Google adds new “mark as unread” feature to Google Chat

Google has added a new feature to its Google Chat platform, that allows you to mark a message as read or unread. Other chat services such as Slack and Microsoft Teams have had this feature for quite some time, and now Google has decided to do some catching up.

The new feature is already rolling out and should be available both on mobile and desktop, and it works in individual chats as well as in Spaces.

How to mark a message as unread in Google Chat on mobile

1. Long-press and hold a chat message
2. From the pop-up menu select the “Mark as unread” option
3. You can also do this by taping a contact’s name in the top left corner and dinging the button in the conversation options

You can, of course, remove all the “unread” badges from each message and make them show as “read” again.

How to mark a message as unread in Google Chat on desktop

1. Simply hover over a message with your mouse pointer
2. Select the “Mark as unread” option from the menu that appears

You can also use the overflow menu for a particular conversation to mark all the messages as unread in that chat.

The main use-case scenario for the new feature is for the times you’ve just opened a certain important message but haven’t really read it, and you want to keep it unread as a reminder to revisit it at a later time.

The new “Mark as unread” option is available also in the integrated Gmail chat. Google is rolling out the feature gradually to all Google Workspace users, G Suite, and Business customers.