Google Docs, along with the rest of Workspace (Slides and Sheets), are incredibly easy to use and have great editing and collaboration tools, except when it comes to the comments feature.
But now a new update will make the tool much easier to use collaboratively, according to a google official blog entrance. The update addresses UI clutter in the “Comments” section by adding a new “For You” section, as well as an option to reduce clutter by minimizing the “Comments” sidebar.
When you use the “Comments” button next to the “Revision History” button, there is a sidebar with two tabs: “For you” and “All comments.” The first is the one that filters all comments made except those addressed to you, while the second shows comments made to everyone who has access to that document. This highlights comments made in a document that is tagged specifically for you and no one else, reducing clutter.
From there, you can click on a comment to expand each one individually, leaving the comment floating next to the text it's attached to. This particular feature is called the 'Expand Comments' option in the 'View menu' and is a tool that Sheets doesn't have.
However, only Sheets and Docs have another new tool called “Minimize Comments,” which allows you to close the “Comments” sidebar and reduce comments to mini icons. This setting provides a quick preview of information about who comments when you hover over minimized icons.
Finally, Docs, Sheets, and Slides have a “Hide Comments” tool, which hides comments when you want to focus solely on the content. This feature is useful for those using devices with smaller screens, such as tablets and Chromebooks.
Some users already have access to this 'Feedback' hotfix, although the full rollout of the update will begin on March 1, 2024 and should be complete by March 4, according to Google. It will be available to all Google Workspace users.
It's good to see Google giving us even more updates to its Workspace, and this time one that's actually useful and not disruptive for everyday use.
Meanwhile, the recent addition of the '@ button' tool for Google Docs remains as clunky and useless as it was when it was first rolled out in October 2023. It automatically adds the '@' symbol when a user moves to a line in white. in a Google document, which shows several options for inserting what Google calls 'smart chip technology' such as people, dates, timers, file chips, building blocks, calendar events, groups and more.
However, it simply makes using Docs much more annoying and complicated, and there is no way to disable this feature in settings once it has been enabled. Hopefully, Google will eventually reverse that decision, as some people might find it useful but many others would find it extremely annoying.
