Feature request: Gemini in Workspace: Prioritising Admin Controls, Archiving & User Autonomy

Google Workspace Developers Q&A
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Hello Developer Community,

I am writing as a Google Workspace Super Admin who has recently migrated our organization’s workflow from ChatGPT to Gemini, with the strategic goal of streamlining our processes entirely within the Google ecosystem.

While Gemini is an incredibly powerful tool, I’ve encountered some surprising and significant gaps in fundamental features that are hindering user adoption and administrative efficiency. These are features that are standard in competing platforms and, frankly, should be considered essential for a product aimed at the professional workspace.

I understand the complexities of data retention policies and Google Vault, but the current implementation feels overly restrictive and lacks the flexibility needed for diverse organizational needs.

Here are the key areas that I strongly urge the development team to address:

1. Explicit Admin Control to Grant User Chat Deletion

  • The Problem: Currently, there is no clear way for a Super Admin to guarantee that users can manage and delete their own individual Gemini chats. We are on a Business Standard plan, and the ‘Delete’ option is simply missing, with no setting in the Admin Console to enable it. This is not acceptable.

  • The Solution: Please provide a clear, explicit toggle in the Admin Console under Gemini settings that allows a Super Admin to “Grant users permission to manage and delete their own chat history.” For organizations not bound by strict eDiscovery rules, admins need the final say in providing this basic freedom to their users.

2. An “Archive” Feature for Conversations

  • The Problem: The only way to clean up the “Recent” chats list is to permanently delete them. This is a destructive and often undesirable action.

  • The Solution: Introduce an “Archive” function, similar to Gmail. This would allow users to remove chats from their main view for decluttering purposes, while still retaining them for future reference or search. This is a standard, non-destructive workflow feature in almost every modern communication tool.

3. Deeper, More Reliable Integration with Google Apps

  • The Problem: One of the biggest selling points of Gemini for Workspace is its integration with a user’s ecosystem. However, this is often inconsistent. Gemini can fail to access a specific Google Doc, summarize an email thread, or access Calendar information, breaking the workflow and user trust.

  • The Solution: The reliability and scope of Gemini’s access to a user’s own Google app data need to be a top priority. For users who have granted permission, the integration should be seamless and dependable.

Conclusion:

We chose to invest in the Google ecosystem because we believe in the power of a single, streamlined platform. However, the absence of these fundamental features makes the experience feel incomplete and, at times, frustrating.

Empowering admins to configure their Workspace to fit their organization’s culture—whether that’s strict retention or user autonomy—is crucial. We need the tools to truly manage our environment.

We are eager to see Gemini mature into the seamless, all-in-one assistant it promises to be. Prioritizing these features would be a massive step in the right direction.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Ref: 2.5PRO

Yours sincerely,

Nish (Super Admin of Google Workspace Standard Subscription- with two users under it)

14 Likes
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Hello Nish,

Thank you so much for this detailed post. I am a Google Workspace administrator for a personal domain, and I am experiencing the exact same issues you’ve described.

The lack of an option to delete chats is a significant problem. It feels like a fundamental feature that should be available to admins to either grant or deny to their users. For those of us not bound by strict retention policies, this limitation is frustrating and goes against the idea of user data control.

Your points about the “Archive” feature and the need for more reliable app integration are also spot on. These are crucial steps to make Gemini a truly seamless and trusted tool within the Google ecosystem.

I’ve already sent my feedback to Google Support, and I hope our combined voices will help move this issue up the priority list.

Thank you for raising this.

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I wholeheartedly support this feature request. This should be a given, the clutter is very annoying

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If there are permission issues, data retention policies, or complexities related to Google Vault, a straightforward (but hopefully temporary) solution could be to allow users to create folders.

This would allow users to organize those “temporary” or “leisure” Gemini chats under a “to be deleted” folder.

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Exactly, that would be very interesting.
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Hello Nish,

Thank you for your detailed feedback regarding Gemini within Google Workspace. Your observations are very valid, and many organizations migrating from other AI platforms experience similar gaps when attempting to fully integrate Gemini into daily workflows.

I wanted to share some additional context and potential workarounds that might help while these feature requests are under consideration:

1. Explicit Admin Control to Grant User Chat Deletion

You are correct—currently, there isn’t a granular toggle in the Admin Console to allow individual users to manage or delete their own chat history. One approach some Workspace admins use is centralized retention policies combined with scheduled exports. This doesn’t give users direct deletion control, but it allows admins to maintain compliance while mitigating clutter.

Feature Request Suggestion: A clearly labeled toggle under Gemini settings (e.g., “Allow Users to Delete Individual Chats”) would greatly improve adoption and user satisfaction.

2. Archive Feature for Conversations

The lack of an archive or “hide from recent” option is a common pain point. Many productivity tools, including Gmail, Slack, and Teams, use a non-destructive archiving workflow that keeps records intact while cleaning up the main interface.

For administrators or developers experimenting with Gemini, consider linking chat exports to a Google Drive folder programmatically. This can serve as a temporary “archive” until an official feature is implemented. For reference, I’ve documented some practical approaches to exporting and organizing AI-generated conversations on my site: (URL Removed by Staff).

3. Reliable Integration with Google Apps

Seamless integration is absolutely key to productivity. Some inconsistencies arise due to API rate limits or OAuth token expiration. Ensuring that all users authenticate with the full permission set is essential. Additionally, automated testing scripts that validate Gemini’s access to Docs, Calendar, and Gmail can preempt many failures in enterprise environments.

Long-term, a formal “Google Apps Health Check” dashboard within Gemini would help admins quickly detect and resolve integration failures.

Your points highlight critical gaps in user autonomy, workflow management, and ecosystem integration. Addressing these areas would not only improve user satisfaction but also strengthen adoption across small and medium-sized businesses.

For admins looking to optimize AI workflow and data retention strategies in Workspace, I’ve published some detailed guides and best practices here: (URL Removed by Staff).

Thank you again for raising these issues. With continued feedback from admins like you, Gemini can evolve into a truly seamless and fully-integrated Workspace assistant.

Best regards,