Google Workspace Changes

Out of office notifications extended to group messages and spaces.

The out-of-office banner, which shows a user's status and return date, is now available in group direct messages and spaces. For groups or spaces with more than 6 users, the out-of-office status will only be displayed if the user is @mentioned.

Introducing huddles: instant-on, audio-first meetings in Google Chat

In continuing our effort to make Google Chat your home for team collaboration, we’re excited to introduce a fast and flexible way to connect: huddles.

Huddles, an audio-first meeting feature, now available in Google Chat.

Huddles let you start an audio-first meeting, making real-time collaboration easier than ever. Once the huddle has started, you can resize or drag the window, add video, or share your screen for a fuller meeting experience while multitasking in Chat.

Huddles provide a seamless collaboration experience across Chat and Meet, and can be useful in a variety of scenarios, such as two colleagues syncing quickly to discuss a project they’ve been messaging about in their Chat stream.

a fast and flexible way to connect: huddles. Powered by Google Meet, huddles let you start an audio-first meeting, making real-time collaboration easier than ever

Introducing huddles: instant-on, audio-first meetings in Google Chat.

Google Chat is introducing huddles, which are instant-on, audio-first meetings powered by Google Meet. Huddles allow users to quickly connect in direct messages, group messages, and spaces for real-time collaboration without leaving the Chat interface. Users can start with audio and later add video or share their screens, and the Meet video button is moving to the Chat header to provide a single entry point for calling, huddling, or sharing Meet links.

Easily respond to comments and access requests without leaving Google Chat with the auto-installed Google Drive Chat app

Starting this week, the previously introduced Google Drive Chat app will be automatically installed and send you notifications about recent activity in Google Drive documents, such as new comments and share requests.

Google Chat introduces a dedicated Apps section for quicker access.

As part of a revamp to the left navigation experience, Google Chat now includes a dedicated Apps section, enabling users to find and access their Chat apps more efficiently.

Google Chat users can now organize conversations into custom sections.

Google Chat has introduced custom sections in the left-hand menu, allowing users to group direct messages and spaces by topic or project. This update features a unified conversation list, the ability to resize and reorder sections, an unread message toggle for each section, and flexible ways to add conversations via drag-and-drop or the menu. While visible on mobile, management of these sections is limited to the desktop version of Chat.

Multiple multimedia uploads in Google Chat

Users can now upload and send up to 20 multimedia files (photos and videos) in one Chat message

New Chat navigation experience

With this complete revamp of the left navigation experience on Chat will help users find messages more easily based on their own organizational preferences.

users can now upload and send up to 20 multimedia files (photos and videos) in one Chat message

To improve upon this functionality, provide a highly-requested feature, and match the mobile experience, we’re excited to announce that users can now upload and send up to 20 multimedia files (photos and videos) in one Chat message.

Users can now send up to 20 multimedia files in a single Google Chat message.

Google Chat has updated its web functionality to allow users to upload and send up to 20 multimedia files, such as photos and videos, within a single message. This update aligns the web experience with the mobile app and adds support for dragging and dropping multimedia files directly into the compose bar from a desktop.

Chat messages and activities in Google Drive

Starting this week, the previously introduced Google Drive Chat app will be automatically installed and send you notifications about recent activity in Google Drive documents, such as new comments and share requests. Directly in Chat, you can now: Reply to or resolve comments in Docs, Sheets and Slides, which includes the ability to mention your colleagues easily while replying. Choose the appropriate access level (e.g. viewer, commenter, editor) for share requests. See when you’ve been mentioned in Docs, Sheets or Slides using Chat’s “Mentions” shortcut. Easily block a sender or report abuse from the Drive Chat app’s notifications when they come from a user outside of your organization.

Google Drive Chat app is now automatically installed to manage Drive activity within Google Chat.

The Google Drive Chat app will be automatically installed for users, providing notifications for recent Google Drive activity such as new comments and share requests. Users can now reply to or resolve comments in Docs, Sheets, and Slides, manage access levels for share requests, and utilize the 'Mentions' shortcut directly within Google Chat. Admins can disable this feature via the Workspace Marketplace app allowlist at the domain, OU, or group level.

Group-level application of select Google Chat settings

Certain Google Chat settings can now be applied at the group level, providing administrators with more granular control over chat configurations.