If you're in the Google ecosystem or use Google Workspace at work, Google Chat is a popular choice for messaging and collaboration. The app replaced Hangouts in Gmail (RIP), originally launching for business before rolling out to everyone. Regardless of the context for using Google Chat, there are a handful of hacks to maximize its features.
If you already have too many tabs open—and one of them is Gmail—you don't actually need another one for Google Chat. Instead, you can add Chat to your Gmail taskbar and toggle between your inbox and chat interface in the same tab (as long as they are under the same Google Account). Hit the Settings gear at the top of your Gmail window and tap See all settings. Select the Chat and Meet tab and hit the radio button next to Google Chat. You can also manage your Chat settings from this tab. For Gmail on mobile, go to Settings > Chat and toggle Show the chat tab on.
Google Chat has a desktop app—if you use Chrome
For those who prefer a desktop app over a browser window, you can download the Google Chat app. While this is a standalone app rather than an extension, Chrome must be open and running for the app to work. You don't need to use Chrome for your default browser, though. To install the app, open chat.google.com in Chrome and either click the Install icon or go to More > Install Google Chat. From there, you can launch Chat from your desktop.
The ability to schedule messages for later means you can draft chats while they're top of mind but have them send when you actually want them to be seen by the recipient. This is handy for communicating with colleagues who have different working hours, saving messages for someone returning from vacation, or scheduling recurring check-in chats. Draft your message and click the down arrow next to the Send button, then select either a suggested send time or set a custom one.
Set Do Not Disturb periods
If you don't want to receive notifications at all hours, set up Do Not Disturb to activate when you're done with work. This will mute alerts from Google Chat during set time frames. In your Chat window, go to Settings > Notifications and scroll down to Do not disturb schedules. You can toggle on one of the default options or hit Create new to make a custom schedule. Be sure to enable Match do not disturb schedule to time zone, especially if your team spans multiple time zones.
There might be times when you have Google Chat closed or push notifications turned off but still want to see a summary of important messages. You can enable email notifications for unread direct messages or @mentions to get a reminder for Chat messages that you haven't read for more than 12 hours. On desktop, go to Settings > Notifications and toggle Get email notifications for unread direct messages or @mentions on.
Open multiple chats in window mode
To keep from having to toggle back and forth between multiple conversations in Google Chat on desktop, you can open them in pop-out windows to see them side by side. From your Home screen in chat, tap the three vertical dots (Options) on the right side and hit Open in a pop-up. Alternatively, you can hit the pop-up icon at the top of any DM or space. Note that you can't pop out individual threads.
Google Chat obviously plays nicely with other Google apps, including Tasks. If there's an action item in a Chat conversation, you can put it on your Tasks to-do list by pressing the three-dot menu > Add to Tasks. On mobile, long-press the message and go to More > Add to Tasks. If you have Tasks added to your right-hand panel in Chat, you can view and organize your list in the same window as your conversations.
Use search filters to find specific messages
Just like other Google apps, Chat has advanced filters to narrow down search results and help you find specific messages in your spaces and conversation histories. Type your query into the search bar at the top of the window, then select from any of the following filters:
From:
Said in:
Date:
Has file:
Has link:
Mentions me:
Only conversations I'm in:
You can further sort by recency and relevancy.
For sensitive messages you don't want saved in your chat history, there's a disappearing messages-like feature in Google Chat that will delete new messages from your chat log after 24 hours. To enable it, open the conversation, click the down arrow next to the chat title, and select Turn off history. Your log will show which messages are sent with history on and off so you know which ones will be deleted.
Get conversation summaries from Gemini
If you're have a Google Workspace account, you can ask Gemini to summarize read and unread conversations in Chat so you don't have to go back and review every message individually. Summaries are available for DMs (group and individual), spaces, and threads. Conversation summaries are enabled by default for eligible accounts—to use the feature, choose a read or unread conversation in Google Chat or Chat in Gmail, hover over it in the Home tab, and click Summarize. You can also summarize unread messages in a conversation by opening the conversation and selecting Summarize unread.
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