Gmail user? STOP sending emails soon! Big Google update coming

A Google update was recently announced that will bring massive changes to the way Gmail users interact with one another henceforth. Gmail service will allow users to enhance their communication using the app. Gmail, which has over 1.5 billion users, will soon add the ability to actually call other users on their mobile phones, chat with them, join group discussions and more. All this can be done without having to leave Gmail.

What this means is that once the Gmail update is rolled out to your user account, you will not need to switch to another tab, app or service in order to perform any of the previously mentioned tasks. The Google update for Workspace includes the addition of Google Chat in users on the Gmail inbox, as well as Google Meet and a new tab for Spaces. While Google Meet and Google Chat are familiar names, Google Spaces is a service for group discussions that allows for threaded discussions, much like Slack.

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One of the biggest advantages of this new Gmail update, however, is the ability to simply call (or start a meeting) directly from your inbox. Instead of hunting through your contacts list for a phone number, or opening another app, you can simply use a Google user’s email address to immediately place a call -- without leaving the website, or the mobile app. This means that users who simply want to drop a message via chat instead of a more formal email can simply click the Chat tab on Gmail and enter a message to a contact. These messages will also sync over to other devices like their phones, which also have the Gmail app installed.

While popular services like WhatsApp are still working on bringing support for true multi-device functionality, the Google Workspace update will also allow Gmail users to receive calls not only on their phones but also on their computers. "Soon you'll be able to call members of a team directly from a one-to-one chat. This will ring their device running the Gmail mobile app and send a call chip to a chat on their laptop, so they can easily answer from any device," explains Sanaz Ahari, Senior Director of Product Management at Gmail.