Introduction of Huddles in Google Chat

Google Chat is stepping up its game by introducing a new feature known as huddles, powered by Google Meet. This functionality allows users to initiate a quick voice or video call with their colleagues, making collaboration smoother than ever. This announcement comes after a year-long wait since Google first hinted at the feature in customer previews, and it’s finally rolling out to all Workspace users by January 6th.

Comparison with Competitors

Interestingly, the huddles feature mirrors the popular functionality of Slack's own huddles, sharing the same name and purpose. This convergence of features highlights the increasing similarities among leading office productivity suites, as they strive to offer comprehensive, all-in-one solutions for remote collaboration.

Getting Started with Huddles

Getting started with huddles is simple: users just have to click on a dropdown menu in their chat and select "Start a huddle." This action opens an audio call invite that can easily transition into a full-fledged video chat, complete with screen-sharing capabilities—an essential tool for more engaging meetings while multitasking within Chat.

Other Features of Google Chat

Since the major revamp of Google Chat last year, the platform has added several other useful features, including AI-driven summaries powered by Gemini, the ability to tag or reply to team members directly, and even a voice-recording feature. While these enhancements are certainly valuable, many users were eagerly awaiting huddles as a much-needed addition.

The Future of Collaboration Tools

As remote and hybrid work continue to be the norm, the introduction of huddles positions Google Chat as a strong contender in the collaboration tool market, potentially challenging the dominance of Teams and Slack. With these new capabilities, Google seems committed to enhancing user experience and keeping pace with the rapid evolution in workplace communication tools.

Conclusion

Will huddles improve your team’s productivity? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: the race for the best collaboration tools is heating up!