Core Google Workspace apps at Toronto Metropolitan University and Consumer Apps
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)’s agreement with Google covers TMU’s use of what Google calls its “core” applications. The core applications include Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Groups, Hangouts and Google Keep. When TMU adopted Google Workspace for Education, access to all non-core apps was disabled. Recently questions about using specific Google Workspace apps that are not core apps for education have been submitted to the Computing and Communication Services (CCS) department. These apps provide useful and needed features. TMU has investigated some of theses apps and has enabled them to benefit everyone at TMU who would like to use them.
It’s important we explain the difference between core Google Workspace for Education apps and consumer apps is as follows:
Google Workspace for Education apps at TMU
- Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Groups, Google Hangouts, Google Tasks, Google Chat, Google Meet and Google Keep
- These Apps are covered under a contract agreement between Toronto Metropolitan University and Google.
- This agreement includes such details such as there will be no data mining, or advertisements presented (in Gmail) to TMU employees or students.
- The use of Core Apps are supported by TMU
- A privacy and information security assessment has been done by TMU of core apps
- See the list of core apps available at TMU, or login to my.torontomu.ca and select “Apps”
Consumer Apps and Additional Services
- Are still apps created by Google (they are not created by a third party company)
- Require you to accept the general consumer terms of service outlined here: Google’s Terms of Service (external link) . Google’s privacy statement (external link) can also be reviewed.
- These non-core apps have not undergone a full privacy or security risk assessment by TMU. Review Google’s privacy, security and information security policies for all apps.
- Only a small number of consumer apps have been reviewed and enabled for use at TMU. They have been enabled because they provide great benefits to those who choose to use them
- Enabling these consumer apps lets you use your TMU credentials (my.torontomu username and password) to authenticate and use these apps.
Consumer Apps and Additional Services available at TMU
The following consumer apps have been enabled for use at TMU as CCS has deemed any risk to be minimal to none, and the benefits are great. Anyone at TMU can choose to use these consumer apps and features taking advantage of their use, but while understanding that they fall outside of TMU’s agreement with Google:
| Consumer App | What is it? | Justification |
|---|---|---|
Google Voice (the phone feature within Google Meet and Google Hangouts) |
Within Google Hangouts, which is a Core App available at TMU, you’ll see the option to make a phone call and in Google Meet, you can use the dial out feature to place a call to a phone number. This option was previously disabled, and unavailable to TMU users since it required TMU to turn on “Google Voice” a Consumer App that provides the ability to use the phone calls feature within Google Hangouts and Meet. Google Voice cannot be used independently to make phone calls using your TMU Google account. | In order to enable full functionality of all features of Google Meet for video conferencing Google Voice, has been enabled for use at TMU as CCS has deemed the risk to be minimal to none, and the benefits of this service are great for everyone at TMU. |
Consumer Google Groups |
Google Groups is a core app available at TMU. Google Groups are used for mailing distribution lists, and also for sharing Google Drive content and calendar events to groups. The Google Groups app that TMU uses prevented anyone at TMU from joining other public Google groups, or mailing lists that may be external to TMU. Turning on the option for TMU to use consumer groups allows our users to use their TMU email to join public groups of interest to them. | Researchers who are unable to join other public groups outside of TMU specific to their research interests will now allows them to join other public Google Groups (mailing lists) if they choose to do so. |
Google Play |
Google Play is the official app store for the Android operating system, allowing users to browse and download applications. Google Play also serves as a digital media store, offering music, magazines, books, movies, and television programs. | Google originally did not provide TMU with a way to disable the Google Play Store even though it was not a core application. In the summer of 2016 Google made it possible for TMU to disable the Play Store but we chose to leave it available to avoid the problems disabling it might create. A notice about this was circulated at TMU. |
Google Takeout |
Google Takeout allows people to back up and download the data in your Google Account. | This tool allows our users to download data (external link) in their Google Workspace for Education accounts. It also allows our users to transfer data (external link) to another Google account. |
Google Data Studio |
Google Data Studio is a tool for creating charts, intereactive reports and dashboards from data. | A powerful tool for creating interactive reports and dashboards with data stored in Google Sheets. |
Additional services that have not been enabled for TMU Google accounts will sometimes show an error when you are navigating to them on your internet browser. The error will say “We are sorry, but you do not have access to Google additional service. Please contact your Organization Administrator for access.”
To access additional services such as YouTube, Google Maps, etc., please either
- log out of your TMU Google account,
- access the additional service in private browsing (instructions for Google Chrome (external link) , Mozilla FireFox (external link) , Safari (external link) and Microsoft Edge (external link) ), or
- create work and personal profiles for your internet browser (instructions for Google Chrome (external link) and Microsoft Edge (external link) ).