Google Chat is a communication platform that permits you to ship messages, make video calls, and share recordsdata with different customers. Consider it as Google’s reply to Slack or Microsoft Groups. You should use Google Chat for one-on-one conversations or group chats. It is built-in into Gmail, so you possibly can simply entry it out of your inbox.
Now, you is likely to be pondering, “Wait, does not Gmail have already got Google Meet and Areas?” And also you’re proper, it does. Nevertheless, Google Chat is a separate platform with its personal distinctive options. Google Meet is primarily for video conferencing, whereas Areas is extra for threaded conversations and challenge collaboration. Google Chat, alternatively, is designed for extra instantaneous, back-and-forth communication.
With this replace, Google Chat is getting a characteristic that is already frequent in different messaging apps: voice messages. To make use of it, simply faucet the microphone icon within the bottom-right nook of a chat window. You will see a waveform and counter whereas recording, and you’ll hearken to your message earlier than sending it. When you hit ship, the recipient will see an inline waveform and get a transcript of your message after just a few moments. This characteristic is obtainable on Android, iOS, and the online model of Gmail.
Google Chat voice messaging . | Picture credit score — 9to5Google
This replace makes Google Chat a bit extra versatile. It offers you another choice for speaking with folks, which might be particularly useful for those who’re on the go or for those who favor to speak relatively than kind.
Personally, I feel that Google Chat has its place within the office as a Slack competitor, however do not see a lot use of it for private accounts. Having a number of chat apps, all made by Google, can get somewhat bit complicated and brings on some PTSD from the entire Hangouts/Duo/Chat transition just a few years again. I am unsure if I am going to really use the voice messaging characteristic, however hopefully it might be helpful for some folks. I will be to see if Google Chat finally replaces one other app in Google’s ecosystem of apps, or if it can proceed to coexist amongst them.