Google Chat is a web messaging service. Users can send text, photos, animated gifs, videos, and files to individuals and groups. It also supports Spaces, a threaded group conversation designed for collaboration.

Google Chat is used to send messages over the web. An internet connection is required to use it, as SMS/MMS text messages are not supported. It supports two forms of messages: direct messages and Spaces.

A direct message sends text or media directly to one or more recipients on Google Chat. Recipients can view the message and reply. This is similar to dozens of other messaging services, including Apple's iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat.

Google Chat also supports Spaces, which function more like a chat room. Spaces provide dedicated tabs for files and tasks shared by participants. They also support threaded conversations, meaning participants can reply to specific messages instead of messaging all participants. Spaces is similar to enterprise messaging services like Slack and Microsoft Teams.