What you need to know
- Google is apparently developing a unified new communications app aimed at businesses.
- It is expected to include Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat functionality as well.
- The app will compete with enterprise communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack.
Google is said to be working on a new "unified" messaging app for businesses, in order to better compete against application suites from rivals such as Microsoft. As per The Information, the app will combine the functionality of multiple standalone apps that Google currently offers, including Gmail and Drive.
Google's upcoming mobile app is likely to include Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat functionality as well. The application suite is expected to be part of G Suite, which is Google's collection of online productivity apps and services.
The upcoming all-in-one solution from Google will allow the company to take on Microsoft Teams and Slack, which are currently among the most popular enterprise communication platforms. Microsoft Teams, which was launched in 2016, is also an all-in-one solution and is included with an Office 365 subscription. Microsoft's Office 365 suite also provides businesses with a few other features such as video conferencing and VoIP calls.
While Microsoft's offering may not be as intuitive as Slack, the company claimed in July last year that the service had more daily active users than its main rival. Whether or not Google's upcoming solution will find similar success, remains to be seen. So far, however, Google's efforts in the messaging space have not been met with much success.
