Tag: Google chat

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Mobile Syrup

Google Chat gets a makeover to better match Docs, Sheets and Gmail

Google Workspace Updates has announced that Google Chat will be getting an updated look that won’t clash with the newly redesigned interfaces of Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Gmail.

The new cosmetic changes will feature a handful of new touches based on Google’s Material Design 3 system that rolled out on the company’s other Workspace apps. The entire interface is tweaked slightly with more rounded edges on the buttons and search bar and blue accents on certain widgets.

The majority of the changes are very slight, with updates also being rolled out on the main message view, new topic button, compose setup and thread panel. If users didn’t read the press release, some might not have even noticed the difference.

Google also announced a new Chat feature that allows Space Managers to create announcement-only channels, which looks like a welcome addition for those looking to keep all the members of a team on the same page (literally.)

The update did not bring any major software changes to Chat, meaning the next time you log in, you’ll still know how everything works, it just might look a little prettier.

Header GIF credit: Google

Source: Google Workspace Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Custom emojis arrive on Google Chat, but not for all

Google Chat is borrowing one of Slack’s most integral features: custom emojis.

The feature is currently rolling out for admins and is expected to be available for end users in November.

Custom emojis will only be available to Google Workspace users who are part of an organization. Once fully rolled out, admins will have full control over the feature, and can set organizational guidelines and “designate emoji managers who can browse and delete custom emojis that do not adhere to the company’s guidelines.”

Admins can also limit who can create new emojis, including an option to turn it off for all users.

If your admin is a generous one, you, the end user, would be able to make custom emojis in the web version of Chat or Gmail by heading to the “Create” button in the emoji picker. From here, you can upload a custom image for your emoji, and give it a descriptive name.

Custom emojis created by you can be seen and used by any other member of your organization.

The custom emoji feature won’t be available to personal Google accounts.

Image credit: Google

Source: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Hangouts on Android and iOS now displays a compulsory prompt to upgrade to Chat

About a week ago, Google accelerated the phasing out of Hangouts in favour of Chats by promoting users to upgrade to Chat in Gmail or the Chat app.

Now, it appears as though Google is in the midst of shutting down Hangouts for free users on both iOS and Android.

As reported by 9to5Google, the app’s old versions, which have been “mostly unavailable” to download on Google Play and the App Store, are the ones that are being shut down first. Launching Hangouts shows an “It’s time for Chat in Gmail,” and once you see this screen, you can no longer access classic Hangouts on mobile.

In addition to the mobile app, Google is also phasing out the Hangouts Chrome extension and the Hangout extension in the Gmail sidebar. That being said, users would still be able to use the dedicated hangouts.google.com website until it is ultimately killed off in November 2022.

Source: 9to5Google

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google accelerates phasing out Hangouts in favour of Chat

Google Hangouts has been on its deathbed for quite a while now, and on Monday, June 26th, the Mountain View, California-based company announced that it would start migrating Hangouts users to ‘Chat,’ before ultimately killing off the platform in November 2022.

Google Chat includes ‘Spaces,’ a dedicated place “for topic-based collaboration,” alongside the ability for users to edit Docs, Slides and Sheets in a collaborative way. According to the company, mobile Hangouts users would now start seeing a prompt asking them to upgrade to Chat in Gmail or the Chat app. “Similarly, people who use the Hangouts Chrome extension will be asked to move to Chat on the web or install the Chat web app,” reads Google’s blog post about the change.

Chat also offers a more integrated experience with Google Workspace, the company’s suite of productivity apps. Additionally, Google says that it will continue to work on Chat and add features like direct calling, in-line threading in Spaces and the ability to share and view multiple images, in the coming months.

The company says that user chats and conversations would automatically migrate to Chat, making it easy to pick up where you left off, though users can download their chat history by following the instructions here.

Google has been gradually phasing out Hangouts since 2020 in favour of the updated Google Chats platform, and the once-beloved messaging app’s final days are near.

Image credit: Google

Source: Google