A growing number of people are finding that broadcast messaging is a useful tool for connecting with lots of people without making groups go crazy. Certain users can connect with a large audience through social media tools like WhatsApp Channels and X (previously Twitter) Spaces, which restrict who can talk or chat. It looks like Google Chat is planning a similar feature in response to these well-received ones. It is referred to as “Announcements,” and it will enable broadcast messaging across the network.

Experienced Android dissector AssembleDebug on X brought the Announcements functionality in Google Chat to attention for the first time (via Android Police). It have a good idea, even though the precise workings of Announcements are still unclear. Google Chat offers group collaboration, but it is now available in only one variant. This new feature in Google Chat will allow users to mark their space as either for collaboration or announcements.

Google Chat users can “collaborate on project, plans, or topics [and] easily share files, assign tasks, and organize your conversations by threads” with the help of collaboration spaces. In contrast, Google Chat users will be able to “broadcast and share updates with your group” through the new Announcements spaces.

It will most likely be possible to restrict who can post in a Google Chat space thanks to the new Announcements feature. It’s unclear if announcements in an Announcements space will be restricted to the creator alone or if multiple people will be able to create them. That degree of curation is necessary if Google is to make Google Chat a substitute for the broadcast messaging services that are now in use.

With Google Chat’s Announcements function, Google may be attempting to outperform a few other apps and services. User-friendly applications such as Discord, Telegram, and WhatsApp all function similarly to Google Chat rooms. There are also programs designed for the workplace, such Microsoft Teams and Slack. It makes sense that Google would want to house everything under one roof given the abundance of business-oriented apps available in Google Workspace.