Google Chat#Spaces

{{Short description|Enterprise messaging software developed by Google}}

{{For|the communication protocol and feature by Google|Rich Communication Services}}

{{Infobox software

| name = Gchat

| logo = Google Chat icon (2023).svg

| logo size = 110px

| collapsible = yes

| screenshot = Google Chat Home.png

| caption = Screenshot of the Google Chat website

| screenshot size = 220px

| developer = Google

| released = {{start date and age|2017|3|9}}

| ver layout = stacked

| discontinued = no

| latest release version =

| language count =

| genre = Communication software

| platform = Android, iOS, Web app

| replaces = Google Hangouts

| license = Freeware

| website = {{URL|https://mail.google.com/chat}}

}}

Google Chat (or Gchat) is a communication service developed by Google. Initially designed for teams and business environments, it has since been made available for general consumers. It provides direct messaging, group conversations, and spaces, which allow users to create and assign tasks and share files in a central place in addition to chatting. It can be accessed through its own website and app, or through the Gmail website and app.

It was first launched as Hangouts Chat on March 9, 2017, as one of the two apps to constitute the replacement for Google Hangouts, the other being Google Meet. It was renamed to Google Chat on April 9, 2020. It was initially only available for the Google Workspace software suite, but in February 2021 Google began rolling out Google Chat in "early access" to regular consumer accounts until it became fully available in April 2021. Google deprecated the original Hangouts and replaced it with Chat on November 1, 2022.

History

Google Chat was first launched as Hangouts Chat on March 9, 2017, for Google Workspace (called G Suite until October 2020{{Cite web |title=Announcing Google Workspace, everything you need to get it done, in one location |url=https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/workspace/introducing-google-workspace/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=Google Cloud Blog |language=en}}) customers only as a replacement for Google Hangouts. All G Suite packages had identical features except for a lack of Vault data retention in the Basic package.{{Cite web |title=Compare G Suite products – Chat |url=https://gsuite.google.com/compare-editions/?feature=chat |access-date=April 29, 2020 |website=gsuite.google.com |language=en}}

On April 9, 2020, Google rebranded Hangouts Chat to Google Chat. Following this rebranding, and along with a similar change for Hangouts Meet, the Hangouts brand was removed from Google Workspace.{{cite news |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/9/21215588/google-chat-hangouts-meet-g-suite-name-change-rebranding |title=Google is rebranding Hangouts Chat as just Google Chat |first=Nick |last=Statt |date=April 9, 2020 |website=The Verge}}

= Migration from Hangouts =

Google first announced their plan to begin retiring Google Hangouts in October 2019.{{cite web |author=de Looper, Christian |title=Google will begin shutting down the classic Hangouts app in November 2020 |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/google-hangouts-shut-down-2020/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804113856/https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/google-hangouts-shut-down-2020/ |archive-date=August 4, 2019 |access-date=September 5, 2019 |website=DigitalTrends.com|date=January 23, 2019 }} In October 2020, Google announced that it would open Google Chat up to consumers in 2021. Google also announced that Hangouts conversations, contacts, and history would be migrated over to Google Chat.{{Cite web |date=October 15, 2020 |title=The latest on Google Hangouts and the upgrade to Google Chat |url=https://blog.google/products/workspace/latest-google-hangouts-and-upgrade-google-chat/ |access-date=October 22, 2020 |website=Google |language=en}}

Google Chat began to roll out to consumer accounts in "early access" in February 2021,{{Cite web |last=Bradshaw |first=Kyle |date=February 10, 2021 |title=Google Chat readies beta preview for Hangouts users |url=https://9to5google.com/2021/02/10/google-chat-beta-preview-hangouts-migration/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=9to5Google |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Abner |date=February 24, 2021 |title=Google Chat 'preview' starts rolling out to some classic Hangouts users |url=https://9to5google.com/2021/02/24/google-chat-preview-hangouts/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=9to5Google |language=en-US}} but at the time Google stated that Hangouts would remain a consumer-level product for people using standard Google accounts.{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=April 9, 2020 |title=Google is rebranding Hangouts Chat as just Google Chat |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/9/21215588/google-chat-hangouts-meet-g-suite-name-change-rebranding |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=The Verge |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Mike |title=Google Hangouts officially rebrands as Google Chat |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/google-hangouts-officially-rebrands-as-google-chat |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=TechRadar |date=April 10, 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Chris |date=April 10, 2020 |title=Google's messaging apps just got more confusing: Meet and Chat |url=https://bgr.com/2020/04/10/google-hangouts-vs-zoom-google-meet-and-google-chat-apps-for-g-suite/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=BGR |language=en-US}} By April 2021, Google Chat became fully available for free as an "early access" service, for users who choose to use it instead of Hangouts.{{cite web |date=April 4, 2021 |title=New Gmail with Google Chat tabs rolling out for free accounts, here's how to turn on |url=https://9to5google.com/2021/04/04/new-gmail-chat-turn-on/ |website=9to5Google.com |accessdate=April 7, 2021}}

In August 2021, Google started automatically signing out Google Hangouts users on iOS and Android and notifying them to switch to Google Chat.{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Abner |date=August 6, 2021 |title=Google signing free users out of Hangouts for iOS, Android as part of 'switch to Chat' prompt |url=https://9to5google.com/2021/08/06/hangouts-signing-out-google-chat/ |access-date=January 19, 2022 |website=9to5Google |language=en-US}}

Google planned to deprecate Google Hangouts and replace it with Google Chat in early 2022.{{Cite web |title=Google Chat upgrade timeline – Google Workspace Admin Help |url=https://support.google.com/a/answer/9197126?hl=en |access-date=January 19, 2022 |website=support.google.com}} In February 2022, Google announced plans to begin the final migration of all Google Workspace customers from Google Hangouts to Google Chat, which was scheduled to be finalized in May 2022.{{Cite web |title=Classic Hangouts will be upgraded to Google Chat beginning March 22, 2022 |url=http://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2022/02/classic-hangouts-will-be-upgraded-to.html |access-date=February 26, 2022 |website=Google Workspace Updates |language=en}} In September 2022, Google announced all Hangouts data would be deleted by January 1, 2023.{{Cite web |date=September 3, 2022 |title=Google Hangouts will no longer be available starting November: How to download important data |url=https://www.news9live.com/technology/app-news/google-hangouts-will-no-longer-be-available-starting-november-heres-how-you-can-download-important-data-193541 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023082128/https://www.news9live.com/technology/app-news/google-hangouts-will-no-longer-be-available-starting-november-heres-how-you-can-download-important-data-193541|access-date=February 9, 2025 |archive-date=October 23, 2022 |url-status=dead |work=News9 Live |language=en}}

= Redesign =

File:Google Chat Home Android.png

In December 2023, Google began to roll out a version of Google Chat with a redesigned sidebar and updated the logo. These changes made Google Chat more productive and integrated artificial intelligence into the service.{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Abner |date=2023-08-29 |title=Google Chat redesign brings new homescreen, audio huddles, and Duet AI |url=https://9to5google.com/2023/08/29/google-chat-duet-ai/ |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=9to5Google |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Google Chat: Messaging and Team Collaboration |url=https://workspace.google.com/products/chat/ |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=Google Workspace |language=en}}

Features

File:Google Chat screenshot.png

Google Chat is divided into two sections, chat and spaces. The Chat section contains direct conversations with other people and group conversations. In addition to be able to access Google Chat from its website and app, Google Chat can also be accessed through its integration with the Gmail website and app.

In May 2022, Google announced that Chat would display banners warning users against potential phishing and malware attacks coming from personal accounts. This development for Google Chat was the latest attempt to prevent phishing and security breaches for users.{{cite web|title=Google Chat adds warning banners to protect against phishing attacks|date=May 20, 2022|website=The Verge|url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/20/23132300/google-chat-warning-banner-phishing-cybersecurity|access-date=May 26, 2022}}

In July 2023, Google added new features to attain feature parity with other widely used instant messaging. The new chat features include: smart compose (also available in Gmail and Google Docs), editing & deleting of messages for consumer accounts (previously restricted to Google Workspace accounts only), message quoting, read receipts in group chats, text hyperlinking, hiding inactive conversations, ability to add apps from Google Workspace Marketplace for more features.{{cite web|title=New Google Chat features: smart compose, message editing and more|date=June 30, 2023 |url=https://blog.google/products/workspace/google-chat-features-update-june-2023/}}

= Spaces =

File:Google Chat space.png

Spaces, originally called Rooms, is a chat room feature built within Google Chat for topic-based collaboration, with shared files, tasks and conversations.{{Cite web |last=Adamu |first=Haroun |date=February 11, 2022 |title=Google Spaces will be replacing the last existing remnants of Google+ |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/google-spaces-will-be-replacing-the-last-existing-remnants-of-google-plus/ |access-date=June 23, 2022 |website=Android Police |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Christine |date=September 8, 2021 |title=Google Workspace opens up spaces for all users |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/08/google-workspace-opens-up-spaces-for-all-users/ |access-date=October 15, 2023 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} It functions alongside Google Chat and Google Meet to integrate group productivity features like message threading and real-time collaboration to organize topic-based conversations without exiting Gmail.{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Mitchell |date=January 31, 2022 |title=Your work Gmail is about to look different |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/31/22911287/gmail-redesign-workspace-rollout-april-q2-chat-meet-spaces |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=The Verge |language=en}} The feature revives the brand name previously used in a similar standalone service of the same name from 2016 to 2017, with the rebranding occurring as part of the expansion of Google Workspace to all users in 2021.{{Cite web |title=Google Chat 'Rooms' are now 'Spaces' |url=http://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2021/09/google-chat-rooms-are-now-spaces.html |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=Google Workspace Updates |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Schroeder |first=Stan |date=June 14, 2021 |title=Google Workspace is now free for everyone |url=https://mashable.com/article/google-workspace-free-everyone |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=Mashable |language=en}} Spaces are designed for collaboration on long-term projects. In contrast to spaces, group conversations only support chatting and do not have any task functionality or a separate files tab to view a list of shared files.{{Cite web |title=About spaces and group conversations – Google Chat Help |url=https://support.google.com/chat/answer/7659784 |access-date=March 22, 2022 |website=support.google.com}} Spaces also allow users to change the name of the chat, which is not possible with group conversations, and they allow users to only be notified when they are mentioned. Each space has three tabs, a chat tab for chatting, a files tab for sharing files, and a tasks tab for creating and assigning tasks.{{Cite web |date=October 7, 2021 |title=Google Chat: What's the Difference Between Spaces (Rooms) and Group Chat |url=https://nerdschalk.com/google-chat-whats-the-difference-between-spaces-rooms-and-group-chat/ |access-date=March 22, 2022 |website=Nerds Chalk |language=en-US}}

The service is accessible from within Gmail alongside Chat and Meet as part of the Google Workspace expansion to all Gmail users. With the relaunch, Spaces allows up to 8,000 users to collaborate on projects and use other Workspace features such as creating Google Drive documents and Google Meet meetings from within a Space,{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2021 |title=How to Create, Join and Use Google Chat Spaces |url=https://allthings.how/how-to-use-google-chat-spaces/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=All Things How |language=en-US}} as well as integration with Task creation and Calendar availability.{{Cite web |last=Andy Wolber |date=March 10, 2022 |title=6 ways to track tasks with Google Workspace apps |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/6-ways-to-track-tasks-with-google-workspace-apps/ |access-date=June 10, 2022 |website=TechRepublic |language=en-US}} At the end of 2022, the Spaces team size limit increased to 25,000.{{Cite web |title=Announcing new features in Google Workspace for hybrid work |url=https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/workspace/announcing-new-features-in-google-workspace-for-hybrid-work/ |access-date=June 10, 2022 |website=Google Cloud Blog |language=en}} Spaces are discoverable across an organization{{Cite web |title=Use Spaces in Google Workspace – Google Workspace Learning Center |url=https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/11219858 |access-date=June 10, 2022 |website=support.google.com}} and a Space's creator is the default manager of the space with the ability to delegate manager status to another user.{{Cite web |date=March 2, 2022 |title=Google introduces WhatsApp-like features for Spaces |url=https://arynews.tv/google-introduces-whatsapp-like-features-for-spaces/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=ARY NEWS |language=en-US}} The move from Rooms to Spaces also brought improvements in moderation and security features.{{Cite web |date=September 30, 2021 |title=What's new in Google Workspace for September 2021 |url=https://fotc.com/blog/google-workspace-updates-september-2021/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=FOTC |language=en-GB}} In February 2022, Google rolled out a new Gmail interface for Workspace that was designed to better integrate Spaces as well as Chat and Meet.{{Cite web |title=Google to Roll Out Gmail's 'Integrated View' Layout on February 8 |url=https://www.gadgets360.com/internet/news/google-workspace-gmail-integrated-view-rollout-date-february-8-meet-chat-spaces-enterprise-features-q2-2022-2741347 |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=NDTV Gadgets 360 |date=February 2022 |language=en}} Spaces will gain increased functionality because Google Currents was shut down on July 5, 2023.{{Cite web |title=Learn about the switch from Google Currents to spaces in Google Chat – Google Chat Help |url=https://support.google.com/chat/answer/13155861 |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=support.google.com}}

== Features ==

In-line topic threading{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Abner |date=September 8, 2021 |title=Google's rename of 'Rooms' in Chat and Gmail to 'Spaces' is now underway |url=https://9to5google.com/2021/09/08/google-chat-spaces/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=9to5Google |language=en-US}}
Search across multiple Spaces
Browsing within a user's organization
File sharing
Task assignment
Side-by-side document and chat view{{Cite web |author1=Joel Khalili |date=June 14, 2021 |title=Google Chat is finally becoming a little more like Slack |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/google-chat-is-finally-becoming-a-little-more-like-slack |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=TechRadar |language=en}}
Calendar event creation
Online presence indicators{{Cite web |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=June 14, 2021 |title=Google's unified Gmail interface (and Google Chat) launches for everyone |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/06/gmails-big-merger-with-google-chat-meet-and-docs-launches-for-everyone/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}
Message pinning{{Cite web |title=Helping businesses prepare for hybrid work with Google Workspace |url=https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/workspace/helping-business-with-new-additions-to-google-workspace/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=Google Cloud Blog |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=April 28, 2022 |title=Google Chat And Spaces New Features: An Overview |url=https://damsoncloud.com/google-chat-and-spaces-new-features-an-overview/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |language=en-US}}
Video conferencing{{Cite web |title=Google Workspace Announces Innovations to Bridge Hybrid Work Gaps |url=https://techrseries.com/videos/google-workspace-announces-innovations-to-bridge-hybrid-work-gaps/ |access-date=June 10, 2022 |website=techrseries.com}}
Custom Emoji{{Cite web |title=Custom emojis coming to Chat |url=http://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2022/10/custom-emojis-google-chat.html |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=Google Workspace Updates |language=en}}
Quote in reply{{Cite web |title=Quote a previous message in Google Chat |url=http://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2023/05/quote-previous-message-google-chat.html |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=Google Workspace Updates |language=en}}
Smart replies{{cite web | title=Expanding Smart replies everywhere you receive messages in Google Chat | url=https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2023/10/expanding-smart-replies-everywhere-in-google-chat.html | website=Google Workspace Updates | date=October 12, 2023 | access-date=2023-10-15 | language=en}}
Message View{{cite web | title=See message view counts in Google Chat spaces | url=https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2023/08/see-message-view-counts-in-google-chat-spaces.html | date=August 23, 2023 | access-date=2023-10-15 | language=en}}