Google chat on Windows 8 Release Preview Messaging app

Question

I have connected my Windows Live account (Microsoft account), Facebook account and Google account with Windows 8.

In the "People" Windows 8 app it shows as connected to Microsoft, Facebook, Google, but in the "Messaging" app it's connected only to Microsoft and Facebook.

While I can chat with Facebook online contacts and in Messaging, I can't find my Google online contacts in the Messaging app.

Seems like Google supports only sharing of contacts and not chat as of now. Does anyone knows how to get Google chat on Windows 8 Messaging?

Solution 1

Here's what i do as a work around:

1. Download the Win 8 Chrome app (the one that runs full screen as it's own application, not within desktop
2. Open up Google+ or Gmail, somewhere where your Google chat messages will pop up
3. Click the Pop-out button, which will open the chat in a new tab
4. Use the recent apps menu (by moving your mouse to the top left of the screen, then down) to move your Desktop app to the main portion of the screen, side by side with Chrome, and as long as you're still in the chat tab:
5. Profit.

Screenshot attached.

Solution 2

TL;DR: You can only import contacts to e-mail them -- chat is no longer possible.

Windows axed support for that, not only in Windows 8, but in Messenger too on the pretext of "Shutting down services that are not used actively" or something like that. If you check the new website (you know, the one with the Windows 8 UI), it only mentions importing contact's e-mails. In the previous one, they had a page where you could add functionality to chat also...

Solution 3

IM+ now available on Windows 8, supports many IM protocols including Google Talk and is a metro style app. Not sure if/when Microsoft will update their native app to support google talk, but it is very simple if they wanted to as google uses open protocol jabber I believe.

Comments

[jaminto]

and then how do you get chrome to also run on your desktop? windows (or chrome) seems to only want me to use one at a time.

[jlehenbauer]

they have since changed this on windows 8 chrome versions. I now use the IM+ app. Don't like the format as much, but it does the same thing.