Google Chat Introduces a Dedicated "Meetings" Section

If you’ve ever scrolled endlessly through your Direct Messages trying to find that one link shared during a Google Meet call, this update is for you. Google officially launched a dedicated Meetings section in Google Chat.

This new feature acts as a "smart folder" for your professional life, pulling all past and future meeting conversations into one organized home so you can spend less time searching and more time collaborating.

1. A Persistent Home for Post-Meeting Follow-ups

Previously, meeting chats lived inside your Direct Messages, often getting buried by new messages. With the new Meetings section:

• Automatic Aggregation: Any conversation started during a Google Meet call is automatically funneled into this new category.
• Seamless Transition: Once a meeting ends, the chat thread moves into this section, providing a permanent place for ongoing discussions and shared notes.
• Future-Proofing: Upcoming meeting chats will also appear here, allowing you to prep with your team before the call even begins.

2. Total Organizational Control

Google is making this feature highly customizable to fit your specific workflow:

• Optional Opt-In: The feature is off by default. You decide if and when you want to enable it.
• Custom Placement: Once enabled, the Meetings section appears under Direct Messages and Spaces. However, you can move, reorder, or delete the section at any time.
• Individual Management: You have the power to move specific meeting threads into other custom sections you've created, giving you total control over your sidebar.

3. How to Enable It

Since this is an opt-in feature, you won't see it until you manually activate it:

1. Open Google Chat on the web.
2. Find any section in your conversation list (like Direct Messages) and click the three-dot overflow menu.
3. Select "Create a meeting section" from the dropdown.
4. Click "Create," and the section will appear instantly in your sidebar.

Note: You may also see a promotional "Try it" banner or tooltip inviting you to activate the feature.

4. Rollout & Availability

• Rapid Release Domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days) began on March 19, 2026.
• Scheduled Release Domains: Gradual rollout starting on April 2, 2026.
• Availability: Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.

Your sidebar is about to get a lot smarter. By giving meeting conversations their own dedicated home, Google Chat is finally solving the 'where did that link go?' mystery.