Moving to Google Chat on September 30th, 2020

We’re excited to share that we’ll be transitioning everyone at the Lab to Google’s next-generation collaboration product, Google Chat. Chat has a modern UI, team rooms that support better team collaboration,, bots to help you be more productive, and integrates with Gmail so that your chats can be accessed directly from Gmail.

Beginning on September 30th, 2020 all users will be using Chat for 1:1 direct messages (DMs), group messages, and team discussions. Classic Hangouts apps will be turned off.  Your view of chat in apps, in your browser, and in gmail will all change as part of this upgrade.

How do I get Google Chat? It’s important to do the following before September 30th as classic Hangout apps will stop working:

• Explore the new Web experience at chat.google.com
• Download the new mobile app for Android or iOS
• Download the new standalone desktop app if you’ve been using the classic Hangouts Chrome extension or app. You’ll be able to access the desktop app from a prompt that will appear inside chat.google.com
• Sometime on or after September 30th, you will be able to refresh your Gmail to get the new Chat in Gmail experience.

Again, please make sure you install the Chat mobile app (Android or iOS) before September 30th to minimize chances of missed messages.

Where do I find my old chats?

• You will be able to continue recent 1:1 direct messages from classic Hangouts in Google Chat, but group messages from classic Hangouts (including their history) will not be migrated to Google Chat.
• All previous chat history from classic Hangouts will be accessible in Gmail.
• The classic Hangouts web interface for chat, hangouts.google.com will remain available during this transition in case you need more time to access and move certain group conversations. Users cannot chat in classic Hangouts by visiting hangouts.google.com in a mobile browser.
• The classic Hangouts bot in Chat will also notify you of missed group messages from classic Hangouts.

What are the limitations of Chat?

• Group messages from classic Hangouts (including their history) will not be migrated to Chat. Users can still access these group messages in hangouts.google.com.
• If you have important groups in classic Hangouts, you will need to recreate them as Rooms in the new Chat.
• Direct messages to groups and rooms that are started in the new Chat will not appear to users outside LBL who are still using the classic Hangouts apps.
• Direct messages to groups and rooms that are started in the new Chat will not appear to users who are still using the classic Hangouts apps.  Ask those users to switch over to the new Chat.
• Rooms are available to people outside LBL, but you must specify the Room as “External” when you create it.   Personal Google Accounts can access Rooms through the web interface, but will not see their room-based messages integrated into chat within their gmail client.   Note that UCB is already on this version of chat, so your colleagues on campus will see the same experience as you do.

Where do I go for help?

• G Suite Learning Center for more information about the new Chat
• Our Help Desk is ready to answer your questions, send us an email at help@lbl.gov.
• We’ve also created a Chat room to help with Q&A

IT Division – Collaboration Services Team