Chatting is one of the most common activities we do with our smartphone. The main option for users is WhatsApp, although many prefer Telegram for different reasons. However, there is an alternative for your Android device that Google itself has developed and that perhaps convinces you more than the previous ones.
Android is an operating system full of possibilities that go beyond customization capabilities or features of interest. Surely you have noticed that your mobile factory integrates Google services, such as Maps, Lens or Drive, although not all of them are pre-installed . Google Chat is one of them and serves as a guarantee option compared to the usual messaging platforms. We are going to investigate more about it to see what differential aspect it offers compared to its competitors.
A simple but effective alternative
To start using Google Chat, you just have to access the Play Store and enter the name of the application in the search engine and click on “Download”. Be careful, because in the description of the app it is mentioned that “The current version is only available for Google Workspace customers “, but this is completely false . Mainly, because we have downloaded it and it works without any problem.
Google Workspace is a subscription service designed for companies or organizations that is priced at 5.20 euros per month to enjoy multiple benefits together with Google applications. However, we emphasize again that you do not have to pay absolutely nothing, no matter how much the program information says otherwise.
Once you have it installed on your Android phone, you can access it freely. If you go inside, you can see at a glance that it looks like any other Google app. Its design is quite simple and does not hide great difficulty in use , which is one of its main virtues.
Two options appear at the bottom. The “Chat” section includes all individual conversations with other users; while “Spaces” is somewhat similar to WhatsApp or Telegram groups . The main difference between these two platforms is that sharing files from Google’s own applications is much more comfortable and simple, since some of them are integrated in a certain way within the app.
Get the most out of Google Chat on your Android
Many may come to think that it is a much less complete system than WhatsApp and Telegram, since many options are missing, such as the possibility of sending voice messages or stickers, but you can send a GIF. On the other hand, despite these disadvantages, Google Chat is presented as a very interesting proposal aimed at academic or work environments .
This is exactly why we mentioned a little above, since the integration of Google services makes it an app to establish a certain organization and not just to chat. That’s because you can not only share Google Sheets or a Drive file directly through Google Chat, but it also allows you to create notes or tasks and assign them to a user within Spaces via Google Task, plus the option to create a Google Meet video meeting or provide access to Google Calendar. Like WhatsApp, the option to call by phone is present.
So that it becomes a guarantee option for a university work group , a company or any other similar environment. The versatility that it shows with the other applications makes it a different proposal than usual and that is not only good for talking. Although it is true that the possibility of sending audios would be the icing on the cake, although we hope that sooner or later it will end up being incorporated. A striking quality is the message history , so that the messages sent are stored at all times. Without a doubt, it is a high-level alternative to create a work and organization environment thanks to the tools that it includes inside.