Google Chat’s best feature this year is finally ready for everyone
 

• Earlier this year, Google Chat got voice messages for Workspace accounts
• Google is now extending access to free personal accounts, as well.
• Users will be able to generate text transcripts from voice messages.

How do you rank the best ways to remotely communicate with people? Do you put text messaging up in S tier? Would F tier be snail mail? Probably somewhere in the mid-to-high range on that breakdown would be voice messaging — maybe a little easier to express complicated thoughts with than a text, and certainly a lot more convenient than a live phone call. Google only got around to bringing voice message support to Chat back in March, and even then it was limited to paid Workspace users. Now that barrier to entry is finally coming down, as Google makes Chat voice messages available to all.

Leaving a voice message with Chat is super straightforward, and we really just wonder how it took Google this long to get around to implementing it. You just have to tap the new microphone icon to the right of your text entry field and record a message that will go out to the Chat group. Google’s even been delivering upgrades to the feature since it first arrived, like the automatic transcripts we saw become available a month ago. But even then, voice messages were limited to Workspace accounts.




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