Specifically, Google Drive, Gmail, and Hangouts Chat will be unified in the app. Furthermore, Google Calendar will also be included, although the app will open separately. It seems the company is targeting this tool as a rival to the likes of Teams and Slack and will make the app available as part of G Suite. G Suite is Google’s Office competitor that bundles productivity applications into a single offering. Cloud unit CEO Thomas Kurian told a salesperson earlier this month that the new messaging app will come to organizations soon. The app will be available on mobile devices, with no word on a web version.
Competition
According to The Information Google thinks a unified messaging experience can help it compete with Microsoft Teams. At the moment, the company has allowed Microsoft and Slack to have workplace chat to themselves. Microsoft has been basking in the glory of Teams success. The company confirmed the platform has over 20 million Daily Active Users (DAUs). This number is significantly higher than Slack’s 12 million. The development of the unified app is in line with G Suite development. Google is reportedly fully focused on developing enterprise tools for the suite. That suggests the new unified messaging experience is unlikely to be available for normal consumers. While Google has offered no release dates, we expect to see the app arrive soon.
