Status Update is an optional field in Google Issue Tracker that represents the current state of an issue. For high traffic issues, teams can use this field to provide a canonical answer about how an issue is being handled.
The Status Update field:
- Supports Markdown.
- Encourages brevity with a soft size limit of four lines of displayed text.
- Provides visible information on how recently the issue was updated; for example, how many days have passed since the last status update.
- Triggers email notifications to subscribers when it is updated.
Example use cases
You can use the Status Update field to identify an issue's current state. For example:
- "The current work around is ..."
- "The issue is solved and a fix is on the way. It should be live in all locations in 30 minutes."
- "This feature request has been evaluated, but it is not yet funded. Click the +1 button if you find it useful."
- "This project is delayed because of ..."
Viewing status updates
If you have at least View Issues access to an issue, you can view the Status Update field.
If you do not see the Status Update field:
- You are viewing issues in search results or on the Issue List page. Currently, status updates do not display in these locations.
Status Update versus Description
The Description field is where you define the issue, and it is generally more durable over time. The Status Update field is meant to represent a brief summary of the current state of the issue.