Google reveals seven new features for Google Chat

Smart Compose stands for Google Chat on the web

If you’ve ever sent a message and quickly realized you’d left out a word or typed something by mistake, Google Chat can use message editing to delete or edit a message by long-pressing it. A toolbar will appear and hit the Edit icon (which looks like a pencil), make the change (or delete the entire message) and tap Update. This feature is available to all Chat users.

Another new feature in Chat will allow you to quote a previous message when posting a reply. This allows the group to see exactly which message you’re replying to without getting confused. Just tap on the message you want to quote and when the toolbox pops up, tap the icon that shows the “Enter” icon and the message you want to reply to will be at the bottom of the screen. Type your answer and send it.

Read receipts will arrive later this month on Google Chat

Sometimes, due to a poor internet connection or some other reason, you may not know if some or all of the group members have received your message. Already available for direct messages on mobile and web, you’ll receive a read receipt on messages you send when your message recipient’s avatar appears below your post on the right-hand side. Tapping on the avatars (or hovering over them) will display the names of those who have received your message. This will be available in Chat later this month for grouping messages across mobile and the web.

Get read receipts in the form of an avatar on Google Chat

Want to save yourself from adding a long URL to a message? Of course you do. If you want to link something to a group, you can select the text you want to hyperlink, click the Insert Link icon on the toolbar, and paste or type the URL you want to link to the text. This will be available in the coming weeks for Android users and those on the web.

Create a hyperlink in Google Chat

Nobody likes a messy and cluttered interface. So if you have more than 10 conversations or spaces, any that have been inactive for the past seven days will be hidden until a new message is posted. At that point, it will go straight to the top of the list. And if you need to view one of the hidden conversations or spaces before a new message is sent, tap the “More” button below the chat list. This feature is now available for Chat users.

Again, if you don’t have Google Chat on your iOS or Android device, we’ve left some links at the top of this article to help you download apps quickly.