How to Invite Someone to Chat in Gmail

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: July 28, 2022

Sending an Invitation

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Accenting an Invitation

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

To chat with a contact on Gmail, you'll first have to invite them to chat with you! You can do this from the Chat bar on Gmail's website; as of October 2016, there is no way to invite users to chat with the Gmail mobile app or the mobile site.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Sending an Invitation

1
Open the Gmail website. If you haven't done so already, log in with your Gmail email address and password.
2
Click "Hangouts Conversations". This is the quotation mark icon in the bottom left corner of your page.
- Skip this step if your Chat bar is already on the Hangouts Conversations menu.
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3
Click the magnifying glass icon. This is on the left side of your screen next to your name in the Chat bar.^{[1]
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- If you don't have any current chats, you can also click the "Start a new one" link.
4
Search for the user you want to invite. Type the name of the user in the search bar which must be same as the one used for creating their account. You can also type in a known email or the phone number which they used to create their Google account.
5
Click your contact's card.
6
Click Send Invite. Your invite has been sent! To chat with your selected contact, they will have to accept this invite.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Accenting an Invitation

1
Open the Gmail website. If you aren't already logged in, do so with your Gmail email address and password.
2
Click "Hangouts Conversations". This is the quotation mark icon in the bottom left corner of your page.
- Skip this step if you're already in the Hangouts Conversations tab.
3
Click your invitation. It should say "Sender Name" in bold, followed by "Sent you a message".
4
Click Accept or Ignore. You have successfully responded to a chat invitation!

Community Q&A

Question

I added some contacts on Google Hangouts, but it says they haven't accepted my invitation. What do I do?

David Placca

Community Answer

If the contacts you added don't have you in their contact list, they'll receive an invitation from you which they'll have to confirm so you can be connected to them.
Question

Can I chat with my phone through Google Hangouts?

Community Answer

Yes, just get the Google Hangouts app.