Google Apps
Google Apps was the legacy name for the Google productivity suite that included Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Drive, and the related collaboration tools.
Definition
Google Apps was the legacy name for the Google productivity suite that included Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Drive, and the related collaboration tools. Google renamed the product to G Suite in 2016 and again to Google Workspace in 2020. The Salesforce integrations that historically lived under a Google Apps brand (Salesforce for Google Apps, the Salesforce App for Gmail, and related connectors) still appear in older documentation, retired Setup nodes, and AppExchange listings, even though the underlying product is now called Google Workspace.
The term remains relevant for orgs running long-lived Salesforce instances where Setup pages, integration package names, or release notes still reference Google Apps. Modern Salesforce integration with Google productivity tools is documented under Gmail Integration, Einstein Activity Capture, and Google Workspace integration; new admins should ignore the Google Apps branding when configuring fresh integrations and treat it as a historical name only.
Why Google Apps still shows up in Salesforce documentation
The rename timeline
Google launched the product as Google Apps for Your Domain in 2006, dropping the for-your-domain suffix in 2007. The suite was renamed G Suite in 2016 and Google Workspace in 2020. Each rename triggered new pricing tiers, new SKUs, and new admin console URLs. Salesforce documentation lags Google by 6 to 18 months, so terms like Salesforce for Google Apps remained in the Help portal long after Google had moved on.
Legacy Salesforce features under the Google Apps brand
Salesforce shipped several products under the Google Apps banner. Salesforce for Google Apps was a packaged integration that included Gmail logging, Google Calendar sync, and Google Docs storage on Salesforce records. Salesforce Sidebar for Gmail was its predecessor. Both have been replaced by the modern Gmail Integration and Einstein Activity Capture pair. The old Salesforce for Google Apps package is no longer installable on new orgs but persists in long-running implementations.
Google Docs on Salesforce Records
One feature under the Google Apps brand let Salesforce records link out to Google Docs documents stored in the user's Google Drive. The integration created a Google Doc field on the record and surfaced a list of attached Docs in a related list. The feature was retired and replaced by Files Connect (which supports Google Drive as one of several external file sources) and by Quip integration for collaborative documents.
Calendar sync under the old brand
The legacy Google Apps integration included a one-way calendar sync from Google Calendar to Salesforce Events. Lightning Sync replaced it and added two-way sync; Einstein Activity Capture replaced Lightning Sync. Each generation retained backward-compatible behavior, so an org migrating from one to the next sees the same Salesforce-side Event records but a different sync engine running underneath.
Google Talk and other retired pieces
Google Talk was Google''s old XMPP messaging product, included in early Google Apps. Salesforce shipped a Chatter Plus for Google Apps add-on that surfaced presence indicators on user records. Google Talk was retired in 2017; the Chatter Plus integration shut down before that. Anyone reading a 2012-era Salesforce article about Google Apps integration is reading about a Google product that no longer exists.
Where to look in modern Setup
Modern Setup uses Gmail Integration and Sync, Einstein Activity Capture, and Google Workspace branding. The Quick Find search for Google Apps returns nothing useful in a fresh org. Long-running orgs may still see a Google Apps node in their custom navigation; that node is harmless but no longer maps to anything Google actively supports.
Cert exam and historical relevance
Older Salesforce certification study guides reference Google Apps integration. The modern equivalent (Gmail Integration and Sync, EAC, Google Workspace allow-listing) is fair game on current exams. Knowing the historical product family helps when reading older blog posts and inherited org documentation, but no new design decision should be made based on Google Apps as a brand.
Migrate from a Google Apps integration to the modern stack
If an org still references the Google Apps integration in Setup or in user training, plan a migration to the modern Gmail Integration and Einstein Activity Capture stack. The work is mostly cleanup.
- Audit the existing integration
Setup, Installed Packages, look for any Salesforce for Google Apps or Salesforce Sidebar package. Note the configuration: which users, which fields, which sync direction.
- Stand up the modern stack
Enable Gmail Integration and Sync, configure Einstein Activity Capture, and confirm Google Workspace allow-listing of the Salesforce add-on.
- Migrate users in cohorts
Move users to the new stack one team at a time. Disable the old package for migrated users; leave it on for users still on the legacy path.
- Reconcile activity data
Legacy emails logged as Tasks remain on the record; EAC-captured emails land in the activity store. Build a unified report using the EAC virtual report types and the standard Task report type.
- Uninstall the legacy package
Once every user is migrated, uninstall the old Salesforce for Google Apps managed package. Verify nothing breaks in production.
- Update documentation
Replace every Google Apps reference in internal docs, training material, and onboarding guides with the current Google Workspace and Gmail Integration terminology.
- The legacy Salesforce for Google Apps package is no longer installable in new orgs. Migrating sandboxes that lack the package requires building the new stack from scratch in the sandbox first.
- Legacy Google Docs attachments stored as URLs on records do not migrate automatically to Files Connect. Plan a parallel migration of file references if needed.
- Google Talk integration is dead. Any Chatter feature referencing presence under the Google Apps brand should be removed during the migration audit.
- Documentation drift is severe. Treat any Salesforce article older than 2020 referencing Google Apps as historical context, not as a configuration guide.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Google Apps.
- Einstein Activity CaptureSalesforce Help
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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