This sounds a lot like what we’ve seen on WhatsApp Channels and those X/Twitter Spaces. If you haven’t tried them, these features let a select few send messages to a big audience, kind of like a one-way megaphone.
What are Google Chat “Announcements”?
Thanks to the efforts of Android code expert @AssembleDebug (via Android Central), we have our first peek at how “Announcements” might work in Google Chat. Sure, we’re still missing some details, but the idea is clear. Looks like Google Chat spaces may soon have two flavors: the classic collaborative kind, and the new broadcast-focused “Announcements” style.
When it comes to this feature, Google’s got some serious contenders to think about. WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram – they’ve all got this broadcast thing down. Then there’s the workplace side: heavyweights like Slack and Microsoft Teams could be in Google’s crosshairs. However, it does make sense for Google to implement this into Google Chat as it would have everything under one roof, especially with their business-focused Workspace tools.
It sounds promising, but we’ll have to wait for the official launch to see if this “Announcements” idea really takes off. Will it be the tool that adds a bit of order to Google Chat messaging? And will it be enough to sway users to use Chat instead of other solutions already available? Only time will tell.