According to Android Police, Google is finally addressing one of Meet’s most frustrating limitations by integrating Google Chat directly into the meeting experience. Starting November 10, 2025 for Rapid Release domains and December 3, 2025 for Scheduled Release domains, all in-meeting chat messages will now be powered by Google Chat. The biggest change means messages, links, and files shared during meetings will remain accessible in a persistent Google Chat conversation afterward. However, this feature is exclusively available to Google Workspace business and enterprise customers on specific paid plans like Enterprise Standard, Business Plus, and Frontline tiers. The integration allows attendees to respond with emojis and share images directly within Meet while enabling post-meeting follow-up conversations.
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Finally, a logical move
Honestly, this should have happened years ago. It’s always been ridiculous that meeting chats just evaporate into the digital ether the moment someone clicks “leave meeting.” You’d have people scrambling to copy links or important messages in the final seconds, which completely defeats the purpose of having a chat feature in the first place. Google‘s basically admitting their previous approach was flawed by making this change.
And here’s the thing – this isn’t just about convenience. It’s about actually making meetings productive beyond the 30 or 60 minutes you’re all staring at each other on camera. How many times have you been in a meeting where someone says “I’ll share that link in chat” only to realize days later you never actually saved it? This integration could genuinely reduce that friction.
But there’s always a catch
Of course, Google being Google, they’re locking this behind the paid Workspace wall. If you’re using the free version of Meet? Tough luck. This feels like yet another move to push more users toward their premium offerings. I get that businesses need advanced features, but making basic usability improvements exclusive to paying customers? That’s a pretty aggressive upsell strategy.
The timing is interesting too – rolling out in late 2025? That feels like an eternity in tech years. By the time this actually reaches most users, we’ll probably be on to the next big communication platform. And let’s be real – how many “Rapid Release” domains actually exist outside of Google’s own teams?
The privacy question
Google does give you an opt-out with the “continuous meeting chat” toggle, which is smart. Not every meeting needs to live forever in some corporate chat archive. Sometimes you just want to share a quick link without creating a permanent record. But this raises bigger questions about workplace surveillance and data retention.
Think about it – now every offhand comment, every casual suggestion, every “dumb question” gets preserved indefinitely in a company-controlled system. That could create some uncomfortable situations down the line. Employers will have even more visibility into meeting dynamics, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for open communication.
Playing catch-up
Let’s be honest – Google is playing catch-up here. Microsoft Teams has had persistent chat threads for years. Slack integrations with various video platforms have offered similar functionality. Google’s just now getting around to connecting their own services? It’s about time.
The real test will be whether this actually improves workflow or just creates another place to check for messages. Because now you’ll have to monitor both your email and Google Chat for follow-ups from meetings. Does that really simplify things or just spread the conversation across more platforms?
Still, it’s a step in the right direction. If you’re already paying for Google Workspace, this could genuinely make your team more efficient. But for everyone else? You’ll keep doing the copy-paste dance for the foreseeable future.
