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Google's 'Smart Reply' Feature For Emails Heads to Chat Apps

The Reply product will use machine-learning to craft automated responses for incoming messages from your chat apps. But it's a test product for now.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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A Google feature that uses machine-learning to answer your emails is expanding into the chat space.

The project comes from Google's experimental workshop, Area 120. It's been notifying test users about the upcoming product, which builds on Google' Smart Reply feature.

In 2015, the search giant announced Smart Reply, which was initially for the company's email services and later brought to the Google messenger app Allo. The technology works by essentially scanning your incoming messages and crafting up to three suggested responses, which you can then choose from with a click.

Google Smart Reply Android

The replies can be pretty simple and may include "Got it, thanks!" "Sounds good." or "Will do." Nevertheless, the feature can save on time. Last year, Google said Smart Reply drove 12 percent of all replies on its email service Inbox by Gmail.

The company's experimental workshop Area 120 has decided to bring the same technology to third-party chat apps. The upcoming product is called Reply, and Area 120 is looking for testers, but only on the Android platform for now.

Reply Area 120

How the technology will work across non-Google products isn't totally clear. But it'll function over the notifications that messaging services can generate, according to the email Area 120 sent to test users.

Reply is being designed to work with Google Hangouts, Allo, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Twitter Direct Messages and Slack.

Area 120 also hinted that the product can look up your location and calendar to come up with smarter responses. For instance, it can message how many miles your away from home when a friend asks. In addition, the product will come with a "Do Not Disturb" and a "Vacation responder" option that can automatically reply to friends when you're busy or on a trip.

Google isn't discussing details of the project, but the company told TechCrunch: "It's a very early experiment so there aren't many details to share right now."

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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