Google Hangouts will shut down in November 2022. The instant messaging service, which debuted in 2013, will be replaced by Google Chat.
This isn't unexpected, we reported about it in 2019. Last year, the company clarified its intention to migrate to Chat, and now we have an actual timeline when Hangouts is going away for good.
Hangouts is redirecting users to Google Chat
The Hangouts app on mobile will display an in-app screen prompting them to migrate to the Chat app or Chat in Gmail. Users who have the Hangouts Chrome extension will also be asked to switch to Chat on the web or install the web app. Here's what the message looks like.
Google will upgrade Hangouts in Gmail to Chat in July. Hangouts on the web, i.e. the official site, will continue to work until later this year. The company will display a notice to users at least a month before the web version is shut down, that should start appearing in October, and will redirect users to Google Chat on the web.
The Hangouts browser extension and mobile app are still available on the Chrome web store and the Play Store respectively, though this could change in the coming weeks or months.
You don't need to wait for Google to prompt you to make the switch, you can move to Chat right now and your conversations will be migrated to it automatically. I use it sparingly, and it has all my old messages, even from a decade ago (GTalk chats).
Users who want to retain their Hangouts data can take a backup of the chats by downloading it using Google Takeout. You have a limited timeframe to save the data, you will need to do it before November 2022, after which it will no longer be possible to obtain the chat history.
Google Chat to get new features in the future
Google shuttering Hangouts is just part of the problem, the main issue is that Google Chat isn't completely ready. It lacks some features that are present in Hangouts, including calling, and video calls.
An article on the official blog says that Google Chat will get support for direct calling, in-line threading in Spaces and the ability to share and view multiple images.
Chat isn't bad, it works quite well in its current state. And if you have the Gmail app on your phone, you don't need to download the standalone app to chat with your friends. You may have to enable it in the app, to do so, got to the Gmail app's Settings > tap on your account name, and tap the option that says "Show the Chat and Spaces tab".
The Mountain View company has released several such apps in the past including GTalk, Hangouts, Google+ Messenger, Allo. All of them had their ups and downs. The current lineup includes Messages (for SMS texting), Duo, Meet, and Chat. Google really needs to learn to stick with an instant messaging app instead of trying to split it or replace it with a new one down the line. Let's hope Google Chat fares better.
Are you a Hangouts user? Will you be switching to Google Chat?
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