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Google Chat Introduces Persistent Drafts for Unsent Messages
Confirmed
In Short: Google has officially announced the rollout of persistent drafts to Google Chat, allowing users to save and send unfinished messages across devices.
The persistent drafts feature is rolling out gradually in the Google Chat web client in the Rapid Release domains, with the company expecting to complete the rollout by September 15.
This means Google Chat will automatically save unsent messages, allowing you to send them later. Moreover, the persistent drafts capability allows you to type the message on one device at your desk and finish it on another device later and hit send.
Each conversation keeps its own draft in that chat’s compose box, and there’s also a dedicated drafts shortcut that pulls together every unfinished message across all your conversations in one place. Unsent drafts are retained for up to 30 days, according to Google.
What's confirmed
- This means Google Chat will automatically save unsent messages, allowing you to send them later.
What's still developing
- There are some solid reasons to recommend Google Chat, and one of the biggest of them is the fact that its productivity features are lightweight compared to many of its rivals'.
- Not everyone needs advanced features, but what's particularly bothersome about Google Chat is its lack of some basic messaging features.
- This has been available for a long time on many of its competitor platforms, and it's finally being rolled out to Google Chat.
- However, as highlighted by Google in its official blog post, there are important things about the persistent drafts that Google Chat users must remember.
- Google Chat is getting a feature most messaging apps have had for years: drafts that actually stick around.
- Google announced the change on its Workspace Updates blog on September 8.
- Drafts are saved automatically per conversation, whether it’s a direct message, a group DM, or a Space, and they sync across every device signed into the same account.
- The lack of an opt-out is a minor tradeoff for a feature this low-risk, since drafts are visible only to the account that wrote them.