Google Drive’s new “Catch me up” feature uses Gemini to highlight recent file changes

If you’re like most people who live in Google Drive for work or personal projects, staying on top of every little edit and comment across numerous files can be a real challenge as teams expand. Opening a shared document after a few days away can quickly become a game of “spot the difference” to figure out what’s new. If that sounds familiar, there’s good news: Google is rolling out a new Gemini-powered feature called “Catch me up” that aims to solve exactly this problem by proactively showing you what’s changed in your Drive files.

Your personal AI change log

Announced on the Google Workspace Updates blog, “Catch me up” leverages Gemini to identify relevant files in your Drive that have seen activity since you last viewed them. It then provides an overview of those changes. This isn’t just about flagging a file as “modified”; it will give you a synopsis of file edits in Google Docs, and highlight file comments across Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Google notes that while the list of changes isn’t meant to be exhaustive, it’s designed to “highlight changes that may be helpful and important,” ensuring you’re always up to date without having to manually hunt for what’s new.

How “Catch me up” works

• From Drive Home: You can get a high-level “Catch me up” update by navigating to your Google Drive Home page and selecting the “Catch me up” nudge that will appear at the top of the page. The summary of changes across multiple relevant files will then show up in the Gemini side panel.
• For Specific Files: When Browse any doclist in Google Drive, you’ll start seeing a “catch me up activity indicator” on files that likely have changes since your last view. You can either click that icon directly or select the file and then click the “catch me up” option from the selection toolbar to get an overview of what changed in that specific document. This is a fantastic way to quickly get context on evolving documents, whether it’s a team project, a shared research paper, or a collaborative presentation.

Availability and Roll-out

For this feature to work, admins will need to ensure that smart features and personalization are turned on for their users in the Admin console, as “Catch me up” leverages the Gemini side panel in Workspace apps.

The rollout for “Catch me up” has already begun (starting June 3, 2025) for both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains, with a gradual rollout that could take up to 15 days for full feature visibility. It’s available in English at this time for a range of Google Workspace users, including:

• Business Standard and Plus
• Enterprise Standard and Plus
• Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on
• Google One AI Premium subscribers
• Those who previously purchased the now-discontinued Gemini Business or Gemini Enterprise add-ons will also get this feature.