How to Enable Google Chat Conversation in Gmail

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Google Chats officially replaces Hangouts in Gmail. The Gmail chat integration was first launched for Google Workspace and Google corporate accounts last year , but is now available for regular Android users and web browsers . (Unfortunately, iOS is not supported yet.)

For now, the Gmail chat features are technically in Early Access and must be manually enabled. Here’s how to do it.

On Android:

  1. Download the latest update to the Gmail app from Google Play.
  2. Go to Settings> [Account Name]> General.
  3. Select “Chat (Early Access)”, click “Try” to enable.
  4. The Gmail app will close and restart. You will be presented with a quick guide and the option to turn on notifications in Gmail if you have the Chats app installed.

Desktop over the Internet:

  1. Go to mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#settings/chat.
  2. Under the chat title, select “Google Chat (Early Access)”.

While it’s easy to roll your eyes at the arrival of yet another Google messaging app (and another Google app that is shutting down in the process), Google Chat will be able to do more than Hangouts, especially from Gmail. For example, you can send a chat message directly to your contact’s Gmail inbox, or scan URL links using Google’s Safe Browsing settings before clicking on them. Chat also integrates with other Google apps such as Docs, Meet, and Calendar.

Pin Google chats to Gmail for quick access to people you love

Another handy feature is Conversation Pinning, which is available on desktops and the mobile Gmail apps and works for both regular chat threads and Group Chat Rooms. This should be available to all users when the Gmail chat becomes available to them. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Scroll down the Gmail Chat or Rooms sidebar to find the conversation you want to pin.
  2. Select the three-dot More menu icon, then select Pin . You can also select Unpin to remove pinned conversations.
  3. Pinned chat or group conversations appear as a button icon and remain at the top of the Gmail sidebar. They also show a red dot when there is an unread message.

This tiny trick makes it easy to keep track of important conversations – at least once your Gmail app finally replaces Hangouts with Google Chat. This article was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated on April 6, 2021 to include updated information and instructions for enabling chat on Android and computer.

[ Gadgets 360 ]

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