Some of Google's most popular online apps, such as Gmail and Google Docs, are getting new features and an improved user experience, while users' instant messaging apps are being revamped.
You may have heard about Google Chat and Google
Workspace and wondered what was going on, and that's precisely what we're here
to discuss. In a nutshell, everyone's Google experience is receiving a
makeover, and you can start testing it out right now.
Because Google is Google, the changes aren't all
that obvious, but the easiest place to start is with Google Chat, the new (but
also old) instant messaging tool.
A Look Back at Google's Messaging Apps
If you use a Google app to send instant messages to
friends and family, you're probably most familiar with Google Hangouts, which
was previously hidden in the corner of Gmail on the web. Hangouts is also
accessible as a standalone app on the web and on mobile phones.
Google announced Hangouts Chat (for text) and
Hangouts Meet (for video conversations) in 2017, four years after Hangouts was
launched: business-focused spin-offs of Hangouts for paying subscribers of G
Suite, formerly known as Google Apps.
Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet, which were born out
of Hangouts, have now been rebranded as Google Chat and Google Meet, and are
set to replace Hangouts for both consumers and businesses.
There are a few advantages to Google Chat and Google
Meet over Hangouts. Google Conversation is more similar to Slack or Microsoft
Teams than iMessage or WhatsApp, with capabilities like file sharing and group
chat, while Google Meet is a full-featured video calling service in the Zoom
style.
What's Going On Right Now
During the rest of this year, Google will implement
two major improvements. For instance, Google Chat and Google Meet are taking
the place of Hangouts in the Gmail section on the web, on your phone, and
elsewhere. Your prior Hangouts conversations should be carried
over, and this is largely a rebranding exercise: Activate Google Chat in Gmail,
download the app to your phone, and you can pick up where you left off with
Hangouts with Google Chat, right down to individual conversations.
As previously said, there will be some additional
features forged during the time these apps were used as corporate products.
You'll get new features, such as the ability to @mention contacts on documents
or create conversations with numerous threads, but you'll be utilizing them
with family and friends instead of coworkers.
Second, and on a similar note, in the coming months,
everyone with a Google account will be able to access a more lightweight
version of the commercial Workspace package. This is Google giving customers
more professional-level tools, similar to Google Chat and Google Meet, with the
expectation that they will be utilized for your local PTA meeting, monthly book
club, or family reunion.
These improvements will not be huge, but they will
be evident. You'll still be able to use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive,
and other Google services as usual, but they'll be more closely linked and
built for collaboration and sharing.
