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Google Chat adding voice messages and interoperability with Slack, Teams

Besides the upcoming homescreen redesign and Duet AI, Google Chat is getting voice messages and interoperability with third-party messaging services.

Google refers to voice messages in Chat as audio snippets that can “save typing and allow recipients to hear the tone and context of the message.” This is coming in the first quarter of 2024 to boost team collaboration, but hopefully it’s available for all 1:1 and group DMs.

The UI is a simple inline player with play/pause and duration with accompanying waveform. It’s not clear whether there will be a time limit, while there does not appear to be transcriptions, like Google Messages, which is working on its own redesign

Elsewhere, Google partnered with collaborative interoperability solution provider Mio so that messages sent using Google Chat can appear in Slack and Microsoft Teams, or vice versa. 

This feature is aimed at “helping customers enhance their productivity by streamlining communication across multiple channels,” especially if two separate companies are working together and have their own systems.

We know that communication and collaboration happens over multiple channels and tools. This can cause missed messages, silos of communication, and a frustrating experience monitoring multiple chat tools. 

Something similar exists between Google Meet and Zoom hardware.

This is currently in beta and targeting general availability of Q1 2024. It requires a separate Mio license/subscription, which already provides solutions for connecting Teams and Slack. 

  • Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Essentials Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Frontline Starter, Frontline Standard, and Nonprofits customers 

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com

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