Google Chat Adopts Slack-Style Huddles for Quick Voice Meetings
Google Chat introduces a feature called Huddles that allows Workspace users to instantly start voice or video calls directly from a chat thread.
Google Chat rolls out a new instant voice meeting feature that closely mirrors Slack's popular Huddles tool. The company surprisingly adopts the exact same name for this functionality, allowing users to seamlessly transition from a text conversation to a live audio session without launching a separate application.
Users access this feature by clicking the drop-down menu next to the call icon in any chat room and selecting the option to start a huddle. The call automatically defaults to voice-only, but participants easily enable their webcams or share their screens just as they do during standard Google Meet sessions.
Google originally announced this addition last year as part of a broader refresh of its messaging platform. The rollout begins today and reaches all Google Workspace customers over the next few weeks, bringing a more spontaneous communication style to the productivity suite.