Stepping away for a minute or heading out of town? Let you contacts know.
Google recently combined Gmail and Google chat into the Gmail app. Google chat gives you a status so that you can broadcast whether or not you’re available to chat or return emails. Combining the two services is currently an opt-in procedure, so not everyone has it yet, but it works on both iOS and the best Android phones. We’ll show you how to opt in, set a predefined status, and set your custom status.
How to turn on Chat in Gmail
Right off the bat, if you don’t have a chat tab at the bottom of Gmail, you do not have chat turned on yet, and you will not be able to set your status. If you have a chat tab, you can skip to the next section. To get started, open Gmail on your phone.
Tap the hamburger menu (three lines) in the upper left corner of Gmail.
Scroll down and tap Settings.
Tap the account for which you want to turn on chats.
Under the General heading, place a checkmark in Chat.
Tap Ok in the dialog box that opens.
Now, you will notice that you have a chat tab in your high…