Google Workspace users can now get their hands on a new Google Sheets feature called Conditional Notifications. The feature is designed to alert users over email about specific changes such as when a cell changes value in a column or custom range.
For instance, users can get email notifications when the task status or owner has changed in a project tracker, a number drops below a certain value in a forecast analysis, or some items in an inventory tracker reach a certain number of stocks.
Explaining conditional notifications in a blog post, Google said:
When a specific change is made, such as a column value change or a specific range of cell changes, you will receive an email notification with alerts of what occurred in the spreadsheet and who made the update. You also have the option to configure the notifications for others by inputting their email addresses during the notification setup.
Users who are owners or have edit access to a spreadsheet can set up these email alerts by going to Tools > Conditional notifications > Add rule. Here, they can choose what rules to include and add up to 10 email recipients. Google sends email notifications on behalf of the user who created the rule or was the last person to edit it.
Users can also access the feature by right-clicking on any cell and choosing Conditional notifications. Google notes in a support document that conditional notifications may not trigger in some cases such as when the data that comes from Connected Sheets (or other external sources) changes or the value format of the content changes, including changes to decimal points.
The feature has started rolling out to select Google Workspace tiers, including Business (Standard, Plus), Enterprise (Starter, Standard, Plus), Education Plus, and Enterprise Plus. Conditional notifications are not available to users with personal Google accounts.