Google's local panel allows you to message or now chat with some businesses that enable the messaging feature in Google My Business. Previously, Google always called it "message" in the local panel but now Google is testing calling it "chat."
Amy Toman spotted this in action and posted this screenshot on Twitter:
Amy said she finds the use of the word "chat" vs "message," "more inviting, but because it has a more immediate vibe, I wonder if businesses will respond quickly enough to satisfy users." I do agree, it does seem more inviting.
If you want to see older screenshots, here is one from 2016 when it was being tested and then in 2017 when it first officially launched. Here is what it looked like most recently:
Do you like "chat" more than "message?"
Forum discussion at Twitter.
