Gmail is going to get a work-focused refresh, according to leaked slides from Google’s upcoming Cloud Next presentation. The company had already added some minor integration with Meet a while back, but now it also plans to weave support for Chat. For the latter service, Google will add two tabs, one called “Chat” for one-to-one exchanges, while the other will be called “Rooms” for group conversations. On the web, Google is adding side-by-side Google Doc editing directly from your email, so you don’t have to leave your inbox for a quick edit or two.
@gmail: your new home for work. #GoogleCloudNext pic.twitter.com/3fSCIrLbNQ
– Tahin Rahman (@tahins) July 14, 2020
Compared to Outlook, Gmail has always been a very email focused product, focusing on that one thing and doing it right. Google made some small concessions toward a multiproduct workflow with the addition of the Tasks and Keep minibar, but this full Docs integration will raise the ante on the web. On mobile devices, adding Chats can help drive a product that, while interesting, hasn’t gotten as much attention as its equivalent video on Meet or its competitors on Slack and Teams.
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Google also plans to bring more improvements to Google Meet, including manual survey, a question-and-answer feature, zoom-like background replacement, background blur, survey, and more.
What’s next for Google Meet? #GoogleCloudNext pic.twitter.com/qOJjWpAHO9
– Tahin Rahman (@tahins) July 14, 2020
The company is expected to give official timelines at the Google Cloud Next Collaboration and Productivity session on July 21.
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