You can now place calls and join remote meetings from right inside the Gmail app on iPhone and iPad.
Google Chat integration, with support for both voice and video calls, has been added in the app’s latest update. But it comes with one big limitation that means you’ll probably still need to keep the Google Chat app.
Gmail gets voice and video call integration
Google recently vowed to make big changes to iPhone and iPad apps to rid them of the company’s own “Material” design language and instead make them feel like they were actually built for iOS. But that’s likely going to take a while.
In the meantime, new features keep on coming. Gmail is the latest to get a rather significant update that adds support for voice and video calls over Google Chat. It’s now easier than ever to actually speak to someone else.
Gmail users will notice new voice and video call buttons at the top of the screen when in a one-on-one chat. While you’re in a call, you’ll see a blue banner at the top of the screen, which also shows you how long the call has been active for.
You will also see a blue phone or camera icon within the chat roster, beneath the name of the person you’re speaking to, while your call is ongoing. These icons will appear in red when a call has been missed.
Only one-on-one calls for now
“We hope this makes it easier to connect with your colleagues in the hybrid work world,” Google said on Monday. “This feature will allow you to seamlessly switch between chat to a video or audio call when needed.”
There’s just one rather large caveat with the feature right now: It only supports one-on-one voice and video calls for the time being. To speak to multiple people, you’ll still need to jump into the dedicated Google Chat or Meet apps.
