Once again, Google is making Gmail the centre of all communication. Users can now make video and voice calls from inside the app itself. The software company has been making a lot of changes to its Gmail strategy, which involves getting rid of old services like Hangouts. It has made a lot of changes to the design language at the same time as the language itself.
Google Meet now has its own section in the Gmail app for Android and iOS. This was one of the most important things that happened. A Google Chat section was also added to the bottom of the Gmail app’s UI, so now there are four distinct components at the bottom of the app namely; Mail, Chat, Space, and Meet.
For the first time ever, Google is improving the Chat experience. As soon as you open the Google Chat area, you’ll see dedicated audio and video call icons at the top. You can now call the person you’re chatting with right away.
As part of the Gmail app update, the company said that this new feature will make it easier to switch between chat and video or audio calls when you need to, which will help you work together and move your work forward. The goal is to move important features from Hangouts to the Gmail app by giving them a new place to live inside the app. This shows that Google has already started to roll out one-to-one voice and video calls on both Android and iOS.
To start a Voice or Video Call whilst on the Gmail app
For one-on-one audio and video calls, open Gmail, tap on the Google Chat button at the bottom, and then on a chat to begin the conversation.
To start an audio call, tap the telephone icon at the top. If the Google Chat option doesn’t show up at the bottom of the screen, turn it on by tapping on the hamburger menu in the top-left corner, click on Settings, and then select the right account. Make sure the box next to “Chat” is checked under “General.” Users will see all four icons at the bottom of the app when the corresponding Chatbox is turned on.
To keep up with other conversations or read their email while on a call, you can reduce and maximise the call window simultaneously. The ongoing call status is shown in blue at the top of Android phones. This is the same as when you make a regular phone call on Android.
A person who responds to an alert from the Google Chat app will have their call go to the Gmail app. If the Gmail app isn’t on a phone for some reason, Google will ask the user to get it.
