Google chat on Windows 8 Release Preview Messaging app

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.

google chat by desktop


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...