Google Chat (formerly known as "Google Hangouts Chat") is an evolution of the classic Google Hangouts chat service, adding additional features that let U-M faculty, staff, and students chat with individuals, send group messages, and engage in team-based collaboration with spaces across the entire university community and externally. (Google Chat replaced classic Google Hangouts in Gmail on July 15, 2020.)
Important: Google Chat is a Google Workspace for Education core service. It is free, covered under U-M's agreement with Google, and can be used for certain kinds of sensitive data. However, U-M Google and Google Chat are not HIPAA-compliant. If you are affiliated with Michigan Medicine, refer to the U-M HITS site for approved communications software.
Need to collaborate with video and screen sharing? Check out Google Meet.
Connect With Google Chat
Google Chat is also available as a desktop (PWA) application. Visit Google's installation page to download Chat to all your devices easily.
Tip: You can also use Google Chat within U-M Gmail. 