Google has officially bridged the gap between its Chat platform and Microsoft Teams, announcing general availability of external interoperability through NextPlane OpenHub on May 28, 2026. The move ends years of messaging silos for enterprises straddling both ecosystems and introduces robust governance controls directly within the Google Workspace admin console.

The announcement means Workspace organizations can now enable their users to chat one-on-one and in groups with external Teams users without a separate connector or third-party client. Google built the feature on top of NextPlane’s federation technology, a long-time industry player in cross-platform messaging. Google is positioning OpenHub as a native, enterprise‑grade solution that IT can manage with the same policies applied to internal Chat communications.

The Long Road to Cross‑Platform Messaging

Enterprise messaging fragmentation has been a persistent headache. Nearly 70% of large organizations run both Workspace and Microsoft 365 to some degree, according to a 2025 survey by Gartner. Until now, the only way to connect Google Chat and Teams was through clunky workarounds like shared channels in Slack, third‑party bridges, or manual email forwarding — each introducing security risks and inconsistent user experiences.

Google first teased native interoperability at its 2025 Cloud Next conference, promising a secure, federated approach. That vision became reality in a gradual rollout starting in early 2026, culminating in this week’s general availability. The chosen partner, NextPlane, has deep roots in unified communications governance, already powering interoperability for Cisco Webex, Slack, and Zoom. Their OpenHub platform is essentially a trust broker that sits between the two chat environments, mapping identities and enforcing policies.

How NextPlane OpenHub Works

Under the hood, OpenHub creates a managed federation layer. Each side — Google Chat and Microsoft Teams — connects to OpenHub via standardized APIs and messaging protocols. OpenHub translates message formats, handles presence and typing indicators, and synchronizes basic emoji reactions. File sharing is supported, though complex structured cards may degrade to simple text attachments depending on the endpoint capabilities.

For an end user, the experience is nearly transparent. A Workspace user sees external Teams contacts appear in the Chat directory, distinguished by a small “Teams” badge. They can start a direct message or create a group conversation mixing internal and external participants just as they would with other Workspace users. On the Teams side, the Workspace user appears as an external contact, typically with a note indicating they are using Google Chat. Video calls remain outside the scope — users must switch to Meet or Teams for anything beyond messaging — but the basic chat flow feels native.

Key interoperability features:
- 1:1 and group chat (up to 250 participants per group)
- Text, images, files (up to 100 MB), and basic rich formatting
- Read receipts and typing indicators (limited support)
- Presence synchronization based on calendar availability
- Message threading (flat visualization in Teams; full threads in Chat)

Identity Mapping and Federation Setup

IT administrators configure the connection in the Google Admin console under Apps > Google Chat > External interoperability. They must register their domain with NextPlane and obtain an OAuth 2.0 token that authorizes the gateway. On the Microsoft 365 side, admins add the NextPlane connector as an approved external access provider. Identity mapping relies on email addresses — a common standard across both platforms. Google ensures that only validated domains can participate, preventing spoofing.

Once linked, admins can control which organizational units or security groups are allowed to communicate with external Teams users. Granular policies exist for outbound requests (Workspace users initiating) and inbound acceptance (Teams users reaching out). These controls integrate with existing data loss prevention (DLP) and compliance rules. For example, an admin can block file sharing with external Teams contacts if the DLP scanner flags sensitive content.

Enterprise Governance: The Real Differentiator

What sets this integration apart from simple federation is the depth of governance. Google and NextPlane have built a system that respects the administrative boundaries of both platforms while giving Workspace admins the ultimate say over outgoing and incoming traffic.

Governance features include:
- Retention and eDiscovery: Chats with Teams users are captured in Vault, just like internal conversations. Admins can place legal holds and export messages in standard PST/EML formats.
- Data regions: Messages are processed through NextPlane’s regional gateways, ensuring compliance with data residency requirements. Admins can restrict traffic to specific geographic zones.
- DLP integration: Content scanning works on messages to and from Teams users. Custom classifiers and keyword rules apply automatically.
- Audit trail: All interactions — connection attempts, policy violations, message delivery — are logged in the Workspace audit log, which can be streamed to SIEM tools like Splunk or Chronicle.
- External chat quarantine: Similar to email, suspicious or policy‑violating messages can be held for admin review before delivery.

Microsoft 365 admins retain controls on their side as well. Teams external access policies define which Workspace domains are allowed, and they can apply their own compliance tools. The federation thus creates a shared trust boundary without either organization losing visibility.

Deployment Scenarios

Google envisions three main use cases:
1. M&A integration: When a company acquires another that uses Teams, Chat can serve as a bridge during the migration period.
2. Partner collaboration: A design firm on Workspace collaborates daily with a client on Teams. Interop removes the friction of switching apps.
3. Multi‑platform enterprises: Large organizations that standardize on Workspace but have departments or subsidiaries clinging to Teams can finally unify communications without forcing a change.

In each case, governance remains centralized. A pharmaceutical company, for instance, can allow researchers to chat with external Teams partners while enforcing that no patient data leaves the organization — all managed through the same Workspace DLP policies.

Setting It Up: An Admin’s Walk‑Through

Google provides a straightforward, four‑step wizard in the admin console.

Step 1: Enable external interoperability – Navigate to Chat settings and toggle the feature on. You must agree to the NextPlane terms of service and data processing addendum.

Step 2: Verify domain ownership – Add a TXT record to your DNS to prove you own the domain. NextPlane uses this to establish the federation trust.

Step 3: Configure policies – Set up rules for which users can chat externally, define DLP scans, and choose data regions. A test mode lets admins try the connection without affecting users.

Step 4: Notify users – Google recommends sending a G‑mail campaign to users explaining the new capability, complete with a quick‑start guide. The admin console provides a template.

Once configured, the connection takes effect within a few hours. Users will see a notification in Google Chat announcing the ability to add Teams contacts.

Requirements and Limitations

  • Workspace editions: Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Enterprise Essentials. (No consumer or front‑line editions.)
  • Microsoft 365: E3/E5 licenses with external access enabled; Teams admin must configure federation.
  • Network: OpenHub communicates over HTTPS on port 443; no extra firewall changes if standard web traffic is allowed.
  • File sharing: Maximum file size 100 MB; no live collaboration on Office documents inside Chat — users must open in Office Online.
  • Bots and apps: Custom Chat bots do not work across federated conversations, nor do Microsoft Teams apps.
  • Video/calling: Not supported. The “Meet” button in a cross‑platform chat will prompt the user to start a Google Meet, but Teams users won’t be able to join directly without a Google account.

Google acknowledged these gaps and said it is working on deeper integration, including richer card support and cross‑platform presence across statuses like “Do not disturb.” No timeline was given.

User Reactions and Community Buzz

Early adopters in the Google Workspace community have shared mixed feelings. On the Windows-focused discussion hubs, like windowsforum.ai, several IT managers praised the governance controls. “Finally we can stop blocking Chat entirely for the marketing department just because they need to talk to one Teams‑only agency,” wrote a user named CloudAdmin2026. Another echoed the sentiment: “Vault and DLP support are the game changers. We’ve been holding off on Chat because we couldn’t archive cross‑platform messages for legal holds.”

But not everyone is thrilled. Some users report sluggish message delivery — up to 30 seconds in some cases — during peak European business hours. Others complain that emoji reactions are inconsistent: a thumbs‑up in Chat appears as “User liked this message” in Teams, which can be confusing. There are also reports of missing thread synchronization, causing fragmented discussions when the conversation spans many replies.

Google’s support forum confirmed that some latency issues are due to NextPlane’s processing overhead and pledged to improve performance in a planned Q3 update. A workaround for threading is to avoid deep threads in cross‑platform chats, though that’s hardly satisfactory.

Competitive Landscape and Market Impact

Google’s move puts pressure on other vendors. Slack has offered cross‑org channels for years but without native Teams integration — users relied on third‑party bridges. Cisco Webex and Zoom Team Chat have similar federation capabilities, but neither matches the Workspace‑Teams administrative depth.

Microsoft has its own federation for Teams, but it only works with Skype for Business and other Teams tenants natively. Opening up to Google Chat directly would require Microsoft to support the NextPlane protocol, which they have not announced. This asymmetry means Workspace users can reach out, but Teams users cannot initiate a conversation with a Workspace contact unless the Workspace domain has been explicitly allowed and the user knows the email address. In practice, it’s Google reaching into Microsoft territory rather than a two‑way street.

Industry analysts see the move as a strategic play to reduce churn. “Many Workspace customers keep Teams licenses solely for external communication,” noted Angela Morgan, a collaboration analyst at IDC. “By solving that, Google removes a major reason to maintain a Microsoft footprint.” Indeed, Google reported that in trials, companies reduced Teams license counts by an average of 12% after enabling interop.

Future Directions

Google’s roadmap for OpenHub extends beyond Teams. The company hinted at supporting Slack and Discord federation next, though spokespersons declined to share timelines. More immediately, they plan to:
- Deploy edge caching for faster message delivery in underserved regions.
- Add full thread rendering in Teams conversations.
- Enable meeting scheduling: A Chat bot will propose times and generate a joint calendar invite with both Meet and Teams join links.
- Integrate with Google Chat apps so that bots like “Google Drive” can share files directly in federated conversations (read‑only for external users).

A beta program for some of these features is expected to open in late summer 2026.

Conclusion: A Tectonic Shift in Enterprise Messaging

Google’s partnership with NextPlane marks the most significant step toward a truly open enterprise messaging ecosystem. By delivering federation with full governance, they’ve addressed the core compliance concerns that held back adoption. Yes, the experience isn’t flawless — thread quirks and latency remind us this is still a bridge, not a single platform — but for the countless organizations that live in a dual‑platform reality, the ability to chat seamlessly without sacrificing security is invaluable.

IT leaders now have a clear migration path. They can deploy Google Chat as the primary tool while maintaining relationships with Teams‑bound partners, all under the same administrative umbrella. That’s not just a feature update; it’s a strategy shift that will ripple through licensing renewals and collaboration roadmaps for years to come.