Announcing AppSheet Core included in more Workspace plans!

[peterdykstra]

Greetings AppSheet Community,

We are excited to announce that AppSheet Core is being updated and included in more Workspace plans, making it easier for users to securely build and share apps within their Workspace org. We hope this removes friction for app creators determining how to share their apps with more users, and for Workspace admins ensuring that internal data is as secure as possible.

AppSheet Core edition licenses will now automatically be included for users with the following Workspace licenses:

• Enterprise Starter/Standard/Plus
• Business Starter/Standard/Plus
• Frontline Starter/Standard
• Enterprise Essentials Plus
• Non-Profits
• Education Standard/Plus

Workspace admins will also gain a security setting to control whether data can be shared externally.
The setting can be used by the admin to control features including the following, for all AppSheet Core users across their org (does not apply to AppSheet Enterprise license users):

• Sharing with external app users
• Connecting to external app data
• Automation emails to external recipients
• Using external AppSheet apps
• (please refer to this article for specific features controlled by this setting)

The security setting applies to all AppSheet Core users in the organization (for more granular governance, Enterprise licenses are required).

This update will be rolling out to existing and new customers over the next couple months. Existing AppSheet Core customers will be contacted shortly with instructions on how to cancel and receive refunds or Workspace credits, depending on whether their subscription is via appsheet.com or the Workspace admin console.

For more information as a customer subscribed to Core via appsheet.com, see How to choose a subscription plan to learn more.
For more information as a Workspace admin, see Manage AppSheet in your organization to learn more.

Thank you!
AppSheet team

[takuya_miyai]

Hi @peterdykstra 

That's a big policy change for AppSheet.😆
I hope more App Creators will join us.

The security settings for the Core license, will it appear on this screen over time?

 

Note that our environment is AppSheet Enterprise license. If it does not appear in that case, please point it out.

[peterdykstra]

Hi @takuya_miyai agreed, hope more join us! Yes that Workspace Admin screen is where this new setting will appear. Rollout has not started yet, but I'll update the thread when users should expect to see it. 

[takuya_miyai]

Thanks @peterdykstra 

I have one more question.

If there is a conflict between the Core plan security settings and Policy, which takes precedence?

[peterdykstra]

Custom policies (available in Enterprise) take precedence. This single, org-level 'Core security setting' only applies to users with Core licenses. 

[hien_nguyen]

Hi @peterdykstra How to deploy both a published app and a secured app in the same account?

[JPAlpano]

Can you exclude Automation emails to external recipients in the all-or-nothing switch?

- Sharing with external app users
- Connecting to external app data
- Automation emails to external recipients
- Accessing external apps

[SmartsheetGuru]

@peterdykstra Good news :D. 

Question, if you are able to answer it. For Google Workspace users that have Appsheet Enterprise, are they able to deploy apps under Core to users that don't need the Enterprise features, thus not requiring them to have an Enterprise license for those users?

So in summary... can an organization have say, 50 enterprise licenses and those 50 users use applications that require Enterprise features. 

Any remaining users in the organization can use apps that only require Core features?

[tomyeo]

Great news! Our company is currently using google workspace and wishes to test out appsheet core features. When exactly is it going to be available for free for the newly included workspace? 

[hien_nguyen]

Great news, move to Google workspace right now. 

[Joseph_Seddik]

Thank you!!

[philippevg]

As a Google For Non-Profit AppSheet developer, I love this news! The amount of impact and good this can do for grassroots organizations working in marginalized communities is unthinkable. Though, there is one little hiccup.

As multiple Non-Profits are trying to unite and centralize data for greater insights and better data-driven decisions, they need access to a cloud database solution (the max. allowed AppSheet Database records are currently very limited), and from what I understand, using an external database is not an AppSheet Core feature but a paid enterprise feature?

Google Cloud SQL is currently not part of the Google For Non Profit package, but with a MS Azure Grant they can run a MS SQL server and connect it to AppSheet. Is it possible to make an exception for Non-Profits to connect to an external database as part of the Core plan? Most of the grassroots NGOs I know run entirely on donations and can't or don't want to use those funds on an AppSheet Enterprise plan just to hook in an external database.

[luuthieuky]

Just got this announcement email today! Great news for SME like us!!! Can't wait to produce more and more productive apps for our daily works!!!

[scott192]

Peter, would you be able to clarify what will happen to users like myself who were migrated from App Maker when it was shut down?  My Appsheet licence info says I am on a Custom setting which has a set of features from Enterprise added to Core I believe.  These features allow the use of external databases and also API access.  Can you confirm my Custom settings will not be changed?

[Jonathon]

Cool @peterdykstra ! Could you comment on how external/non-workspace users are tracked under these plans? E.g. if I have 10 workspace accounts, and need to invite 5 external non-workspace accounts, how am I invoiced for the 5 excess users?

Also, is there anything planned for users that need AppSheet enterprise features that are also on Google Workspace? Is AppSheet Enterprise available at a discounted rate?

[AppliSuite]

I also thought the same issue as @Jonathon .
Several patterns can be assumed for this issue.

• Company A: AppSheet user with a Google Workspace contract
• Company B: AppSheet user with a Google Workspace contract
• Company C: AppSheet user who do not subscribe to Google Workspace

Question 1:
Company A's app owner shares an app with company B's app users.
If so, does Company A's app owner have to pay an additional license fee for Company B's app users?
If company A's app owner pays an additional license fee, how should company A pay?

Question 2:
What happens, if you replace the app user of company B in question 1 with company C?

[Jonathon]

I would expect that Google Workspace licenses would only apply to that workspace's users, and an additional fee would be required for each non-workspace user even if the non-workspace users had an AppSheet license through a separate channel.

Basically: if an app is owned by Workspace A, then all Workspace A users can access it an no additional charge. Any user not directly under Workspace A's tenant would incur a charge.

[AppliSuite]

Thanks for the reply, @Jonathon !

I expect the same as you.
So for both Q 1 and Q 2, company A would pay additional license fee for external domain users.

[AppliSuite]

Hi, @peterdykstra 

The release was reflected in my Google Workspace account.

My non-workspace account still shows the Billing tab in My Account.

With this release, my Google Workspace account has changed to not show the Billing tab in My Account.

I still have questions.
Will I have to pay additional license fees if I want to share my app with users from external domains?
If so, how to do?

[Jonathon]

Update from another thread:

@lizlynch wrote:

@Jonathon - Apologies for the delay in my response! From the team:

You will now only require licenses for the external non-Workspace accounts. As an AppSheet admin, you can determine which users have the Core inclusion from Workspace and which don't from the My Team > Members page. Discounts may be available for AppSheet Core users upgrading to AppSheet Enterprise, but it may depend on the number of licenses - best to work with an account manager to determine. 

---

https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Release-Notes/July-25-2023/bc-p/618475/highlight/true#M1792

[JPAlpano]

This is a great security control, but I hope the automation emails to external recipients are not part of the All-or-Nothing button.  We only wanted to control sharing the app to external users, but auto-email notifications is an important feature.

Use the AppSheet Core licenses security setting to disable the following features for all users in your Workspace organization that have AppSheet Core licenses:
- Sharing with external app users
- Connecting to external app data
- Automation emails to external recipients
- Accessing external apps

[JpChapron]

This is Great News,

However, what are the steps involved? I already have 19 "Starter" licenses under my workspace account, but I can't change anything in the "Billing" section in appsheet settings.

[ccchen_google]

Please file a support request so we can help with investigating what has gone wrong. To speed up, once you file the support request, please feel free to DM me your AppSheet user ID so the engineering team can take a look asap.

Thank you for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience.

[JpChapron]

thanks, just DM'd you.

[Ratatosk]

One vacation, and this is what I've missed??!? Amazing! This is what I've dreamed of for years! Best news ever!

[Lucho_B]

Hello Community,

This news seem to be great, but unfortunately, I've been having a bad experience with this new change.

I've been purchasing Appsheet Core Licences for my team since 2021. Last month I received an email that said: "What do you need to do? --> Cancel your subscription to Appsheet Core, since it is now included in your company's Google Workspace plan".

In August I did just as I was instructed by that email, but I received all kinds of warnings and "Plan upgrade needed" notifications. After a bittersweet chat with support, I had to re-purchase all my licences and they ensured me that if I canceled them in September, my account would automatically be recognised as one with "Core subscription" because of my domain's Workspace plan.

I did that today (Sep 1st), and my account seems to be recognized as having "Plan: Core (Google Workspace", but I get all kinds of warnings for my Apps, whose requirements are perfectly met by a Core plan. I had to contact support once again, and make a do-over of the chat I had last month. I'm still waiting for an update by email on the issue because it could not be solved on the spot.

I am writing here to ask the community if they have been facing the same kind of issues, or, to find out if there was someplace with more information on how to conduct this "transition" properly.

Thank you all.

UPDATE: I had posted this on a friday. As of the following monday, warnings ceased to appear and all apps in "App Info" pannel were "Runnable 👍", and with no "Plan Upgrade Required" banners., 

[Ratatosk]

I had the same experience. Hours of support, that started good, but after a couple of days and a couple escalations lead to "it is still rolling out". I also have Plan: Core (Google Workspace) now. I was first instructed to cancel it, but then I got warnings, and we had to order it again. Billing is still operational.

[ccchen_google]

I'm sorry to hear the bumpy transition experience. If you're currently on Core (Google Workspace) and are still seeing or receiving usage warnings, would you mind DM me your AppSheet account ID? I'll have the engineering team take a look.

[Lucho_B]

Thank you for your reply @ccchen_google
I've updated my original reply to show current status.

The email I received from support after my chat told me that if I waited 24hs, the warnings would disappear beacuase "it usually takes upto 24hrs to get reflected in the account".

That was friday. On monday everything was "fine". It was all a bit confusing and stressful but in the end it's behaving as it was announced.

Thank you.

[Ratatosk]

How did you "Cancel"?  I have Plan: Core (Google Workspace) And tried the hoops with support. Where in the menu is it?

[BRAVETech]

Requested AppSheet Enterprise upgrade through the sales request link on 30 Aug. Multiple follow ups, escalations and still no response or way forward. This is now urgent. 

@Google, you are making it really hard to do business with you. 

[BRAVETech]

Still waiting for this. Over 3 weeks now!!! I’m considering developing this natively and leaving AppSheet if this is not resolved in the next 24hrs. 

Why is Enterpise not ordered as easily as Core through the Billing page?!

[Rafael_Gonzalez]

Hi, we are still getting the "CORE" option.

but all our mails are in google workspace.

I tried to cancel, but a lot of alert and went back to purchase the Core licences.

How can I address this?

I got like 17 users, but only use 4 google users for appshet.

Greetings.

[ccchen_google]

After you cancel your personal subscription, the Workspace license sync may take up to 24 hours. Alternatively, you may log out and log in to appsheet.com a couple of times to manually trigger the Workspace license sync in the background. (Logging in to a new incognito session works too.)

Once the Workspace license sync completes, you should then see you're on "Core (Google Workspace)" plan, which should stop all the usage warnings.

If you continue to run into problems, please DM me your AppSheet account ID and I'll ask the team to take a look.

Thanks.

[Fabian_Weller]

Hi @ccchen_google Thank you for introducing this. I have a question:
We have 1 Google Workspace Account (Google Workspace Business Standard). With this I log into AppSheet to build the Apps.
Our 4 users use the Apps with their private google accounts.
How many licences do we have to buy? 4? Or what may be the cheapest solution for us? Should we add the users to our Google Workspace? But I think this would cost a bit more?

PS: It still says "Plan: AppSheet Core" on the My Account page. Shouldn't it say "Plan: Core (Google Workspace)"?

[Ratatosk]

Hi @Fabian_Weller I can only speak for myself and the prices in my country, and it depends of course on which plan you have with Google Workspace.

My company uses Business standard and the price is about the same per user as free floating Appsheet Core. (Plus, of course all get company email, 2 TB per user (joint space), admin managment, and other paid account privileges.) We cut our internal communication and CRM app expenses in half with this move. 

[NJ10]

This is indeed wonderful news !!

I was looking for official document on  feature lists comparison with different plans available . Could not locate one . Also the pricing plan of appsheet  wrt this announcement of core license availability is not coming out clearly . 

looking forward for prompt support 

warm Regards

[Freelance]

I have a question for you: I’m in the process of setting up my own business, and I find this topic very intriguing.

1. My application is a CRM that utilises a Kanban-style progression, meaning it currently identifies registered users via their email (UserEmail()).

2. The application currently has permissions for Google Drive, but based on this, it might be better to write to Workplace instead.

The potential outcomes of this transition:

1. The application currently requires Core. It has bots and uses Google Drive for storage and retrieval of both table data and URLs, images, etc. At present, it’s in a state between being deployed and being a prototype, as I’m conducting black box testing before launching it. Will the transition reduce the operational costs of my application, which will only be used by clients? I’ve written a non-active bot to remove inactive users (after three months), as the core is active with a standard workplace.

2. Will it enhance security?

3. Will it only cost me £12.00 per month instead of the estimated £10.00 per 10 licences (£100.00 - too high for my start-up costs)? True or False?

4. Will there be sub-folder control/security to access specific folders in Workplace?

[baba_sawane]

Will it only cost me £12.00 per month instead of the estimated £10.00 per 10 licences (£100.00 - too high for my start-up costs)? True or False?

> No, you will still need one license per user. you can for example switch to workspace business starter and pay 6$/user/month