Create, send & reply to messages in Google Chat

You can send a direct message to a person or group of people in Google Chat.

Create a direct message

To send a new message:

On your iPhone or iPad, open the Chat app or Gmail app .
- In Gmail: At the bottom, tap Chat .
At the bottom, tap New chat .
Enter the person’s name you want to message.
- To create a group direct message, enter multiple names.
Tap Start chat.

Send & reply to messages

To send or reply to a message, you can use the message field in Chat. There are multiple ways to reply.

An image of a DM in Chat, showing the overall reply area and conversation

When you reply, you can:

Send a message	Send the message you wrote in the message field.
Share files and more	Share Google Drive files, set up a Calendar invite, or add apps to a message.
Start a meeting	Start a video call with Google Meet.
Add a video meeting	Add a Google Meet link to a video meeting.
Edit a message	Edit a sent message.
Delete a message	Delete a sent message.
Format messages	Bold or italicize text, use bullet points, or add color.
React to messages	Add an emoji.
Upload a file	Share a file from your computer.
Share a GIF	React with an animated GIF.
Quote a message	To directly respond, quote a previous message in Chat.
Start a thread	In a space, create a new thread based on a message.

Troubleshoot permissions

Contact the Workspace administrator if you:

Can’t create a new conversation
Can’t add members to a space
Get a permission error like "You don't have permission to start a new conversation”

Learn how to manage space settings.

Schedule messages

You can write a message, then schedule it to be sent later.

On your iPhone or iPad, open the Chat app or Gmail app .
Select a Space or Chat.
In the compose box, type your message.
Touch and hold the send button.
Tap Pick a custom time or a suggested delivery schedule.
Check the confirmation banner.

Confirm a scheduled message

After you schedule your message delivery, at the bottom of your chat, a banner appears. This confirms the message's scheduled delivery time and recipient.

To find and manage all your scheduled messages, tap See all scheduled messages.

Manage your scheduled messages

At the bottom of the navigation panel, in “Drafts,” tap More.

In "Drafts," you can:

Find all your pending scheduled messages.
Get the send time in your time zone.
Get the send time in the receiver's time zone.
Perform different actions on scheduled messages.

Perform actions on scheduled messages

In "Drafts," you have full control over your scheduled messages. For each scheduled message, you can:

Edit message: Modify the content of a scheduled message.
Reschedule: Change the scheduled delivery time of a message.
Send immediately: Disregard the scheduled time and send the message immediately.
Delete: Remove a scheduled message.

Identify conversations with scheduled messages

If there’s a draft icon next to a conversation, it means that the conversation contains either a draft or a scheduled message.