10 Tips and Tricks to Get the Most Out of Google Chat

Now that Google has killed Google Hangouts and is transferring everybody over to its new messaging app, Google Chat, you is likely to be questioning the place sure options are and what’s new. We’ve bought you coated.

1. How to Set Your Status

You can set a standing in Google Chat so your loved ones, buddies, and coworkers know precisely what you’re as much as at any given second. These statuses will expire after a set period of time, so that you don’t have to fret about turning them off. On Android, faucet the menu button (prime left), then Add a standing; in Gmail or on the web app, faucet the standing button (prime proper) then Add a standing. At the second, you possibly can’t set your standing from the iOS app.

2. How to Set Do Not Disturb

Besides setting a standing, you can set your self as Active, Away, or in Do Not Disturb mode on Google Chat. This works on iOS in addition to in every single place else—simply faucet or click on in your present standing to vary it (on cellular you’ll have to open the app menu first). This is generally to let different individuals know whether or not you’re presently out there to talk, however the Do Not Disturb mode may also mute Chat notifications.

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3. Get Email Reminders

If you need to be sure to don’t miss a message, you possibly can arrange e mail reminders for them. From the Google Chat app on the internet, click on the cog icon (prime proper) after which open the drop-down menu beneath Email notifications. Your two decisions presently are to have the function switched off solely or to get emails about direct messages and mentions, so that you’re not going to get a flurry of updates concerning the numerous group chats that you simply’re in.

4. Start a New Group Conversation 

If you need to speak with a number of individuals directly, you’ve two choices: group conversations and rooms. The former is the extra conventional strategy, and you can begin one on the internet by clicking the + icon subsequent to Chat after which Start group dialog. On cellular, faucet New Chat on the Chat tab, choose your first contact, after which use the Add individuals button up within the prime proper nook so as to add everybody else you need to communicate to.

5. Start a New Room 

Rooms are literally similar to group conversations, however they’re designed extra for enterprise moderately than private convos. You have extra choices for sharing recordsdata, assigning duties, threading messages, and so forth (extra element on the variations here). To create a brand new room on the internet, click on the + button subsequent to Rooms within the dialog checklist; on cellular, open the Rooms tab and faucet New room. You’ll then have the ability to invite the related contributors.

6. Install the Desktop App

You can set up a desktop app for Google Chat, which isn’t rather more than a wrapper for the net interface, however it does imply it can save you on a browser tab and have your conversations out there from the taskbar (Windows) or dock (macOS). To set it up, open up Google Chat in Chrome and also you’ll get an Install immediate; if you wish to take away it later, you’ll want to move to chrome://apps in a Chrome tab after which right-click Google Chat.

7. Enable Smart Reply

You may already be utilizing the good reply options constructed into Gmail to compose your messages extra rapidly, and you may get the identical help in Google Chat on the internet and within the desktop app. Click the cog icon (prime proper), then be sure the Enable good reply on net and desktop field is ticked beneath Smart Reply. If Google Chat has a number of options for you in a selected dialog, they’ll pop up within the reply field.

8. Pin a Conversation

You can hold the Google Chat messages you’re most excited by pinned to the highest of the dialog checklist fairly simply. On the net, click on the three dots to the facet of a chat and select Pin. On cellular, open a dialog, faucet the title(s) on the prime, after which Pin. As you’ll count on, it means speedy entry to the chats you employ essentially the most (or possibly simply don’t need to neglect), and you may repeat the identical course of to unpin a dialog once more.

9. Set Messages to Expire

In sure chats you won’t need every part to be on the document perpetually, and you may flip off the historical past for a selected dialog by tapping or clicking the contributors on the prime of the chat and selecting Turn off historical past. Until you flip it again on once more, messages despatched within the dialog will expire after 24 hours—although this solely applies to new messages, not any message historical past archive that may exist already within the chat.

10. React With Emojis

You get a number of new options after the change from Hangouts to Google Chat, and a few of them you may already acknowledge from Slack. One small however very helpful improve is the power to react to particular person messages with emojis, for these instances when a bit of icon says it higher than phrases. Hover over a message on the internet to see the emoji panel seem, or faucet and maintain on a message on cellular after which select Add response to select your emoji.