Leave a Review Google Chat
Problem for accessing Spaces
For messages to only one other person it’s good, but as soon as you try to make a group it gets complicated. The other people have to join the group, but how to do this is not at all clear. You have to go into +new space, which is counterintuitive, since the space has already been created. Then into “browse spaces” which is also not obvious. I think “browse spaces” should be for browsing public forums or something like that. Only then do you see the space you have been invited to.Show lesssparklegiraffe22
Developer Response
Hi there. To add people and bots to a room or group conversation in Google Chat, add them to the member list. You can also add them to a room or group conversation with an @mention. We suggest to check this link: goo.gle/383GrjS to learn more.A Google straight jacket
Once again, I’m waiting a ridiculous amount of time for a friend’s video to upload in Google Chat so I can watch it. I’m so tired of this nonsensical app that I have to say something. Here are all the problems I’ve encountered: - Can’t share files unless they’re in Google Drive (Google trying to limit you to using their products) - Videos are uploaded when you share them, which means it takes FOREVER. Hangouts shared videos right away, so I know they don’t have to do it like this. - Why on earth does it keep a copy of every link or image I send in the chat text box? Why would I want that when it’s right there as the last thing I sent? I hate having to delete it just to continue the conversation. - Separation of individuals and “rooms” confused everyone in my family (we use this as our primary communication). I’m used to it, but toggling back and forth to figure out where the new message is is still a nuisance. - WTAF the computer app isn’t a standalone app! You have to have Gmail open in Chrome to be able to use it even though you have to install it separately. Again, Google trying to keep you tethered to their products. There’s really almost nothing that’s an improvement here. Yes, you can react with emojis, and my mom no longer accidentally calls me when she leaves the chat open on her phone. But the rest of it is so annoying.Show lessCoco3102
Developer Response
Hey there. Thanks for your comment. Check out the following article to learn everything about sending and sharing files in chat messages: https://goo.gle/2U4MUr8. Check your internet connection and make sure you have updated the Google Chat app to the most recent version. If that doesn't work, try clearing the app’s cache and storage: Device settings > Applications > Google Chat > Storage > Clear cache. Also, we'll pass this along to the team so they can review and make the Chat app even better. We ask that you submit feedback within the Chat app by clicking the Menu button then 'Help & feedback' and tap 'Send Feedback'. Thank you!Still waiting…
I know you’ve made this for businesses. Yes, it is seamless and wonderful for people that are using this for their business for their offices and that since yes it’s wonderful. I use it to reach out to family. So I would still like to get back the stickers we used in Hangouts. I would also love if maybe you added more stickers or maybe different stickers if this app is supposed to be for everyone initiative also be user-friendly for those that use it for their families I use it to contact family that is away and I can’t go visit because of Covid. I use it to talk to my fiancé overseas so they said it should be user-friendly not only for businesses but for the average Joe.Show lessCS Brooks
The best
I love this app it’s so cool! I can chat to my friends and family but I can’t do many things in it bye!Eva soph
Not happy
Why change something good?
Google chat annoys me with the repetitions of my correspondent’s last text at the top of the page, when the text itself is clearly visible.
I am not at all sure it is as private as Hangouts. I have had intrusive messages on more than one occasion.
Chat has been given a try but it has not lived up to the hype.
Anna K.Show lesscastiron collar
Developer Response
Hi, Castiron. Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. We're sorry to hear that. We'll pass this along to the team so they can review and make the Chat app even better. In addition, our user’s privacy and security are our top priority. We have built-in default-on protections to keep Chat messages safe. Learn more here: goo.gle/3w6oOt3. Hope this helps.A big convoluted
It’s nice to be able to search in this app, as opposed to Hangouts, but that’s where the pros end for me so far. The concept of chats vs spaces seems unnecessary and is what convolutes the app. I tried to give a name to a group chat as a space, but realized it’s then completely separate from chat threads (takes the whole history and converts it to a “space”), it doesn’t show up in the chats page, and searching in chats does not find matches in spaces. I decided I wanted to revert the (long) conversation history back to a chat thread but apparently that is impossible. I’ve also found multiple chat threads that include the same people, and sharing to Chats from other apps is very buggy. It was a much better user experience in Hangouts, with the exception of the search feature.Show lessCad0227
Disappointed, Hangouts was easier and better quality
Hangouts was streamlined and very user-friendly. Google Chat feels very antiquated. It was much easier to do video chats in Hangouts. With Google chat, you have to click the video icon, then it prompts you to join the meeting, so you have to click again to get the screen up (an unnecessary extra step). The video screen is much smaller than the one in Hangouts, and there isn’t an option to make it larger. One of the worst features is that it starts an entirely new chat window, so when you’re finished meeting someone, the conversation is gone. Hangouts kept the whole chat together in one window when you were on video with someone. So disappointed, I’m searching for a different platform.Show lessbombsquadgirl
Dreadful and inconvenient
It has to be the least legible and most clunky messaging app in existence.
Why would you forcibly separate singles and group chats into separate tabs? Why remove rather than add all the customisation options? Why force the workspace style on everyone rather than give users the choice? Even adding images to the conversation is now inconvenient, not to mention the unwieldy emoticons with descriptions and links previews.
It’s the first time I’ve seen an app like that being made so much less user friendly, less streamlined and less, well, frictionless.Show lessTifiak
Developer Response
Hi there. Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. We're sorry to hear that. We'll pass this along to the team so they can review and make the Chat app even better. Thank you!Only giving a 1 bc I can’t give a 0
I deeply miss Google hangouts. The video quality was great, always adjusted to strength of wifi & prioritized everything working over everything being the highest quality which made it the best for talking to friends and family across the world. The UI on mobile was super easy to use for me and my whole family which includes a lot of older folks. I used to be able to make international calls on it for free of pretty cheap when the app was new which now I’m pretty sure you can’t do at all now. It was superior to any other video call platform I ever used and the stickers and ability to mess around on each other’s portraits were how I bonded over a distance. Now that’s gone and a new thing I have to look for. Google meet already exists for companies, I don’t understand why chat also has to be directed towards those types of people and has to take over hangouts.Show lessRAWR1221
Worse
Worse in every way than Hangouts. Adding reactions to individual messages is nice but not a feature anyone asked for. Messages don’t always send if you exit the app too quickly. Notifications are unreliable. Stickers are gone. Overall just another step in Google’s consolidation of everything (built-in compatibility with Mail, Drive, Calendar, Meetings) but Hangouts had more personality AND worked better. I get that not many people still used it, typically favoring iOS messaging or Discord, but I might prefer switching to those rather than this inferior replacement. It might have gotten three stars on its own merits but the fact that it axed Hangouts on its way in loses it two of them. I don’t foresee this being useful outside of a work context, in which case I’d probably still prefer email.Show lessTalex1o1
