If you are a Google Chat user, you will be glad to know that you can now set a custom status. As first spotted by Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo, Google has started rolling out the custom chat status feature in Google Chat on the web and Google Chat within Gmail.
Set a Custom Status in Google Chat
For the uninitiated, Google Chat currently lets you set your status as Automatic based on activity and Do not disturb to mute notifications. With the new addition, you can set the status message you like. To set custom status in Gmail, click on the status indicator pill and choose “Add a status”.
Once you are here, you will see a predefined set of statuses, including Be right back, Commuting, Out sick, and Vacationing. You can either choose one of these statuses or set your own from the textbox present above.
If you choose to set a custom status, all you have to do is add the text, optionally pick an emoji that reflects your mood, and set the expiry time for the status. The default set of status expiry durations include 30 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, end of the day or week. You can customize the time period to your preference and click “Done” to save the changes.
You can follow the same steps to set custom chat status for Google Chat within Gmail web. That said, do note that you will need to enable the new Google Chat experience from Gmail settings here to use Google Chat within the email client.
