What You Have: Plans, IT Controls and Gemini
About this course
This course is independent of Google. It is not endorsed by Google and does not copy Google's documentation. Google changes its plans, prices, AI features and screens often, so every plan detail in this lesson was checked against Google's own help pages on 1 November 2026. Check them again before you rely on them.
In this level you will find out what your account can do before you learn any skills. Later levels point back to the checklist you make here.
Why your plan matters
In Google Docs, two people can open the same document and see different menus. Three things decide what you see:
- Account type: a personal Google account (for example @gmail.com), a Workspace Individual subscription, or a work or school account that an organisation manages.
- Plan: for example Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, an Enterprise edition, or a personal Google AI plan such as Google AI Pro.
- Admin settings: on a work account, IT can switch off a feature even when the plan includes it.
Task 1: Identify your account and plan
Do this now:
- Open Google Docs on a computer and click your profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Note the email address. An @gmail.com address is a personal account. An address on a company domain is usually a managed work account.
- Personal account: check whether you pay for a Google AI plan (for example Google AI Pro) or a Workspace Individual subscription. Look in your Google One or Google billing settings.
- Work account: ask IT or your Workspace administrator which edition you have (for example Business Standard or Enterprise Plus). Do not guess. Write the edition down.
- Write today's date next to the result.
Task 2: Match features to your plan
As of 1 November 2026, Google's pages say the following about the plan-dependent features in this course:
- Gemini in Docs: needs "an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan". Google says Google AI Pro, a plan for personal accounts, includes Gemini in Docs. On business plans, Google lists Business Standard and Plus, plus Enterprise and Education editions, for Gemini in Docs on mobile. Whether Business Starter includes Gemini in Docs is unconfirmed, so check your own account.
- eSignature: available on Workspace Individual. Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus, Enterprise Essentials and Essentials Plus, and Education Plus also include it, but the administrator must enable it. A free personal account does not include it.
- Approvals: Google's admin help lists Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Education Plus, and the Essentials editions. Personal @gmail.com accounts cannot request approvals. One of Google's user help pages gives a narrower list, so treat Business editions as to be confirmed in your own account.
Later levels flag any other feature that depends on the plan. Add each one to your checklist when you reach it.
Task 3: Check where Gemini appears
Gemini does not appear in the same way on every device. Check each one you use:
- Computer (browser): open any document. Look for the Gemini (spark) icon near the top right, or a "Help me write" option.
- Android: open a document in the Google Docs app and look for the spark icon in the top app bar.
- iPhone or iPad: do the same. Google says this needs iOS 16 or newer.
- Record the result for each device: seen, not seen, or not tested.
On a computer, Google Docs runs in your web browser, so the browser check covers computer use. Mobile features often arrive later than web features and may do less.
Task 4: Switched off or not included?
On a work account, a missing feature has one of two causes. Each cause has a different fix.
| Clue | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Your plan's listed features do not include it | Not included in your plan. Only a plan change or add-on gives you access. |
| Your plan includes it and colleagues on other company accounts have it, but you do not | Switched off by IT, or switched off for your group only |
| Your plan includes it but nobody in your organisation has it | IT has switched it off for everyone, or Google has not finished rolling it out |
Google's admin help says administrators can turn Gemini features and the side panel on or off for each service, including Docs. The default is on. Administrators must also enable eSignature themselves.
Do this: if a feature is missing on a work account, ask IT: "Does our edition include this feature, and is it enabled for my account?" That one question tells you which cause applies. A personal account has no IT team, so a missing feature usually means your plan does not include it, or Google has not rolled it out to you yet.
Task 5: Build your personal feature checklist
Create a new Google Doc called My Docs Feature Checklist. List each feature with a status and a date:
- Available: you have seen it working.
- Preview: Google labels it as beta or preview.
- Unavailable: your plan does not include it, or IT has confirmed it is off.
- Unconfirmed: you have not checked yet, or the sources disagree.
Example entry: eSignature: Unavailable (personal Gmail account), checked 1 Nov 2026.
Start with Gemini (computer, Android and iOS rows), eSignature and Approvals. Keep this document open. Later levels will ask you to update it.
Key takeaways
- Your account type, plan and admin settings together decide what you see in Docs.
- Gemini in Docs needs an eligible Workspace or Google AI plan. Business Starter coverage is unconfirmed.
- eSignature and approvals are not available to free personal accounts. On business plans, the admin must enable eSignature.
- If your plan includes a feature but you cannot see it, IT may have switched it off. Ask IT before you assume the plan lacks it.
- Check Gemini separately on each device. Mobile can differ from the browser.
- Date every check, because Google changes plans and features often.