Google Chat gets Huddles for instant audio calls

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Google Chat has introduced Huddles, a new feature for instant audio meetings. The feature eliminates the need for external links, allowing users to instantly connect in audio-only calls within the Chat app. 

Huddles are available across direct messages, group chats, and Spaces, making collaboration seamless.

Additionally, the name Huddles is recycled from a group chat feature in Google Plus, though the earlier version did not include audio functionality.

Google Chat now has an instant calling feature called Huddles

The company detailed the Huddles feature in a blog post on Google Workspace.

Users can start a Huddle by clicking the telephone icon in the top-right corner of a conversation and selecting “Start a Huddle.” This launches an audio meeting immediately. 

Once a Huddle begins, a floating control box appears on-screen, offering audio controls and the flexibility to resize or move it, enabling multitasking during discussions. 

Users can also transition to video calls or screen sharing via Google Meet, which operates in the background.

This feature mimics Slack’s audio Huddles, introduced in 2021, which allow users to start lightweight audio sessions in any channel. 

The release of Huddles is part of Google’s renewed focus on Chat, a platform born from the merging of Gmail chat and Hangouts in 2017.

Although it faced neglect in its early years, Google has actively improved the app over the past year. 

Besides this, the company also updated Google Chat with multiple new features like custom sections for better organization and the integration of Google Gemini-powered chats.

Huddles are rolling out across various Workspace tiers, including Business Starter, Enterprise Essentials, and nonprofit plans.

Whether Huddles will enable Google Chat to compete effectively with Slack and Microsoft Teams remains uncertain.

Nonetheless, Huddles marks a significant step in improving Google Chat’s functionality for real-time collaboration.

Huddles are now being rolled out, and Google promises that the new feature will be available to all Workspace users by January 6, 2025.

Do you use Google Chat regularly? Do you plan on using this new feature? We would love to hear more from you in the comments, down below, or via our Twitter or Facebook.