Scoped Search and SQL Dialect Controls
Dataplex introduces scoped searching via a new contexts parameter and adds support for specifying SQL dialects in data documentation, alongside a breaking schema change.
August 2026 Updates Stream
Breaking Changes to Agents and Transcription Config
Vertex AI v1beta1 introduces several breaking changes, including mandatory resource parameters and the removal of the recently added transcription 'mode'. It also adds standard IAM policy management for Agents and new sandbox authorization methods.
Vertex AI Agents get IAM controls and lifecycle updates
Vertex AI introduces IAM support and enhanced deletion controls for Agents, alongside significant breaking changes to Sandbox networking and Audio Transcription configurations.
Deprecation of Container Combine and Move Tag Methods
Google Tag Manager has deprecated the `combine` and `move_tag_id` methods within the containers resource, signaling a shift in how container migrations are handled.
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Clarified field requirements for Drive Approvals
The Drive API documentation now explicitly notes that the approvals.list method requires the fields parameter to return detailed results.
YouTube Data API v3: Major Breaking Changes & Strict Validation
A significant update to the YouTube Data API v3 enforces strict requirements for core parameters and marks several video statistic fields as read-only. Developers must update their requests to include mandatory fields like part, id, and channelId.
Apps Script API enforces required IDs and expands scopes
The Apps Script API now strictly requires scriptId, deploymentId, and versionNumber in relevant methods, while significantly expanding its list of supported OAuth2 scopes.
Breaking: Library Agent enforces required parameters
The Library Agent API has updated its schema to enforce 'name' and 'parent' as strictly required parameters while adding standard GCP global parameters.
Gmail API: Strict Parameter Validation & CSE Immutability
The Gmail API has updated its discovery document to enforce strict requirement checks on core parameters and transition several Client-Side Encryption (CSE) fields to read-only status.
Drive API v3: Major Schema Hardening and Breaking Changes
Google Drive API v3 has introduced significant breaking changes by making numerous ID parameters strictly required and marking several schema properties as read-only.
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Drive v2 API: Major Validation Tightening & Breaking Changes
The Drive v2 API discovery document has been updated to enforce strict requirements on resource identifiers and mark several metadata fields as read-only.
Massive Schema Tightening and New Data Safety Method
Dozens of parameters are now strictly required and many schema fields have become read-only, alongside a new method for Safety Labels.
Breaking Changes and Workspace Studio Support
The Reports API has introduced breaking changes regarding required parameters and read-only fields, while also expanding support for Workspace Studio applications in audit logs.
Major Schema Hardening and Granular OAuth Scopes
The Directory API has undergone a significant hardening phase, making dozens of parameters strictly required and marking system-generated fields as read-only. It also introduces a wide array of granular OAuth2 scopes for more precise access control.
Breaking changes and parameter enforcement in Data Transfer
The Data Transfer API now strictly enforces required ID parameters and has updated its discovery surface to include standard Google API parameters and mTLS support.
CEL Conditions and Precedence for Reservation Assignments
BigQuery is introducing logic-based reservation assignments using Common Expression Language (CEL) and a new precedence system to resolve matching conflicts.
Smart Transcription, Multi-Speaker Config, and Agentic Video
Vertex AI adds a 'Smart' transcription mode for automated cleanup of audio transcripts and introduces multi-speaker configurations. Video generation is enhanced with a new 'Extend' task and agentic processing modes for dynamic frame navigation.
Vertex AI adds Response Management and Smart Transcription
Vertex AI introduces lifecycle management for endpoint responses and a new "Smart" mode for audio transcription that automatically cleans up disfluencies.
Git branch management arrives for Dataform Workspaces
Dataform Workspaces now support native Git branch operations including checkout, fetch, and delete, enabling better programmatic control over development environments.
Data Catalog adds support for Graph Nodes and Edges
Data Catalog now supports NODE and EDGE entry types, enabling metadata management for graph-based data structures.
Data Catalog adds NODE and EDGE entry types
Data Catalog now supports graph-based metadata with new NODE and EDGE entry types, allowing for more granular classification of graph-related assets.
Video Outpainting, Audio Control, and Monitoring Refinements
Vertex AI introduces advanced video generation capabilities including outpainting and audio control, while refining agent monitoring filters and deprecating legacy ASR fields.
Vertex AI adds Video Outpainting and Advanced Audio Control
Vertex AI expands its video generation experimental suite with new capabilities for outpainting, video-to-video transformations, and granular audio track management.
Looker adds ESA migration support to ExportMetadata
Looker's ExportMetadata schema now includes a field for specifying source BigQuery datasets during Elite System Activity (ESA) migrations.
New jobType for Materialized View Refresh assignments
BigQuery now supports assigning reservations specifically for automated materialized view refreshes, allowing for better resource isolation and prioritization.
Dataplex adds ChangeRequest comments and EntryLinkType events
Dataplex now supports reviewer comments on ChangeRequests and introduces a new event schema for tracking EntryLinkType lifecycle changes.
Vertex AI: Session Compaction and Transcription Refactor
Vertex AI introduces session compaction for long-running agent histories and standardizes speech transcription configurations, alongside a breaking change to traffic type enums.
Methods:
Vertex AI adds Session Compaction and Audio API updates
Reasoning Engines now support session history compaction to manage context windows via summarization. Audio transcription APIs are being streamlined with new language code fields, and evaluation runs gain CMEK support.
Support for Notebooks, SQL assets, and GCS snapshots
Dataform is expanding beyond standard projects to support single-file SQL and Notebook assets, alongside GCS-based repository snapshots for scheduled executions.
Dataform adds support for SQL and Notebook pipelines
Dataform is expanding beyond standard projects to support SQL and Notebook assets as first-class pipelines. New features also include GCS repository snapshotting for scheduled notebook execution.
