Google Chat is easy to ignore, partly because many users meet it as a small panel inside Gmail. WIRED contributor David Nield points out that Google’s messaging app has a fuller toolset than that placement suggests, including project rooms, threaded replies, scheduled messages and privacy controls.
The service is available free on the web, Android and iOS. Some controls differ by platform, which is very Google: the feature exists, but the path to it may depend on which rectangle of glass you are currently poking.
Spaces are the project-room option
Google Chat’s Spaces work beyond standard group messaging. According to Nield, a Space can have its own name and description, support file sharing, and let members assign tasks to specific people. That makes Spaces the better fit for projects or recurring topics, rather than a loose pile of messages.
On the web, users create one by selecting the New chat button, then choosing Create a space. Google then asks for a name and offers an optional emoji. Once the Space opens, Chat shows controls for adding members, sharing files and assigning tasks. The Space name opens settings, including options for message history.
Threads, pins and sections tame the inbox-shaped mess
Google Chat supports threaded replies in one-to-one chats, group chats and Spaces. On the web, hovering over a message reveals the option to reply in a new thread. On mobile, the same control appears after a long press.
For conversations that should not vanish under newer chatter, Chat allows pinning. On the web, the Pin command sits behind the three-dot menu next to a chat in the left navigation pane. On mobile, users press and hold a chat from the messages view.
Google also lets users sort conversations into sections, similar in effect to email folders. Nield notes that sections can be used for categories such as friends, family, coworkers or group chats. Creating or moving a conversation into a section happens on the web through the three-dot menu and Move conversation. Mobile users can view sections by switching to the sections view, but cannot create them there.
Scheduling, edits and Google app hooks
Message scheduling is built into the web version of Google Chat. Users write a message, select the downward arrow beside Send, and choose a future date and time. Scheduled delivery can be set as far as 120 days ahead, according to Nield.
Chat also connects with other Google services. Users can attach Google Calendar links or Google Drive files. A message can be turned into a Google Tasks item through the three-dot menu on the web or a long press in the mobile apps.
The same menu includes Forward to inbox. That option sends the selected message, along with surrounding messages, into the linked Gmail inbox as a formatted email. Nield suggests this can be used for saving information such as addresses, phone numbers or images.
Sent messages can be edited through the pen icon, exposed by hovering on the web or long-pressing on mobile. Other participants can see that a message was changed, so this is typo repair, not a time machine.
Privacy and presence controls are buried, but present
Google Chat lets users set a status to show contacts whether they are available or away. On the web, the status indicator is in the top-right corner. On mobile, it is under the top-left menu, through Add a status or the downward arrow.
For unwanted contact, Google includes access restrictions. On the web, the cog icon opens Access restrictions for individual chats and Spaces. On Android and iOS, the same area lives under Settings, with entries for who can message the user and who can invite them to Spaces.
This story draws on original reporting from WIRED.
