What you need to know
- Google Docs gains third-party smart chips.
- This will bring more information through the @-mention method available in January 2023 for users.
- Google has also added API and SDK tools for Meet using third-party applications along with new API tools for Chat and Spaces.
Google is launching third-party smart chips for Docs along with new additions coming for other Workspace apps.
When Google first introduced smart canvas for Docs, users could use “@” to assign a meeting, link to another document, or tag another person. The company is expanding this feature with third-party smart chips for Google Docs as mentioned in its recent Cloud post. Users of Docs will soon have the ability to tag and view crucial information from Google’s partnered applications through Docs if they’ve used the @-mention method. Workers in Docs will also have the chance to insert interactive information and previews from those third-party apps.
Those third-party partnered apps that are already in the process of creating smart chips for Docs include AODocs, Asana, Atlassian, Figma, Tableau, Miro, and Zendesk.
When Google first introduced smart canvas for Docs, users could use “@” to assign a meeting, link to another document, or tag another person.
Smart chips were a part of smart canvas which Google first introduced to Docs, giving users the tools to use “@” to assign a meeting, link to another document, or tag another person from their document. The smart chip can be seen by hovering over the @ mentioned without ever needing to leave the document you’re in. If you were to mention a person, the smart chip would include their contact information, title, or even their location when you hover over it.
Developers will begin to work on building how their apps will integrate with Google Docs’ new smart chips in the weeks ahead. Users will get their hands on these new smart chips by January 2023.
As Google looks to expand on making its software everything hybrid workers need to do their job, new additions are in store for Google Meet. Earlier this year, Google brought in a function that allowed users to join Meet through Docs, Sheets, and Slides. The company’s latest innovation for the application add third-party capabilities through two new developer tools: the Google Meet API and the Google Meet add-on SDK.
For the new Meet add-on SDK, Google’s third-party partners can bring the functionality of their app into its conference calling application. The Meet API will give users the ability to schedule and launch a meeting through a third-party application. This new API that Google is bringing in gives users the freedom to settle in whatever third-party app they choose while also giving them insight into who is in the meeting and if it’s live.
Google has partnered with Asana and Figma as they move forward with the third-party capabilities for Meet. Additionally, joint partner and Workspace customers can find and launch a third-party’s app from Google Meet. Users can install a Meet add-on from the calls UI and even during a live call to take advantage of some extra tools of their choice. Google’s new Meet API will arrive in early access later in 2022 while the Meet add-on SDK is set to arrive in early access by the end of 2022.
Google Chat and Spaces are also gaining API additions with partnered applications. Google explains that both apps will soon gain the ability to create a 1:1 direct message or group chat programmatically. This essentially allows users to view their messages and send new ones without needing to open that specific third-party app. Google has partnered with Asana and LumApps to bring this new API experience to life. While some of these new additions are ready to be used within the Developer Preview Program, more APIs will launch in the weeks ahead.
