What you need to know
- Initially announced in August 2023, Google expanded Chat's interoperability with Slack and Teams beyond beta testing, making it available to all users.
- However, connecting Workspace with Slack or Teams requires a Mio license.
- Users can perform various actions like messaging, tagging colleagues, file sharing, and utilizing emojis and GIFs seamlessly across platforms.
Google Chat now lets you chat directly with people on Slack and Microsoft Teams without switching apps.
In August 2023, Google announced that it would let Chat play nice with Slack and Teams, the go-to platforms in corporate communication, alongside Google Workspace. Initially, only a few paying Workspace customers could access the interoperability feature in beta mode. But now, Google has opened up the feature to everyone.
However, if you're using Workspace and want to connect with Slack or Teams, you'll need to buy a Mio license too. The integration is powered by Mio, a company that specializes in making Workspace and Microsoft 365 play nice together.
Even though you need Mio to translate between chat apps, it lets you do pretty much everything you'd expect. This means you can shoot messages and tag your colleagues, no matter which platform you're on.
According to a blog post from Mio, you can do things like securely share files, edit or delete messages, throw in emojis, GIFs, and reactions, and even start threaded conversations, all across these platforms.
While the Mio solution might feel like a bit of a detour, it's definitely a step in the right direction. Regulators are cracking down on tech giants to make things work together better, and this feature, even with the extra tool, lets people chat across platforms without getting stuck in separate app silos. Maybe it's not a direct response, but it's a smart move to avoid future headaches.
Even though Google opened this feature to everyone with Workspace, it doesn't work for regular users. For now, it's a perk for businesses on Workspace subscriptions.
If, like everyone else, you've juggled a hundred chat apps, missed messages, and felt like conversations are all over the place, the new feature, even with its quirks, is a big step towards breaking down those barriers. Imagine being able to chat with anyone on any platform, all from one place. Now that's a more unified way to communicate.
