Gmail’s new style, which changes how Google Chat, Meet, and Spaces are linked, will be available to try in February, become the default in April, and the sole option by the end of Q2 2022, according to Google. The view transforms Google’s other messaging capabilities, which are part of (but not limited to) its business-focused Workspace package, into their displays in Gmail, accessible via giant buttons on the left-hand side.
This is known as the integrated view by Google, and if you (or your business) use Workspace, you’ll be familiar with it shortly. You’ll be able to start testing the layout on February 8th, according to Google. Anyone who hasn’t opted in by April will be shifted over to the new layout (Google indicates that there will be a popup at some time pushing you to do so) but will be able to switch back in settings. According to Google, that option will be removed by the end of the second quarter, when the new layout becomes the “normal experience for Gmail.”
While handling chats and meetings with the current Gmail interface can be a little perplexing, everything now happens on one screen, which is nice if you like data density. However, based on what Google has demonstrated so far, the new interface appears to provide you easy access to other tools without having them always on the screen, which is good news for individuals who want to focus on one thing at a time.
According to the firm, notification bubbles will appear to let you know when other tools want your attention, which could be less distracting than seeing a list of all your Chats to the left or right of your emails.
Google has proven that it wants all of its work-related products to be fully integrated, and this layout provides us a taste of what that would look like, with tools like Spaces allowing you to jump into a spreadsheet without leaving Gmail. While it appears that you can “quickly browse between your inbox, critical discussions, and join meetings without having to switch between tabs or open a new window,” as Google describes the new approach, it’s certainly fair to say that it all feels a little tacked-on. The samples of the new layout provided by Google suggest that the new interface will be more polished.
According to the firm, the services will become increasingly linked in the coming months, with Gmail’s search, for example, turning up Chat messages (similar to how Hangouts messages also used to be searchable from within Gmail).
People with a Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Frontline, Nonprofit, G Suite Basic, or Business account will be able to access the integrated view, according to Google. Customers of Workspace Essentials will not be able to use it right now. A Google spokeswoman replied that this style will be “only available” to the account categories described above when asked if it would be available to regular, non-paying Gmail customers.
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