What’s changing
You'll soon be able to manage all Google Chat and classic Hangouts chat-related settings from a single page in the Admin console. This follows the update we made last year to
combine several settings for Google Chat and classic Hangouts.On July 6, 2020, we’ll start mapping your existing service status (e.g. Google Chat on, classic Hangouts on, Chat preferred off) to the new setting that matches your current user experience. You don’t need to take any action.
Most end users will not see any change. In domains where Google Chat is turned ON but classic Hangouts and Chat preferred are turned OFF, however, users will begin seeing
Chat in Gmail over the next few weeks.
Visit the Help Center to learn more about the
different settings options for chat.
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| New chat service settings in the Admin console |
Who’s impacted
Admins and end users
Why it matters
With all your chat settings in one place, including on / off controls for different chat services, you can now view your organization's chat configuration holistically and more easily tailor it to your needs.
Additional details
We recommend the
“Chat preferred” setting for admins who would like to transition their entire organization from classic Hangouts to Google Chat. With this launch, Chat preferred is now configurable at the organizational unit (OU) level.
While these changes are rolling out, admins may temporarily see the "Chat clients" tab as well as the new service page. They should only change the new service status page to make changes for their domain.
Please note that while the experience for most end users will not change with these new settings, in the coming weeks we’ll launch Chat in Gmail to domains that have the “Chat only” setting selected. This means that any user in a domain where Chat is turned ON and Classic Hangouts and Chat Preferred are turned OFF will start seeing Chat in Gmail. This feature was previously only available to domains with the Chat preferred setting selected. End users will have the option to turn Chat in Gmail off at the individual level.
Getting started
Admins: No action is required, as we’ll automatically align your existing settings to the new setting that matches your current user experience. Visit the Help Center to learn more about
choosing a chat service for your organization.
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| New combined service on / off setting row in the Admin console |
End users: Visit the Help Center to
learn more about how to turn Chat in Gmail on or off for your account.
Rollout pace
New chat settings and pageChat in Gmail to “Chat only” domainsAvailability
- Available to all G Suite customers
Resources
