Google Phone gains a quick way to message a business

Google Phone is making it easier than ever to message a business instead of calling them with a new “Chat” button.

Last year, Google unveiled a new system called “Business Messages,” which allows you to quickly send a message to a place of business via Google Maps or Search. This model has advantages for both the business, making it easy to converse with multiple customers at once, and the customer, making it easier to get answers to simple questions and even making the business more accessible to those with hearing disabilities.

As spotted by Android Police, the next place for business messaging to surface is Google Phone, albeit on a limited basis for now. If the experiment is available on your device, upon typing in the phone number of a business, you’ll be presented with “Business matches.” At the bottom of the screen, where you’d normally see the call button, you’ll now have a second option, “Chat.”

The first time this appears, you’ll be greeted with a splashy message encouraging you to “Chat with a live agent.” Tapping the Chat button slides open a fullscreen “sheet,” acting as a chat window with that particular business. Here, you can type out a message or even attach a photo from your camera roll.

To take advantage of this new surface for Google’s business messaging program, you’ll need to be on the latest beta version of the Google Phone app and hope that you’re part of the experiment group. We’re also not sure if the feature is limited to certain regions.

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• Google Chat gets improved search with precise filters, start on Android

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