Google today introduced more features for the workspace, which is part of the company’s constantly changing office and communications software suite over the past year or so. However, the biggest change in today’s announcement is that Gmail has been redesigned, revealing its true nature in the eyes of Google, that is, it is the central hub of every Google communication application.
First of all, Google is providing users with the ability to make calls to another user in the Gmail mobile application. When this feature is launched and turned on, in addition to being able to join Google Meet meetings, your Gmail application will be able to be called like other VOIP applications. Google said that the standalone Google Meet application will gain the same capabilities at some point in the future, where users can make phone calls instead of just creating group meetings.
Gmail is the first place that Google thinks of putting the calling function, which shows that Gmail is crucial to the major changes that take place in the Google workspace. Google is using the popularity of Gmail to drive the adoption rate of its other services. Now, Gmail is essentially equivalent to Google’s Outlook, and it is the central hub for multiple services.
Outlook is Microsoft’s e-mail, calendar, and contact center, and Gmail is Google’s e-mail, one-to-one chat, group chat, video conference, and now call center. The Gmail email section is just one of a set of four labels, next to it are chat, space, and meet.
Google has also improved Spaces, which is Google’s renaming of Rooms, which is a Slack-like product that provides group chats. By changing the name, Google made it easier for people to find Spaces within the company, and Google eventually added full support for thread information. Like other group chat applications, threads will appear in an extra column on the right, which means that a Spaces user can display five columns of different information on their screen at the same time.
Google said that now users will be able to hide labels they do not use as before, and starting today, this redesign of Gmail will first be promoted to business users. After that, it will begin to appear in the Gmail of ordinary consumers.
