9 Tips to Get More Out of Google Chat

提升 Google Chat 使用体验的 9 个技巧

Despite having a spot in the corner of the Gmail web interface, Google Chat doesn’t often get the attention it deserves. It’s a more capable and feature-packed messaging app than you might give it credit for, and its seamless connections to other Google apps and services are just part of its appeal. Whether you’re dipping into Google Chat every single day or have never properly checked it out at all, these tips help to showcase what it can do—from editing messages to locking down your privacy settings—and how you can make the most of it. It’s free to use on the web, on Android, and on iOS.

尽管 Google Chat 在 Gmail 网页版界面的一角占有一席之地，但它往往没有得到应有的关注。它是一款功能比你想象中更强大、更丰富的通讯应用，其与 Google 其他应用和服务的无缝连接只是其魅力的一部分。无论你是每天都在使用 Google Chat，还是从未真正深入了解过它，这些技巧都能帮助你发掘它的潜力——从编辑消息到加强隐私设置——让你充分利用这款工具。它在网页端、Android 和 iOS 上均可免费使用。

Make Your Own Space

创建你自己的空间 (Spaces)

In Google Chat, Spaces work like supercharged group chats: They’re places where you can more easily work on projects or discuss topics with a selection of people you choose. Unlike standard group chats, Spaces can have names and descriptions, and can be used to assign tasks to specific people. File sharing is also more elegantly handled in Spaces. To create a new Space on the web, click the New chat button (top left), then Create a space. You’re asked to give it a name, and an optional emoji to represent it, and it’ll open up. Right away you get buttons for inviting new members, sharing files, and assigning tasks. Click the Space name to find its settings, including message history options.

在 Google Chat 中，空间 (Spaces) 的功能类似于增强版的群聊：你可以在这里更轻松地与选定的人员协作项目或讨论话题。与普通群聊不同，空间可以设置名称和描述，并可用于向特定人员分配任务。在空间中处理文件共享也更加优雅。要在网页端创建新空间，请点击“新建聊天”按钮（左上角），然后选择“创建空间”。系统会要求你为其命名，并可选择一个表情符号作为代表，随后空间即可开启。你可以立即使用邀请新成员、共享文件和分配任务的按钮。点击空间名称即可查看其设置，包括消息记录选项。

Thread Your Chats

使用消息串 (Threads)

Google Chat supports threaded messages, so you can spin off separate tangents within conversations without interrupting the larger flow. These threads are available in one-to-one chats, group chats, and Spaces. Hover over a message (on the web) or long-press on a message (on mobile) to find the option to reply in a new thread. The icon looks like a spool of thread you might use in a sewing project.

Google Chat 支持消息串功能，因此你可以在对话中开启独立的分支讨论，而不会打断整体的交流流程。这些消息串适用于一对一聊天、群聊和空间。将鼠标悬停在消息上（网页端）或长按消息（移动端），即可找到“在消息串中回复”的选项。该图标看起来像缝纫项目中使用的线轴。

Pin the Most Important Messages

置顶最重要的消息

Individual chats can easily get lost in the pile in any messaging app, but Google Chat lets you pin important conversations to the top of the list. On the web, click the three dots next to a chat in the left-hand navigation pane to find the Pin option. On mobile, press and hold a chat in the messages view. (Tap the speech bubble icon at the bottom to bring it up.)

在任何通讯应用中，单独的聊天记录都很容易被淹没，但 Google Chat 允许你将重要的对话置顶。在网页端，点击左侧导航栏中聊天记录旁边的三个点，即可找到“置顶”选项。在移动端，请在消息视图中长按聊天记录。（点击底部的对话气泡图标即可进入该视图。）

Put Conversations Into Sections

将对话分类到分区 (Sections)

Another way to organize your Google Chat conversations is to put them in sections—a bit like you might use folders for emails. You could have sections for friends, family members, and work colleagues for example, or certain sections specifically for your group chats. These sections organize your conversation lists on the web and in the mobile apps. On the web, click the three dots next to a chat in the left-hand navigation pane, then pick Move conversation. You can then either select an existing section or create a new one. You can’t create sections on mobile, but you can view them if you switch to the aptly named sections view; Tap the icon showing two rectangles at the bottom of the main chat list.

整理 Google Chat 对话的另一种方法是将它们放入分区中——这有点像你为电子邮件使用文件夹的方式。例如，你可以为朋友、家人和同事设置分区，或者专门为群聊设置特定分区。这些分区可以整理网页端和移动端的对话列表。在网页端，点击左侧导航栏中聊天记录旁边的三个点，然后选择“移动对话”。你可以选择现有分区或创建一个新分区。虽然无法在移动端创建分区，但如果你切换到“分区视图”即可查看它们；点击主聊天列表底部显示两个矩形的图标即可。

Schedule Messages for the Future

定时发送消息

Google Chat comes with message scheduling built in, though only on the web app. Write out your message in the compose box, then click the small downward arrow just to the left of the standard Send button, and you can pick a specific time and date in the future. Your messages can be scheduled for delivery up to 120 days in advance.

Google Chat 内置了消息定时发送功能，但仅限于网页版。在输入框中写好消息后，点击标准“发送”按钮左侧的小箭头，即可选择未来的特定日期和时间。消息最多可提前 120 天预约发送。

Use Google Chat With Other Google Apps

结合其他 Google 应用使用

One of the advantages of using Google Chat as a messaging app is how well it ties into other Google products: You can easily attach links from Google Calendar, for example, or files from Google Drive. It’s also possible to create a task in Google Tasks from a message, by clicking the three dots next to it (on the web) or long-pressing it (in the mobile apps). Another option you’ll see on the same pop-up menu is Forward to inbox. This sends the message (and several surrounding messages) to your linked Gmail inbox, in a neatly formatted email. You can use this to send important information such as addresses or phone numbers to your inbox, for example, or to back up images you want to keep.

使用 Google Chat 作为通讯应用的一大优势在于它与 Google 其他产品的深度集成：例如，你可以轻松附加来自 Google 日历的链接或 Google 云端硬盘中的文件。你还可以通过点击消息旁边的三个点（网页端）或长按消息（移动端），直接从消息创建 Google Tasks 任务。在同一个弹出菜单中，你还会看到“转发到收件箱”选项。这会将该消息（以及周围的几条消息）以格式整齐的电子邮件形式发送到你关联的 Gmail 收件箱中。你可以利用此功能将地址或电话号码等重要信息发送到收件箱，或者备份你想要保存的图片。

Set Your Status

设置你的状态

Setting your status on Google Chat is a simple way of letting your contacts know when you’re around, away from your desk, or away for an extended period of time. On the web you can click the status indicator in the top-right corner to change it, and on mobile you can tap the menu button (top left), then Add a status or the downward arrow.

在 Google Chat 上设置状态是一种简单的方法，可以让联系人知道你是否在线、是否离开工位，或者是否长时间不在。在网页端，你可以点击右上角的状态指示器进行更改；在移动端，你可以点击菜单按钮（左上角），然后选择“添加状态”或点击向下箭头。

Edit Messages You’ve Sent

编辑已发送的消息

If you hover over a message on the web, or long-press on a message on mobile, you’ll see an edit option appear (the pen icon). You can use this to change the contents of the messages you’ve sent—very handy if you need to correct a typo, for instance—but the other participants in the chat will be able to see that you’ve made changes.

如果你在网页端将鼠标悬停在消息上，或在移动端长按消息，就会看到编辑选项（笔形图标）。你可以使用此功能修改已发送消息的内容——例如，如果你需要纠正错别字，这非常方便——但聊天中的其他参与者将能够看到你进行了修改。

Protect Your Privacy

保护你的隐私

You don’t necessarily want anyone and everyone to be able to grab hold of your Google email address and start contacting you through Google Chat, and there are protections you can put in place to stop this from happening. You can set up the messaging app so that only people already in your contacts list can get in touch via the Google Chat platform. From the web interface, click the cog icon (top right), then choose Access restrictions to find the relevant options for both individual chats and Spaces. In the apps for Android and iOS, tap the Menu button (top left), then Settings. You’ll then see the Who can message you? and Who can invite you to Spaces? entries that you can configure as needed.

你可能不希望任何人都能获取你的 Google 邮箱地址并通过 Google Chat 联系你，你可以采取一些保护措施来防止这种情况发生。你可以设置该应用，仅允许通讯录中的联系人通过 Google Chat 平台与你取得联系。在网页界面中，点击齿轮图标（右上角），然后选择“访问限制”，即可找到针对个人聊天和空间的相应选项。在 Android 和 iOS 应用中，点击菜单按钮（左上角），然后选择“设置”。你将看到“谁可以给你发消息？”和“谁可以邀请你加入空间？”选项，你可以根据需要进行配置。