PC Magazine: Google Rolls Out Recovery Tool for Bug That Deleted Drive Files. “In late November, users started noticing missing Google Drive files. They’d log in and find everything missing, sometimes months or years’ worth of data. In some cases, older versions of the files might be present but not the latest version. Google now has a potential fix with a new recovery tool.”
Lifehacker: You Can Now Scan Documents in Google Files Too. “Last week saw some great updates to Google Drive’s document scanner. First of all, it’s finally available on iPhone (thank god), but the Android version also received some exclusive new features, including automatically capturing documents when the camera detects them, an improved viewfinder, and the ability to upload documents directly from your phone. But apparently Google doesn’t just have its sights set on Drive to serve as your document scanning hub.”
9to5 Google: Google investigating missing files on Drive, caused by desktop app. “Over the past few days, quite a few Google Drive users have noticed files go missing, and now Google is confirming that it is looking into the issue, which is caused by the desktop app.”
Android Police: Google Drive seems to have lost some user data, reports say. “It looks like Google Drive is experiencing some issues with disappearing files. Multiple users have taken to the Google Support forum to report that they lost access to some of the files that they’ve uploaded to Google Drive, with them seemingly fully gone from the cloud service. Google recommends you don’t make any changes to your Google Drive if you’re affected while the company investigates the issue.”
The Verge: WhatsApp for Android will again use Google Drive space for backups. “Android users on WhatsApp won’t have a free ride anymore when it comes to backups. The change comes after five years of Android users’ backups not counting toward Google Drive storage limits at all — something that was never true for iOS users.”
Amit Agarwal: How to Enable Push Notifications for File Changes in Google Drive with Apps Script. “Are you looking for a way to receive notifications in real-time when an important spreadsheet in your Google Drive get modified or is accidently deleted by sometimes? Well, Google Drive offers an API to help you set up a watch on any file in your Google Drive be it a document, presentation or even a PDF file. This means that you can receive instant notifications whenever the content or even permissions of that file changes. This tutorial explains how you can setup watch notifications on any file in your Google Drive with the help of Google Apps Script.”
MakeUseOf: How to Extract Text From Images and PDFs With Google Drive. “There may have been times when you wished you could easily extract and use the text from images, like when researching a project or making a pitch presentation. Perhaps you’ve wanted to grab some notes from PDF files or a quote from a picture online. Using Google Drive, you can extract text from most images and PDF files. You’ll be glad that it’s easy and takes a few clicks. This feature can save you time and enhance your productivity.”
PC World: Google Drive review: Solid cloud storage, but the settings can be confusing. “Google Drive is neither the best nor the cheapest, but for Android users who want reasonably easy backup and the ability to keep files synchronized between different devices with different operating systems, this is the best option.”
Android Police: Google Drive kills controversial file limit just weeks after it was discovered. “In an attempt to optimize its server infrastructure, Google silently introduced a controversial file creation limit of five million items. While this number is likely only reached by a small percentage of the total user base, it’s an unexpected limitation that some of those paying for Google One’s higher tiers found themselves in, with backlash quickly hitting Google.”
The Verge: Your Google docs are about to look a little bit different. “Google’s Workspace apps are getting a makeover. Google plans to refresh the design of Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides in the coming weeks to more closely align with its Material Design 3 design system, the company announced on Thursday.”
MakeUseOf: How to Create a Direct Link for Your Google Drive Files. “Are you looking for ways to share files from Google Drive conveniently? Look no further. When you’re working with files, nobody wants to be redirected to a page where they still have to click the download option. Luckily, you can create a direct download link to share your files. That way, your recipients can download files from you by simply clicking a link. Here, you’ll learn how to create a direct download link for your Google Drive files.”
Digital Inspiration: Upload Files from Google Drive to Google Cloud Storage with Google Apps Script. “This tutorial describes how you can upload files and folders from your Google Drive to a bucket in Google Cloud Storage using Google Apps Script. You can even set up a time-based trigger, like a cron job, that watches a folder in your Google Drive and automatically upload new incoming files to Google Cloud Storage. The same technique can also be used to upload files from Google Drive to Firebase Storage.”
Gizmodo Australia: Proton Drive vs Google Drive: How the Services Compare. “It’s worth saying right at the outset that we’re not expecting the just-out-of-beta Proton Drive to match up in every department to the 10-year-old Google Drive — but it might be useful, if you’re considering switching, to know about the various tools and features that are already available in the new challenger.”
How-To Geek: How to Comment on PDFs (or Any Other File) in Google Drive. “You might already know that when sharing documents using Google’s own office apps you can leave comments to make collaboration easy. But did you know Google Drive offers the same comment feature for virtually any file, not just Google documents?”
Chrome Unboxed: Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides will now warn you of Office file compatibility issues. “First and foremost, a new warning indicator will appear if your file has compatibility issues in Drive. It will appear and stay for the entirety of your editing session or so long as there are problems to be certain you address them before shipping the document off to its recipient.”
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