Google “Smart Chips” Can Pull Data From Third-Party Apps To Be Displayed In Docs

Google "Smart Chips" are now available to all users inside Google Docs. These dynamic snippets can be used to pull data from third-party apps and services.

Google confirmed the Smart Chips feature is now available for both Google Workspace users and those with personal Google accounts. As part of the "Smart Canvas" revamp of the Google Docs office productivity suit, the new feature can help reduce errors and quickly offer relevant information in a single document.

What Are Google Smart Chips?

Smart Chips are dynamic information snippets that users can insert in Google Docs and Google Sheets. They stay collapsed but expand to display more information when users select or simply hover their cursor over a Smart Chip.

Smart Chips can offer additional details and be used to perform actions. There are multiple types of Smart Chips to choose from depending on the details users want to include in their Google Docs.

Some of Google's own Smart Chips introduced last year include:

People: Displays the name, email address, and actions to email in Gmail, message, video call, schedule an event, and add or edit the contact.

Files: Displays a small preview with the option to open a larger one (when applicable), link to the file in the corresponding Google app or Google Drive, the file owner, and an option to share the file.

Events: Displays the event details from Google Calendar including title, date, and time with a link to the meeting, a button to copy a link to the event, and an option to attach the current document to the event. Users can also press their Tab key to insert meeting notes for the event.

Places: Displays a small Google Maps preview with the option to open a larger one, the type of location and address, and options to copy a link to the location in Maps or get directions. The Places Smart Chip is currently only available in Google Docs.

Dates: Displays the date with an option to choose the date format and book a meeting. Enter a word like today, tomorrow, or the full date with month, date, and year. Use the gear icon to select the date format you'd like to use.

Third-Party Apps And Services Can Now Create Smart Chips

To use third-party smart chips, users will need to have an admin or user install the app's add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace. Thereafter, users can simply grab a share link from the third-party app source and paste it into their Google Docs document.

After opening the Google Docs, users will be prompted to hit the Tab key, which pops the Smart Chip into the doc and lets them preview the app's info and work status. Essentially, a Smart Chip allows people collaborating within a Google Doc to quickly see where that project's progress is without leaving the document.

Some platforms such as Figma and Atlassian Cloud have already put up their Smart Chips on the Google Workspace Marketplace. Given the simplicity of the Smart Chips, it is only a matter of time before other services will create their own Smart Chips for Google Docs integration.