Tag: Google Hangouts

No Decision To Shutdown Hangouts, Says Google Representative

Just a few days back, a lot of technology websites reported that google had planned to shut down their messaging app- Hangouts. However, according to the Product Lead of G Suit, Hangouts will not be shut down. Well, it won’t exactly be shut down, but the company plans to migrate the users to Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. The company representative also clarified a few more aspects using tweets. They said that while Hangouts classic will be shut down, it does not imply the end of support for messaging provided by the app.

https://t.co/QgYfj03ADn

Hey @hallstephenj, I run Hangouts and this is pretty shoddy reporting. No decisions made about when Hangouts will be shut down. Hangouts users will be upgraded to Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. Your source is severely misinformed. You can do better.

— Scott Johnston (@happyinwater) December 1, 2018

Also Read: Google’s New Smartwatch Patent To Use Your Skin As A Touchpad

Google’s Future Plans

Google Hangouts is a communication platform that includes instant messaging, video chat and VOIP services. It is interesting to note that Hangouts itself was born from separate entities. These include Google Talk, Google+ Messenger (formerly: Huddle), and Hangouts, a video chat system present within Google+. The Google representative also commented that migration to Chat and Meet should be automatic. He also said that it should be invisible to the end user. Hangouts is not shutting down per se. But, it is going to disappear in a while, after all its users are successfully migrated. Google has previously also started and abandoned other apps and services such as Allo, Inbox and Reader.

Other companies are known to create a single app for instant messaging and video chat. They have then worked on it to improve it over the years, instead of shutting them down to create a new platform. We will have to see how the company handles the huge amounts of users that currently use Hangouts. Competition has been high from Facebook Messenger which is built on top of the most popular social media platform, Facebook. WhatApp also has a huge user base, owing to its first mover’s advantage in the messaging industry.

December 3, 2018
Google Hangouts Breaks Free from Gmail, Gets its Own Website

The successful Google Hangouts has now been given its very own space by Google. As of last evening, the messaging service will not be restricted to just Google+ and Gmail. You can just go to hangouts.google.com to start talking.

The site puts Hangouts’ three key features — instant messaging, voice calls, and video chats — front and center, with big buttons to start up each of them. Thus, this change is going to allow every type of user to be on hangout in comparison to just those, who were always on Gmail and could hence use the facility.

It is natural for Google to have invested their time into giving Hangouts its own web service and a modern design. There are a large number of people using Google accounts and it only made sense for the company to pick up on that and make it easier and convenient for everybody, just like Facebook did, by separating its messenger.

The Verge stated that the Hangouts app has been overhauled on both iOS and Android, bringing it up to date with Google’s Material Design style and making the service a bit easier to use. So now, anyone can use Hangouts in any manner they wish, without its strings being attached to Gmail or Google+.

August 18, 2015
Google Updates Hangouts for iOS Users

Good news for iOS users who still use Hangouts. In a blog post, the company announced “Hangouts 4.0”, an improved version of the messaging app for iOS. The new update includes bugs and performance fixes and a new design.

The most notable improvement in the new Hangouts is the easier access to send photos and stickers. In the previous versions, the option was hidden behind a paperclip button. In the new version, the attachment options are now located on a strip below the text entry field.

The strip makes it easier to select photographs and stickers without exiting the chat window. The camera button will open a mini viewfinder below the text field. The new version features a Quick Compose button that finds the most frequent contacts and starts a new conversation. The dialler gets a new user interface as the standard buttons have been replaced by green floating action buttons – circular buttons that lift and display an ink reaction on a press.

The update also includes many bugs fixes and performance improvements. Hangouts 4.0 is currently available on the App Store. Google will soon announce the Android update for Hangouts.

June 30, 2015