You can use Chat apps in spaces or direct messages to connect to services in Google Chat and look up information, schedule meetings, or complete tasks.
You can also use webhooks to integrate your organization's existing workflows in Chat. For example, you might use webhooks to send an alert if there are server issues or if you add a new employee to your corporate directory.
As an administrator, you can also install Chat apps for users in your organization. When you install Chat apps on behalf of your organization, the app appears within the users’ direct messages panel. Users can turn off notifications for the app, but they cannot uninstall it. For steps, read Install Marketplace apps in your domain.
Information available to apps
When you interact with an app in Chat, the app can see your email address, avatar, other basic user information, user locale, timezone, and interaction information. The app can also see the basic user information of other people in the chat, but it can't see their email address or avatar unless they also interact directly with the app.
Chat apps that you install from the Google Workspace Marketplace can be made by developers from outside of your organization. If you are using third-party apps, review each developer's Terms of Service and privacy policy for more information about third-party use of your data.
Granting Chat app permissions
Some Chat apps are able to access user’s data and perform actions on their behalf, like creating Chat spaces and adding people to them. These apps ask users for permission to access their data and work on their behalf with OAuth scopes, which give the apps permission to access specific data or do specific tasks.
- To learn more about app permissions in Chat, read Set up app authorization for Chat.
- To learn about integrating Chat apps and other Workspace apps, read Integrate 3rd-party and custom apps.
- To learn about granting app permissions for users under 18, read Manage Marketplace apps access for users designated as under 18.
- To learn about how Chat app developers configure authentication and authorization, read Authenticate and authorize Chat apps and API requests.
Allow apps in Chat
Step 1: Let users install apps in ChatNote: Some apps require top-level organizational unit access to install apps in Chat. If you don’t allow this, then Chat APIs may be prevented from working properly. If an admin has given select organizational units access to install Chat apps, and a user in the select organizational unit installs an app that uses certain APIs, the app will not be fully functional.
In addition, spaces requires that users have top-level organizational unit access, otherwise Chat apps might not function properly. We highly recommend not restricting this function based on organizational units. If you do assign features based on organizational units, we recommend setting it to true.Let users install apps in Chat
Before you begin: To apply the setting for certain users, put their accounts in a configuration group.
-
Sign in with an administrator account to the Google Admin console.
If you aren’t using an administrator account, you can’t access the Admin console.
-
Go to Menu
Apps > Google Workspace > Google Chat.
Requires having the Service Settings administrator privilege.
-
Click Chat apps.
-
(Optional) To apply the setting to a department or team, at the side, select an organizational unit. Show me how Apps must be turned on for the top organizational unit to work with the Chat API, and to ensure apps work properly in spaces.
-
Under Allow users to install Chat apps, select On.
-
Click Save. Or, you might click Override for an organizational unit.
To later restore the inherited value, click Inherit (or Unset for a group).
Note: If you let users install apps from the Google Workspace Marketplace, they can install any app that you allow, even if they can't install apps in Chat. To specify what Chat apps users can install, follow the steps in Hide or show Google Workspace Marketplace apps to your users.
If you allow apps for your organization and use an allowlist for apps or block users from seeing apps in the Google Workspace Marketplace, users can still install apps for development use. Developers can use the Chat API to publish apps that are not on the allowlist for up to 5 users. To restrict use of development apps in your organization, you have to restrict users from installing all apps.
Add Marketplace apps to your allowlist
Before you begin: To apply the setting for certain users, put their accounts in a configuration group.
-
Sign in with an administrator account to the Google Admin console.
If you aren’t using an administrator account, you can’t access the Admin console.
-
Go to Menu
Requires having the Service Settings administrator privilege.
- Click Google Workspace Marketplace allowlist>Add app to allowlist.
- In the search box, enter the name of the app that you want to add (for example, Google Drive app in Google Chat).
Important: For the app to appear in search results, enter the full name. - Next to the app, click Add to allowlist.
Restrict all apps in Chat
Note: Turning off Allow users to install Chat apps disables all app usage, including personal app use.
Before you begin: To apply the setting for certain users, put their accounts in a configuration group.
-
Sign in with an administrator account to the Google Admin console.
If you aren’t using an administrator account, you can’t access the Admin console.
-
Go to Menu
Requires having the Service Settings administrator privilege.
-
Click Chat apps.
-
(Optional) To apply the setting to a department or team, at the side, select an organizational unit. Show me how
-
Under Allow users to install Chat apps, select Off.
-
Click Save. Or, you might click Override for an organizational unit.
To later restore the inherited value, click Inherit.
Let users add and use webhooks in Chat
To use webhooks in your organization, users need to be able to configure them in Chat. Webhooks can't read other chat messages. Only users in your organization can create webhooks.
Let users add and use webhooks in Chat
Before you begin: To apply the setting for certain users, put their accounts in a configuration group.
-
Sign in with an administrator account to the Google Admin console.
If you aren’t using an administrator account, you can’t access the Admin console.
-
Go to Menu
Requires having the Service Settings administrator privilege.
- Click Chat apps.
- (Optional) To apply the setting to a department or team, at the side, select an organizational unit. Show me how
- Under Allow users to add and use incoming webhooks, select On.
This setting applies to all incoming webhooks.
-
Click Save. Or, you might click Override for an organizational unit.
To later restore the inherited value, click Inherit.
