Gmail and Google Chat get new features: here they are

Google has announced a number of new features for Chat and Gmail that could be extremely useful to many. These are all the new features in a row.

1. Search and find in Google Chat and Gmail

Google Chat and Gmail now show real-time search suggestions in the search bar. You’ll then see suggestions based on searches from your search history as you type. According to Google, you can quickly find important messages and files on your mobile.

You can now also search for a specific Gmail label in the Gmail app. You can then refine the result with the filters. Related results are now shown for Gmail searches that do not return any results.

Google has these new features already rolled out for Google Chat and Gmail Android apps. The iOS counterparts can expect the update by the end of October.

2. Multi-send become a lot more personal

A few months ago, Google announced multi-send, here it’s called multi-send. This feature allows you to send bulk emails like newsletters without having to put all recipients in the BCC. That function is now extended with the possibility to personalize multi-send e-mails with so-called ‘mail tags’: @firstname, @lastname, @fullname, and @email. For example, each recipient will see his or her first and last name in the salutation. In the future it will be possible to make these kinds of tags yourself via Spreadsheets.

This function becomes from today rolled out to Google Workspace Business Standard and Business Plus customers, among others. Multi-send is not available for personal accounts.

3. Google Chat becomes a worthy Slack competitor

Google Chat is slowly growing into a very useful communication tool for teams, but it still lacks some features. One is the ability to use your own emoji and that’s coming to Chat now. Anyone on a team can view and use custom emoji uploaded by colleagues in messages and comments.

Also this function is rolling out to business Google Workspace accounts starting today, not personal accounts. Admins can choose whether or not users can upload custom emoji, as well as set certain people to act as emoji managers. They can then moderate the uploaded emoji.