Take me to google chat

The stock SMS app is dead on Android. Long live SMS in Google Hangouts (free)! This chat app was born when Google Hangouts consumed Google Talk, and now it's gobbled up SMS and Google Voice as well. Hangouts has the potential to be the best messaging app on any platform, but it turns out merging four distinct messaging systems together can be a little, well, messy. It will take some effort on your part to make this powerful messenger work for you.Getting Started The new features of Hangouts require at least Android 4.0 and an update to the Hangouts app. If you want to get access to Google Voice, you also have to download the Hangouts Dialer. Irritatingly, this second app doesn't do anything on its own and just takes up space in your apps screen. Also, Hangouts never presented me with the option to sign up for Google Voice, only to incorporate it from an existing account. Signing up a new account appears to be handled separately.Friends, Messages, and Calls Once you agree to use Hangouts for SMS and Google Voice calls and messages, the app presents three bright-green columns, one each for your friends, your text-based messages, and a dialer pad to make calls. Any calls you place through the dialer, either to contacts or numbers you dial, are placed using your Google Voice number. Google Voice calls to any number within the U.S. are free, and international calls cost just pennies per minute.If you don't have Google Voice, no problem; Google Hangouts supports voice calls all on its own with the same restrictions as Google Voice. The only difference between a voice call through Hangouts or Google Voice is that Hangouts voice calls appear to come from "No Caller ID" on most phones. During my testing, one voice call through Hangouts (not handled by Google Voice) was received as several separate calls—one call for each ring of the phone. Odd.The people you contact the most appear at the top of the list in Hangouts, and the rest follow below. A search box makes finding someone a bit easier. If one of your contacts is currently active on a Google Service that shows Hangouts—such as Gmail or Google+—you see a green chat bubble next to his or her name. This layout feels much more familiar than the older version's SMS-like approach. It reminds me a lot of old-style instant messaging.Your messages appear in the center column—all your messages. Whether it's text sent through Hangouts, IMs from users on other chat services, SMS messages to your phone, or text messages sent to your Google Voice number, it appears here. If your contacts list is in good order, your messages are merged into threads by user. So, my stepmother can text me from her phone, then continue chatting over the chat function in Gmail, and I'll see it all in a single thread. Unfortunately, you can no longer swipe to archive message these threads, however.When it comes to answering my

Does anyone use Google Talk (hangout) video chat using Messages app on Mavericks, or even ML?I thought the video chat function using Messages app only works with Apple device to apple device, but just recently found this help page from apple: is saying that Apple to Apple video chat will be using FaceTime app, and Google Talk video chat will work through Messages app itself.But when I click on that video chat icon on top right, it starts FaceTime, and says that "___" person is not available for FaceTime. But that person, is actually me using another account on another computer, and I'm definitely available. I was testing it out. It doesn't work though, so I'm wondering how other people using Google talk with Messages app video chat?Also, If I open up buddy list for google chat in Messages app, the video chat button is greyed out..I really need help! If this works, then there is no need for Hangout app for mac. Currently there is a good amount of demand on Google product forum for a desktop app, but google doesn't seem to want to make it.Thanks in advance for your help!

To reply to messages in Chat.When you reply, you can: Send a message Send the message that you wrote. Share files and more Find options to share Google Drive files, set up a Calendar invite and more. Start a meeting Start a video call instantly with another person with Google Meet. Share a photo Select a photo to send. Take a photo Take a photo to send. Share a GIF React with an animated GIF. Add a video meeting Add a Google Meet link to a video meeting. Schedule a meeting Add a Google Calendar invite. Add a Drive file Add a Google Drive file. Format messages Bold or italicise text, use bullet points or add colour. Edit messages Edit a sent message. Delete messages Delete a sent message. React to messages Add an emoji. Quote a message To directly respond, quote a previous message in Chat. Start a thread In a space with inline threading, create a new thread based on a message. Search for messagesTo locate messages, use the search bar at the top of Chat. When you search, you can filter by messages: Sent from specific people Sent in a specific conversation or space That include documents, spreadsheets, slides and more Sent during a specific date range That include links That mention you From conversations that you're a member ofYou can also sort your messages by: most recent or relevance to your search criteria.Related resources Send a message in Google Chat Reply to a chat message Learn when to use and organise a space Search for Google Chat messages

Google has a multi-stage plan to shut down classic Hangouts and move enterprise Workspace customers to Chat. This latest step in advancing Google Chat adoption takes place next month.For the past year, your Workspace administrator has been able to keep both classic Hangouts and Google Chat available for end users that they manage. Google is now moving companies on the “Chat and classic Hangouts” setting to one called “Chat preferred.”This will see Google Chat replace classic Hangouts as the default chat application for a Workspace domain. The migration will start on August 16 and take two weeks for all users to see. At this point, the setting to maintain both services will be removed. If there are affected users in your domain, you will receive an email notification that contains more information and any necessary action that needs to be taken.However, the ability to opt out and keep both apps working remains. Similarly, there are no changes to domains that have already selected “Chat only,” “Chat preferred,” or “Classic Only.” This is “phase 4” in Google’s plan to retire classic Hangouts for Workspace accounts. This opt-out is the penultimate step before the “mandatory upgrade” in late 2021. At that point, as Google reiterated today, “classic Hangouts will no longer be supported and all remaining users will be migrated to Google Chat.”It’s important to note that Google has not detailed when classic Hangouts will stop working for free accounts. Google Chat is now available for all Gmail users, but classic Hangouts remains, though there’s work under way to deprecate it.More about Hangouts:Google Hangouts app set to warn that it’s ‘going away soon’Classic Hangouts shutdown starts as Google Voice and Fi integrations stop workingGoogle widely rolling out Chat ‘early preview’ to replace classic Hangouts Add 9to5Google to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Image: Andy Wolber/TechRepublicAt one time, if your organization used Google Workspace and you asked me to recommend a team chat tool, I would have suggested Slack. For many uses, Slack was a solid selection as a multiplatform group chat app that allowed threaded conversations, shared links and conversation search.But in late 2022, Slack, now owned by Salesforce, changed the terms of their offerings and not only raised prices but also locked access to any chat older than 90 days behind a paywall. This meant, for example, that a teacher and students who might have used the free edition of Slack for a class would lose access to chats from the start of a course before the end of a standard semester.SEE: iCloud vs. OneDrive: Which is best for Mac, iPad and iPhone users? (free PDF) (TechRepublic)Fortunately, Google Chat Spaces, a core offering of Google Workspace, had been developed into a full-featured chat app by that time, with multiplatform support, inline discussion threading, file and task sharing, along with support for @mentions to pull people into a discussion. Even better, many organizational editions of Workspace for work and school support discoverable Spaces, which allow people in the organization to find and join discussions.Google Chat Spaces should be the first option an organization that uses Google Workspace explores when seeking an organizational chat app. Four categories of the core capabilities of Google Chat Spaces are covered below.Access Google Chat spaces in GmailThe modern design for Gmail — both on the web and in the mobile apps — prominently features Google Chat Spaces. From Gmail on the web, you may access Spaces from the left-side menu, between Chat and Meet (Figure A). Within the Gmail apps on Android and Apple devices, tap on Spaces along the bottom-menu, again between Chat and Meet. This fast-access to Google Chat Spaces within Gmail reduces the need to switch tabs or apps in order to collaborate with various team discussions and tasks.Figure AAccess Google Chat Spaces from within Gmail, both on the web and in the Gmail app for Android and Apple mobile devices.Google Chat spaces support internal and external membersCreate a separate space for each major project you and your various team members need to discuss. Add members and give access to the space to colleagues in your organization, and if appropriate, add people outside of your organization (Figure B). If you like, create a discoverable

Ever been working on a project in Google Sheets and wished you could just chat directly with your team without flipping between different apps? Well, good news! Google Sheets has a built-in chat feature that can help you communicate right where you're working. Whether you're collaborating on a budget spreadsheet or planning next year's marketing strategy, having the ability to chat directly in Google Sheets can be a real game-changer.In this article, we're going to take a closer look at how to open chat in Google Sheets. We'll walk through the steps you need to take, offer some practical tips for using the chat effectively, and throw in a few examples to illustrate how it all works. So, grab a cup of coffee, and let's get started!⚡The best AI spreadsheet: Bricks makes it easy to create & share reports, presentations, charts, and visuals — all backed by your data. Try it free →Before diving into the how-tos, it's helpful to understand what the chat feature in Google Sheets is all about. This feature is a part of Google Workspace, designed to make collaboration seamless without needing to switch to another platform. Essentially, it allows users to communicate in real-time within the document, making it perfect for teams working remotely or even just across different office spaces.The chat function is not just for sending quick messages. You can use it to discuss data changes, ask for feedback, or even brainstorm ideas. Think of it as an instant messaging system built into your spreadsheet. Pretty neat, right? The goal is to simplify communication, so everyone's on the same page without having to set up a separate video call or send a long email.Interestingly enough, this feature is available to anyone with access to the document, whether you're the owner or just a collaborator. So, if you're sharing your sheet with the marketing team, the finance department, or even the interns, everyone can join the conversation. Let's dive into how to actually open and use this feature in your Google Sheets.The AI Spreadsheet We've All Been Waiting ForTired of spending hours on spreadsheets, entering endless formulas, and cleaning up data? Bricks AI spreadsheet does the work for you.CREATE YOUR FIRST SHEETGetting started with the chat feature in Google Sheets is a breeze. Here’s how you can open it and start chatting away: Open Your Google Sheet: First things first, open the Google Sheet you want to work on. This should be a sheet that you have edit access to since the chat feature is only available in real-time editing mode. Look for the Chat Icon: Once your sheet is open, direct your attention to the top right corner of your screen. You should