Google has announced that it is bringing Lucidchart and Lucidspark apps directly into Google Chat, making it the sixth Workspace app to get the integration, following Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Calendar.
If you have never heard of it, Lucidchart is an intelligent diagramming tool for creating things like flowcharts, network diagrams, and organizational charts. It has features like a drag-and-drop interface, collaborative cursors, and more.
Lucidspark, on the other hand, is a digital whiteboard designed for more freeform brainstorming and team ideation sessions. Both of them are part of the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite.
With Lucidchart and Lucidspark apps now in Chat, you can:
- Get an immediate preview of Lucidchart and Lucidspark links shared in Chat conversations.
- Type "/lucidsearch" in Chat to find and share Lucid documents instantly without leaving the window.
- Keep teams aligned by bringing complex diagrams and brainstorms directly into the conversation flow.
For your team to get this integration, an organization"s Admin may need to take action. If the Lucid add-ons were already installed, you are good to go. If not, the admin must either install or allowlist Lucidchart and Lucidspark from the Google Workspace Marketplace.
The update has begun rolling out for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains, with full visibility expected within three days. Google says this is available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and even users with personal Google accounts.
In case you missed it, last year, Google Chat got the Gemini side panel, allowing you to do things like "catch up with missed conversations," thanks to AI-generated summaries. Google then followed up days later with "Huddles," a feature seemingly inspired by Slack"s version of the exact same name.
Huddles let you start a quick audio call right from a chat thread, with the option to add video and screen sharing later, bypassing the process of scheduling a separate Meet event.