9 Tips to Get More Out of Google Chat

Despite having a spot in the corner of the Gmail web interface, Google Chat doesn’t often get the attention it deserves. It’s a more capable and feature-packed messaging app than you might give it credit for, and its seamless connections to other Google apps and services are just part of its appeal.

Whether you’re dipping into Google Chat every single day or have never properly checked it out at all, these tips help to showcase what it can do—from editing messages to locking down your privacy settings—and how you can make the most of it. It’s free to use on the web, on Android, and on iOS.

Make Your Own Space

Create some Spaces of your own.

Photograph: Courtesy of David Nield

In Google Chat, Spaces work like supercharged group chats: They’re places where you can more easily work on projects or discuss topics with a selection of people you choose. Unlike standard group chats, Spaces can have names and descriptions, and can be used to assign tasks to specific people. File sharing is also more elegantly handled in Spaces.

To create a new Space on the web, click the New chat button (top left), then Create a space. You’re asked to give it a name, and an optional emoji to represent it, and it’ll open up. Right away you get buttons for inviting new members, sharing files, and assigning tasks. Click the Space name to find its settings, including message history options.

Thread Your Chats

Google Chat supports threaded messages, so you can spin off separate tangents within conversations without interrupting the larger flow. These threads are available in one-to-one chats, group chats, and Spaces.

Hover over a message (on the web) or long-press on a message (on mobile) to find the option to reply in a new thread. The icon looks like a spool of thread you might use in a sewing project.

Pin the Most Important Messages

Pin messages from your favorite contacts to the top.

Photograph: Courtesy of David Nield

Individual chats can easily get lost in the pile in any messaging app, but Google Chat lets you pin important conversations to the top of the list. On the web, click the three dots next to a chat in the left-hand navigation pane to find the Pin option. On mobile, press and hold a chat in the messages view. (Tap the speech bubble icon at the bottom to bring it up.)

Put Conversations Into Sections

Another way to organize your Google Chat conversations is to put them in sections—a bit like you might use folders for emails. You could have sections for friends, family members, and work colleagues for example, or certain sections specifically for your group chats. These sections organize your conversation lists on the web and in the mobile apps.

On the web, click the three dots next to a chat in the left-hand navigation pane, then pick Move conversation. You can then either select an existing section or create a new one. You can’t create sections on mobile, but you can view them if you switch to the aptly named sections view; Tap the icon showing two rectangles at the bottom of the main chat list.

Schedule Messages for the Future

Send your messages sometime in the future.

Photograph: Courtesy of David Nield

Google Chat comes with message scheduling built in, though only on the web app. Write out your message in the compose box, then click the small downward arrow just to the left of the standard Send button, and you can pick a specific time and date in the future. Your messages can be scheduled for delivery up to 120 days in advance.

Use Google Chat With Other Google Apps

One of the advantages of using Google Chat as a messaging app is how well it ties into other Google products: You can easily attach links from Google Calendar, for example, or files from Google Drive. It’s also possible to create a task in Google Tasks from a message, by clicking the three dots next to it (on the web) or long-pressing it (in the mobile apps).

Another option you’ll see on the same pop-up menu is Forward to inbox. This sends the message (and several surrounding messages) to your linked Gmail inbox, in a neatly formatted email. You can use this to send important information such as addresses or phone numbers to your inbox, for example, or to back up images you want to keep.

Set Your Status

Keep your contacts in the loop with your status.

Photograph: Courtesy of David Nield

Setting your status on Google Chat is a simple way of letting your contacts know when you’re around, away from your desk, or away for an extended period of time. On the web you can click the status indicator in the top-right corner to change it, and on mobile you can tap the menu button (top left), then Add a status or the downward arrow.

Edit Messages You’ve Sent

If you hover over a message on the web, or long-press on a message on mobile, you’ll see an edit option appear (the pen icon). You can use this to change the contents of the messages you’ve sent—very handy if you need to correct a typo, for instance—but the other participants in the chat will be able to see that you’ve made changes.

Protect Your Privacy

Stop unwanted contact through Google Chat.

Photograph: Courtesy of David Nield

You don’t necessarily want anyone and everyone to be able to grab hold of your Google email address and start contacting you through Google Chat, and there are protections you can put in place to stop this from happening. You can set up the messaging app so that only people already in your contacts list can get in touch via the Google Chat platform.

From the web interface, click the cog icon (top right), then choose Access restrictions to find the relevant options for both individual chats and Spaces.

In the apps for Android and iOS, tap the Menu button (top left), then Settings. You’ll then see the Who can message you? and Who can invite you to Spaces? entries that you can configure as needed.