sites must be migrated by December 2021. Below is the high level transition timeline:

• August 2020 - New Sites will become the default option for website creation.

• Starting May 2021 - New website creation will no longer be available in classic Sites. This means that any new websites created in the organization will only be in new Sites.

• Starting October 2021 - Editing of remaining classic Sites will be disabled.

• Starting December 2021 - When users try to visit a classic Site, they will no longer see the website content. Any remaining classic Sites will automatically be:

  • Downloaded as an archive and saved to the site owner’s Google Drive.

  • Replaced with a draft in the new Sites experience for site owners to review and publish.

To help support your domain’s transition, in early 2021, we will follow up with a reminder on the steps required to complete your migration.

For additional details or questions and the latest resources, review the help center.

What do I need to do?

Start planning for the change to ensure a smooth transition.

A new Classic Sites Manager is now available for you and your users to manage the transition. The console allows you to view all classic Sites in your domain, export a summary to Google Sheets for project management, and take bulk actions to convert, archive or delete your sites.

⇨ Review this help center article to complete the required actions listed below:

Date

Recommended Action

August 2020

Enable new Google Sites in the G Suite Admin console for all user groups who need access within your domain, as shown below.

Once new Sites is enabled, sites.google.com will redirect to sites.google.com/new, instead of sites.google.com/classic.

Before May 2021

Disable creation of classic Sites for a clearer and more holistic user experience and to ensure a smoother transition. Currently, you can turn off creation to ensure all newly created sites are in the new experience.

Before October 2021

Disable editing of classic Sites. Permissions to disable editing of classic Sites will be available to you, as an Admin, by the end of 2020.

Before December 2021

Disable viewing of classic Sites. Permissions to disable viewing of classic Sites will be available to you, as an Admin, by the end of 2020.

If no action is taken, the changes outlined in the transition timeline above (under What do I need to know?) will automatically be applied to your domain.

Learn more about the new Google Sites

We’ve listened to your feedback, and top requests are now included in the new Sites experience to support your users’ needs:

• Admin permissions that allow you to control your users’ ability to edit and create sites within your domain.

• Section layouts and pre-built templates let users create websites with fewer clicks and less site creation expertise.

• Version history allows users to see their edit history, revert and restore previous versions, and review the history of who made changes.

• New tile types let users be more expressive with website content, including a table of contents, image carousels, collapsible text, and more.

• Custom URLs and publishing to an audience let users share their website content.

See what’s new in Google Sites.

We’re here to help

We’ll be sharing additional updates for you and your end users here.

If you have additional questions or need assistance, please contact G Suite support. When you call or submit your support case, reference issue number 160618210.

Thanks for choosing G Suite.

—The G Suite Team

The G Suite Team <gsuite-noreply@google.com>

Wed, May 22, 2019, 10:49 PM

to me

Hello Administrator,

We’re writing to let you know that to improve site viewers’ experience of new Google Sites, we are introducing a new feature which is being rolled out to all G Suite domains beginning June 10, 2019.

From June 10, 2019, site editors will have the ability to enable site viewers to see the last time a page has been updated in new Google Sites, allowing site viewers to determine how up to date site content is. We’re sharing this information in advance, so that you can prepare your G Suite domain, tpedersen.net, for this feature.

What do I need to know?

We are making two changes to footers in new Google Sites:

1. We are removing the current footer appended at the bottom of all new Sites, which contains the “Made with new Google Sites…” branding and the “Create a site” button.

2. We are adding the ability for site editors to show the last time a page was updated via a newly designed site info icon.

What does this mean for my organization?

The current appended footer containing the “Made with new Google Sites…” branding and the “Create a site” button will be automatically removed from all new Sites.

You can also optionally enable last updated time from within a new site info icon (dependant on Last updated time settings).

As an administrator, you can adjust the Last updated time settings using admin panel controls as follows:

• OFF: To disable site editors from ever displaying the last updated time on a site.

• ON: To give site editors the option to turn last updated time on or off on a per-site basis.

• FORCED: To always show last updated time for all sites (editors cannot disable).

To determine whether your site editors have the option to display Last updated time for new Sites, please adjust the admin setting in advance of the feature roll out beginning June 10. Admin panel controls will become available gradually from May 13, 2019, and will default to ON.

When the admin setting is ON, site editors have the option to toggle Last updated time on or off on a per site basis from the Site info settings within the new Sites editor. By default, the site-level setting for last updated time will be toggled off for all existing sites (meaning last updated time will not be displayed), and toggled on for all newly created sites moving forward (meaning last updated time will be displayed).

To prevent site editors from having this option, you can disable this feature by selecting the OFF admin setting or you can force enable this feature by selecting the FORCED admin setting.

What do I need to do?

We recommend reviewing the new administrator setting for Last updated time and choosing the appropriate option for your domain before June 10, 2019.

The setting can be found in the Admin console at Apps > G Suite > Settings for Sites > New Sites > Last updated time.

Need more information?

For information about the above changes and how to set the last updated date setting, please refer to our blogpost and Help Center article.

We’re here to help

If you have additional questions or need assistance, please contact G Suite support. When you call or submit your support case, reference issue number 132735002.

Sincerely,

The G Suite Team

From:  https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2017/05/an-update-on-classic-google-sites.html

An update on the classic Google Sites deprecation timeline

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

When we launched the new Google Sites last year, we promised to share more information in 2017 on how to migrate from the classic version of Sites. Today, we want to give you a better sense of what’s coming and when, so you can effectively plan for the eventual shutdown of the classic Sites product.

Migration tools*

In Q1 2018, we’ll launch an admin preview of features in the classic Sites that will help site owners migrate their content to the new Sites. Later in 2018, we’ll open up these features for site owners and provide a management dashboard to G Suite admins that will enable them to effectively manage the migration process. Stay tuned for more details on these features and tools as they become available.

Deprecation timeline

We plan to take your feedback on these migration tools into account when scheduling the deprecation and shutdown of the classic Sites. With that mind, we’ll only announce a firm timeline after the migration process is underway for many customers.A few things to note:

• Once announced, the deprecation schedule will include at least one year of unchanged operation followed by three months of read-only operation. Migration will be possible throughout, including during the read-only phase.

• When the read-only phase ends, all unmigrated sites will be preserved as a takeout archive.

• Before deprecating the classic Sites, we’ll ensure that the new Sites includes several features necessary for team sites, portals, knowledge bases, and intranets. These will include at least the following:

  • Search a site

  • Restrict access to published sites

  • More granular access to different sections of sites

  • Embed URLs and code in sites

  • Notifications of site updates

  • Create larger sites, including deeper hierarchy

  • Corporate themes

  • More text formatting options

  • Custom web addresses

  • API capabilities

Follow the G Suite Updates Blog for additional details when these new features and migration tools launch.* Dates and details adjusted on Dec 20, 2017

Google Apps (now known as G Suite) <apps-noreply@google.com>

Sep 29, 2016, 4:43 PM

to me

Our new name reflects our commitment to building technology that helps people work together.

Hello Google Apps Customer,

We created Google Apps to help people everywhere work and innovate together, so that your organization can move faster and achieve more. Today, we're introducing a new name that better reflects this mission: G Suite.

Over the coming weeks, you'll see our new name and logo appear in familiar places, including the Admin console, Help Center, and on your invoice. G Suite is still the same all-in-one solution that you use every day, with the same powerful tools—Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Calendar.

Thanks for being part of the journey that led us to G Suite. We're always improving our technology so it learns and grows with your team.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch anytime.

Visit our official blog post to learn more.

 Sincerely,

The G Suite Team

P.S. From now on, any emails you receive will come from G Suite (gsuite-noreply@google.com) instead of Google Apps—but don't worry, it's still us.

Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You have received this important update about your Google Apps account because you designated this email address as a primary or secondary contact for mandatory service communications in your Google Admin console profile.

The Google Apps Team <apps-noreply@google.com>

Dec 7, 2012, 8:21 PM

to me

Hello from Google,

Here's some important news about Google Apps—but don't worry, there's no need for you to take any action. We just want you to know that we're making a change to the packages we offer.

Starting today, we're no longer accepting new sign-ups for the free version of Google Apps (the version you're currently using). Because you're already a customer, this change has no impact on your service, and you can continue to use Google Apps for free.

Should you ever want to upgrade to Google Apps for Business, you'll enjoy benefits such as 24/7 customer support, a 25 GB inbox, business controls, our 99.9% uptime guarantee, unlimited users and more for just $5 per user, per month.

You can learn more about this change in our Help Center or on the Enterprise Blog.

Thank you for using Google Apps.

Clay Bavor

Director, Google Apps

© 2012 Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 9404

You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Apps product or account.

Inbox
Google Apps Team <apps-noreply@google.com>

Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 8:16 P

to me

Hello,

We recently announced upcoming changes to the maximum number of users for Google Apps. We want to let you know that, as a current customer, the changes will not affect you.

As of May 10, any organization that signs up for a new account will be required to use the paid Google Apps for Business product in order to create more than 10 users. We honor our commitment to all existing customers and will allow you to add more than 10 users to your account for tpedersen.net at no additional charge, based on the limit in place when you joined us.

Sincerely,

The Google Apps Team

Email preferences: You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Apps account.
Google Inc. | 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway | Mountain View, CA 94043 © 2011 Google Inc. Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc.

apps-noreply@google.com

Dec 11, 2010, 6:10 AM

to me

Hello Google Apps user,

Your Google Apps account has been successfully transitioned to function more like a full Google Account! To get started, please sign out and sign back in after reading this message.

What this change means for you:

• Access to many more Google products. You will now be able to use most Google products with your tpedersen.net accounts. For a sample, see our list of products.

• New sign in option. You can now sign in to Google services from the regular sign-in pages (like http://mail.google.com). Make sure to enter your full tpedersen.net email address when signing in. Learn more

• Data ownership. All data contained in tpedersen.net Google Apps accounts continues to be owned by your organization, and is subject to tpedersen.net's terms and conditions. Learn more

Common issues:

• Using multiple accounts. After the conversion, the process to sign in to multiple accounts simultaneously in your browser (What is a browser?) will change. Learn more

• Offline support for certain Google products aren't currently available. Learn more

Still have questions or need more help?

1. If you are an administrator, please visit our Help Center for Admins.

2. If you are an end user, please visit our full Google Accounts Help Center. If you have questions that are not in the Help Center, please contact your administrator for help.

Sincerely,

The Google Apps Team

-------------

You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Apps account.Please don't reply to this email, as we won't be able to review your response. If your question wasn't answered, please feel free to visit our Help Center.

Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

The Google Apps Team <apps-noreply@google.com>

Thu, Feb 28, 2008, 8:31 P

to me

Greetings admins!

Today, we're excited to announce the introduction of Google Sites as part of Google Apps.

Google Sites makes creating a team web site as easy as editing a document. You can quickly gather a variety of information in one place -- including videos, calendars, presentations, attachments, and gadgets -- and easily share it for viewing or editing with a small group, your entire organization, or the world.

As of today, Google Sites is enabled for tpedersen.net, which means your users can get started immediately. To help you announce this new offering to your users, we've included a template message below that you're welcome to use.

You can learn more about Google Sites at http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/users/sites.html.

To find more information or get in touch, visit our Help Center at http://www.google.com/support/a. Please do not reply to this email; replies are not monitored.

Sincerely,

The Google Apps Team

-------------------------------------------------------

Google has just released a new product called Google Sites, and you can start using it today!

What is Google Sites?

It's an online application that makes creating a team web site as easy as editing a document. You can quickly gather a variety of information in one place -- including videos, calendars, presentations, attachments, and gadgets -- and easily share it for viewing or editing with a small group, their entire organization, or the world.

* Anyone can do it -- Building a site is as simple as editing a document, and you don't need anyone's help to get started.

* Share from one place -- Create a single place to bring together all the information your team needs to share, including docs, videos, photos, calendars and attachments.

* Work together -- Invite co-workers, classmates, or your entire organization to edit your site with you to keep it fresh and up-to-date. And let as many or few people view your site as you want.

Take a look at some example sites to see how you might use Google Sites:

* Company intranet -- http://sites.google.com/a/organic-city.com/intranet/Home

* Team project -- http://sites.google.com/a/altostrat.com/project-eggplant/Home

* Employee profile -- http://sites.google.com/a/altostrat.com/jkraus/Home

* Classroom -- http://sites.google.com/a/googleclassrooms.org/mrs-richau/Home

* Student club -- http://sites.google.com/a/googleuniversity.org/ski-club/Home

To start using Google Sites, go to http://sites.google.com/a/

If you have questions, visit the Google Sites Help Center at http://www.google.com/support/sites.

Over the years I have hosted many friends and family members on my domains and helped MANY MORE set up their own FREE Google Apps Standard organizations and domains - I could kick myself!   Many of these probably don't check for emails on admin accounts or visit the Google Admin Console ...  sooo, I'll forward the latest email to those I can think of and point them to Google Support for help!   

Google Legacy Free Death March article @ https://support.google.com/a/answer/60217

Google Workspace Support info @ https://support.google.com/a/answer/1047213

It also looks like they will also need to be logged in as GApps Administrator to see much of this or to get help.  
For help logging into Admin Console may help here too!  See https://support.google.com/a/answer/6335621

Instinctively,  I setup all GApps domains with a Super User "Site Administrator" account.  These were used for initial setup and to administer the domain - add/manage users, apps,  etc.  We'll eliminate these and simply assign Super Admin role to THEONE user to reduce subscriptions.   Potentially an uneasy procedure so I tested it on an old/unused Gapps domain and took a few notes as I stumbled through.

• Login as Site Admin one last time ... via https://admin.google.com/

  1. Manage Domain:  Double check Admin/Technical/Billing Contacts on your Domain Registration

  2. Check email, drive and other services for any gotcha's (Can't think of anything)

  3. "Add a user" to create THEONE User (or use existing user) ...  considerations/reminders:

     • Choose THEONE Username/email address wisely - it may be the One-and-Only@<yourdomain>

     • Remember to give THEONE "Super Admin"  Role in Admin Roles and privileges

     • Security->Account Recovery:  Allow super admins to recover account

     • Apps->Workplace->gmail->Routing:  Catch-all Address (to 'catch' email from deleted accounts)

• Login as THEONE and delete original Site Admin account via Manage Users -> Delete

  1. Popup:  "Assign Primary Admin"  Assign this to THEONE user and set contact email as needed

  2. Data in gmail:  Lots of complex options to Migrate the user's existing email 

  3. Data in other apps:  "Transfer everything" to THEONE ... all goes into a gdrive folder named <admin>@<yourdomain>.  Email when transfer is complete.  
     
     

Our primary domain generated a pretty good collection of accounts over the years, originally email addresses for every family member,  many play/test groups (Family Dogs was a good one) *and* a number of special users.  

I worked through a User List in the admin console signed in as my final one-and-only account (THEONE).  This helped move any doc/drive leftovers to one place.  

Couple of notes as I stumbled through some of this:

• Clicking on User Name in Admin Console list provides useful info ...  Mail Storage, Drive Storage and Docs owned.  Helpful when deciding how to deal w/ user

• Last Sign in Date appears to be Account Login, this may be off for imap email users or those that never log into Gapps accounts ... not necessarily dead users!

• I had some odd users that I totally forgot about - like DMARC_ME (dmarc reports) and SPAM_ME.  I had to think through some of these and will either add an email alias to THEONE email account or simply let domain email catch-all deal with these.  I'll also route catch-all to THEONE at least until things settle down. 

• Tools @ https://mxtoolbox.com were very helpful when digging around in domain and email setup

User Delete options:

• Data in Gmail:  Option to Migrate the user's existing email & ideas for ongoing emails:  forwarding vs. reuse/alias to keep email address around

• Other Data:  Options to keep Drive/Docs and such.  You end up with a <user>@<mydomian> folder on specified account ... I send it all of THEONE  

The Delete response looks something like this:

Deleting user
USERNAME

This user's data is being transferred. You'll get an email when that's
complete, and the user is deleted.

When the transfer is still in progress, the user's account will be
suspended to prevent them from accessing their account.

After the deletion you have 20 days to restore the account, after
which all the data be permanently deleted. Learn more

The deleted user's license/subscription appears to end when the user is deleted even though the account seems to stick around for another 20 days.  I'd also check the bill carefully because the Flexible Plan prorates subscriptions and Google is a tad Evil these days!

This part is the real pain and will may take some time.   I have 95+ year old's who have used tpedersen.net email for more than a decade.  We'll need to find them a new/easy to remember email service *AND* transition them off of GApps BEFORE we start getting charged - using the friggin moving target timeframe Google has set out!    This also includes changing usernames on online services like Facebook, insurance, banks, government .... VERY difficult to find/change all of these so we will begin transitioning these guys as early as possible - April/May 2022.

Here's a running step-by step (so I can retrace my steps):

• Set up replacement email address.   Choose address and provider that is free and easy for them to remember (ISP or Cable provider, outlook.com, etc).
  Few links/notes that I saved

  1. Charter/Spectrum:   imap/thunderbird (pdf), and support articles on Email Server Settings and  ipad email (support article)

  2. Outlook.com (Microsoft users):  Upgrade Gmail to outlook.com in 5 Easy Steps

  3. icloud (apple users): Good thread on moving domain from Gapps to iCloud

• Set up Auto-Responder and Forwarding on current email (Gapps domain).  

  1. Log in to Gapps email account, and click on settings (Gear), then "See all settings"

  2. Forwarding & POP/IMAP tab:  

     • "Add a forwarding address" button, enter new email address
       Popup Reply:  Notification that confirmation code has been sent to new address

     • In a second tab or device:  Check email at new address to get confirmation code and confirm the request (a big link to click)

     • Enter confirmation code in gmail forwarding dialog and verify

     • Select "Forward a copy of incoming mail" and "Keep <mygapps> Mail's copy in inbox"

     • Remember to "Save Changes" at bottom of form

     • This would be a good time to run a test:  Use a 3rd email address to send/check forwarding @ old email

  3. Use "Vacation Responder" to notify senders of address change via  Settings->General:  

     • Scroll down to "Vacation responder" and turn it on

     • Set First day ... last day not needed, leave it on for eternity

     • Set Subject to "We've moved to a new email address" (or similar)

     • Set message to something like:  "Thanks for the email.  Please take note that our email address has changed.   This message has been forwarded to <newadd>@<newdomain> and we will reply as needed.  Please update your email address book"

     • Responder can be sent to everyone or limited to people in contacts

     • Remember to "Save Changes"   

     • Another good time for a test.  Send & Check for responder and forwarded email
       Remember:  If you restricted response to "My Contacts", you must be listed in Google Contacts
       Also:  I had instances where Vacation Responder had to be re-set (mod message a tad and save) before the responder worked.  It is a Google-Glitchy feature, but you can get it to work

• Now to find online accounts and change email/login - Yeeeesh, this is bad!   a mess

  1. 
     

I have installed a number of Google Home Mini smart speakers to keep elderly friends company, especially during COVID lockdowns.  For simplicity, I created email/user accounts on my Gapps domain since the gizmo required a google account - my user's don't use it for email or any other purpose.  

Went around-and-around attempting to change the email address on Google Home App from mygappsdomain to gmail, could never get the invite to send ... what a pain in the a55!    Ended up resetting the device.

Here's what I did:

1. Reset Google Home Mini to factory defaults

2. Create new gmail account via:  https://accounts.google.com/SignUp
   Help at:   https://support.google.com/mail/answer/56256

3. Installed Google Home App (I used ipad version)
   from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-home/id680819774

4. Temporarily created a WiFi Network with same SSID/Password as target home user so I could set these up remotely.  I pickup the speaker, reconfigure it and drop it back off when it's done - no one breathing down my neck while I work! 

5. Sing-along-Setup @ https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7029485

I have a couple of older GApps Legacy organizations that still contain sites & docs I'd like to save ... 

The Google Takeout tool appears to be better than a sharp stick in the eye here.   It produces VERY large zip files and actually contained data I would have missed - photos/movies from old Android phone & tablet that are logged into one of the GApps account, for example - still used occasionally!  

Prior to TakingOut, I did user cleanup, deleting/consolidating users down to a single GApps account (THEONE) again.  Then a single Google Takeout to create archive and download the entire mess.  

A few notes:

1. Google Account/Takeout can get pretty squirrelly when you've been logging in/out of multiple google accounts ... could be chrome too, but watch upper right to ensure you are TakingOut the user you intended to!  

2. Google Takeout is @ https://takeout.google.com/:   "Export a copy of content for backup or to use it outside of Google".

3. Create a New Report:  I selected EVERYTHING for a 15 year-old Account that was pretty active for a number of years.  50 of 50 selected

   • Next Step button is waaaaay down on Create Report page

   • Delivery Method may need to be seasoned to taste:  
     - Used  "Add to Drive" for an older/stale GApps organization because the domain was no longer active, email would likely fail. 
     - Chose "email link" for GApps account that didn't have available GDrive space ... Export was 10 zip files, just under 2g/zip, available for 7 days
     - Interesting:  You could also send to Dropbox, Onedrive or Box!

1. • Frequency:  Export once

   • File Type:  .zip

   • Exports larger than 2GB to be split into multiple files

2. Landed on "Manage Export" page.  It looks like you can track status of Export via https://takeout.google.com/takeout/downloads

3. The Takeout produced a gdrive folder called "Takeout" (of all places), containing downloadable zip archives named "takeout-yyyymmddT<probtime>-<seq>.zip".
   More notes/observations from a quick pass thru Takeout Archive:

   • Data all looks to be consumable, logically formatted ... BUT it is an  overwhelming amount of data.  OK as an Archive

   • Ended up renaming Takeout downloads, adding account name to the FileID's.  It becomes confusing when multiple Takeouts are underway!

   •  Google maintains A LOT of personal information!   Youtube watch history,  web/browser activity,  phone .... We used old GAPPS accounts for Google Signons in MANY places in an attempt to buffer real/personal activity from Google tracking.  Time to re-evaluate - possibly create a special gmail account for this  purpose.

   • Surprises & reminders:

     1.   Old android phone & tablet were associated with a GAPPs Legacy free domain (photos, movies & more!) ... devices will need to be re-assigned 

     2.   Current devices that log into Youtube using age-old Legacy Free GAPPs account ... These devices will need to be logged into another account also

     3.   Google Pay is in here:   Check for long-lost gift cards and such!

     4.  Found some long-lost friends in Contacts!

     5.  Last, but not least ... found the nice Browser-based Archive Browser in the LAST zip file!