The dreaded 'Quick huddle?' comes to Google Chat

Pouring one out for our Google Chat readers: huddles are coming your way.

Google Chat are finally launching the huddle feature to all users. (The feature was announced last year. Google take their sweet time).

Quick call?

The huddle, for the lucky unfamiliar, is quite straightforward. As you chat with someone, click a single button to start a call with them right there and then.

Google tell us: "Huddles help to reduce meeting fatigue for hybrid workers, and eliminates the need for lengthy discussions over email or in Chat." The Google huddle comes with optional video, too.

A history of painful 'quick calls'

Huddles are nothing new:

• Slack launched their Huddles feature in 2021, right during/after the pandemic, in an effort to promote hybrid work.

• Microsoft Teams launched their own Huddle version in 2023.

  • Microsoft Teams launched 'Meet now' in 2024, a slight variant to the more classic Huddle: a 'Meet now' call doesn't ring. This enables groups to hop on without bothering individuals.

Welcome to the future, Google users.