Google's current enterprise communications strategy is centered around Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. A new report today reveals that Google Cloud is working on a unified messaging app for businesses.
- Unified messaging brings all your communications together under a single hub. Emails and faxes, as well as voicemails and text messages, all go to the same inbox. This makes it easier and faster to keep up with communications. A unified messaging application takes this system to the next level.
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Google will try to unify its messaging platforms with a new leader and all related teams operating under the same umbrella. This still probably won't lead to Android's iMessage. Disa, Element (formerly Riot), and BlackBerry Hub are probably your best bets out of the 8 options considered. 'Does what it's supposed to do, without bloatware' is the primary reason people pick Disa over the competition. This page is powered by a knowledgeable community that helps you make an informed decision.
According to the Information this afternoon, Google wants to bring 'together the functions of several standalone apps.' This includes emails from Gmail, online storage through Google Drive, text with Hangouts Chat, and Hangouts Meet video calling. There is Google Calendar integration, but users apparently still need to open the standalone app.
This mobile app — with no current suggestion of an online counterpart — is already in testing within Google, and was detailed by Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian earlier this month. It's unknown how this application will impact Google's existing apps. For example, Google has announced that it plans to deprecate classic Hangouts with Hangouts Chat for enterprise customers, and eventually consumers.
Falling under the G Suite family of productivity tools, Google's unified messaging app is primarily designed to combat competing solutions like Microsoft Teams and Slack. Google's enterprise division is trying to attract more businesses, with one unified app offering an appealing and less confusing pitch.
The Information‘s report has an interesting anecdote about how the 'G Suite team is almost exclusively working on products with enterprise customers in mind.' This is despite a large number of free customers using Google's productivity tools.
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Let's just get this out of the way before we get too deep here – Google did not just launch or announce a single unified messaging app that all will love and use going forward. Today, though, Google has announced that it now has a leader and unified team to take care of their communications products. What does that mean? Let's find out! Photoshop update changes.
Going forward, according to The Verge, Google's communications efforts will be run by Javier Soltero, a semi-recent hire who originally took over the VP reigns of G Suite. Soltero is now (also) the boss of communications products, like Messages, Duo, and the Google Phone app, as well as the teams that support them. Since he runs G Suite, that means he has Google Meet and Google Chat.
At this time, it sure sounds like Soltero and his team are not planning to integrate messaging apps into one another to create the ultimate messaging tool for you, which I think is what we all want. Instead, Soltero and friends want to try and create clarity over what each of their products does and why it might be best for you. With everyone together under one umbrella, they think they can do that.
Oh, Soltero did say that their plan 'continues to be to modernize [Hangouts] towards Google Meet and Google Chat.' I have no idea what that means, so the clarity thing is off to a weird start.
If you had questions about how this shakes up leadership, here is the statement that Google has provided on the news:
We are bringing all of Google's collective communication products together under one leader and unified team that will be led by Javier Soltero, VP and GM of G Suite. Javier will remain in Cloud, but will also join the leadership team under Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP of Platforms and Ecosystems. Outside of this update, there are no other changes to the personnel and Hiroshi will continue to play a significant role in our ongoing partnership efforts.
Unified Messaging App Android Apps
OK, so what are we taking away from this? I don't know, man. Google didn't announce any new products, only that they have a single leader for all things communications. That could mean a better presentation of their communications apps that might help you figure out which of them you should use. I just hope it means Google Inbox returns…wait.
Android Unified Messaging App
// The Verge
