Gmail will soon be able to make and receive audio and video calls in one-on-one chats, according to the company.
The Gmail mobile and Web applications will now allow users to call people they have met through Google Meet without having to leave their Gmail account. The call will be received via the Gmail app rather than the separate Google Meet app, but Google has stated that the latter will be able to initiate and receive VoIP calls in the near future as well.
Along with that, Google is beginning to roll out its Spaces feature, which is similar to Slack in that it allows users to work via group conversations, within the Gmail client.
Among the new features revealed by Google is improved integration of the most recent Workspace capabilities within the Gmail client, which now includes three tabs for chat and workspaces, as well as a Meet tab for meeting with others.
In addition to being able to attend Google Meet sessions, the Google Meet calling functionality will allow users to instantly conduct one-on-one conversations — without having to first establish a meeting link — using the Gmail mobile or web app.
According to Sanaz Ahari, Google’s Senior Director of Product Management, “Our intention is to bring Meet calling to all of the natural endpoints in Workspace where you’d initiate an ad hoc call, including chats, people cards, and Spaces, but this will come first to one-to-one chats within the Gmail mobile app.” Meet calling is currently available in the Gmail mobile app.
The Spaces tab, which was formerly known as revamped ‘Rooms,’ is now beginning to roll out to Gmail customers, according to the company.
Google describes it as a “dedicated area for team collaboration,” and it is linked with other Google Workspace features such as Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and Tasks, according to the search engine giant. Participants will be able to share documents using the group chat function, and the space will retain a complete history of all of their interactions. Google has outlined more capabilities that will be added to spaces in the “coming months” in a blog post published today.
Additionally, an update to Google Calendar has been released that allows team members to choose their location – office, home, or somewhere else — for each workday in the Calendar application.
In addition to incorporating new capabilities into Gmail, Google is working on expanding the number of tools available for hybrid meetings. In November, the firm will introduce a new feature called “Companion mode” in Google Meet.
Users may host or attend a meeting from within a conference room using their laptop while using the in-room audio and video — without producing double audio feedback — thanks to this functionality. This will allow them to bring presentations, papers, and other materials to the meeting from their computers, as well as observe the content they have provided up close and personal.
By the end of the year, Google Meet will also be able to provide live-translated subtitles through the Companion mode. Google has stated that they are now working on translating meetings held in English into French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese, among other languages.
As part of its effort to broaden its hardware line, Google has also introduced two new video-conferencing devices: the Series One Desk 27 and the Series One Board 65. Designed for compact areas, such as office or home desks, the 27-inch Series One Desk 27 is a 4K screen, while the 65-inch Series One Board 65 is a 4K screen suitable for bigger locations.
Additional certified third-party devices, such as the Logitech Rally Bar Mini and the Logitech G1 Rally Bar for Google Meet, are available for purchase to enable the newly released capabilities, according to the firm.
