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Last call to backup Google Hangouts data before it's gone forever
Google sent out an email a month ago, warning users, and today is the last day to back up Album Archive data before it goes away.
About a month ago, Google sent out an email letting users know that it was shutting down its Album Archive service. Now, there were some Google services that were attached to this platform but some of the more important ones would be Blogger and Hangouts. While most have probably moved on from both services, either by choice or force, there still could potentially be a lot of data that was left behind if you ever used these services in the past. Google is recommending users back up this data since it will no longer be available after July 19.
Google Chat will replace classic Hangouts for Workspace users in a month
Google has announced that Google Chat will replace classic Hangouts for Workspace users starting March 22, 2022.
Google's plan to retire classic Hangouts has finally reached its final phase. The company has been slowly migrating users from Hangouts to Google Chats over the last two years, and it has finally confirmed that Chat will replace classic Hangouts for Workspace users in a month.
Google starts signing out free Hangouts accounts on Android and iOS
Google has started signing out free accounts from Hangouts, marking yet another step towards the service’s slow and inevitable death.
Last year, Google laid out plans to retire classic Hangouts for all users. At the time, the search giant said free Hangouts users would be moved to a free version of Google Chat in the first half of 2021. As promised, Google has now started signing out free accounts from Hangouts, marking yet another step towards the service’s slow and inevitable death.
Google Chat is rolling out support for classic Hangouts users
Some Google Chat users are reporting seeing a Hangouts "Preview" message ahead of a wider migration set for the first half of 2021.
Google Chat appears to be rolling out a preview of support for Hangouts to some lucky users. Google previously announced that Hangouts users would be migrated to a free version of Google Chat, which is essentially a competitor to Slack, in the first half of 2021.
[Update: Delayed for Fi users] Here's when Google plans to shut down Hangouts for all users
Google detailed plans to transition Hangouts users to Google Chat as well as when Google Fi subscribers need to migrate to Messages.
Google on Thursday provided an update for users who still rely on Hangouts to chat with friends and family. The search giant said in the first half of 2021, Hangouts users will be migrated to a free version of Google Chat — the Slack and Discord competitor currently available to enterprise users.
Group conversations from Hangouts will soon appear in Google Chat
Google announced that group conversations in Hangouts will soon start appearing in Google Chat. Here are all the details you need to know.
If you use Hangouts for group conversations, some important changes will be implemented in the coming weeks. The changes come on the heels of a much larger initiative, which will see Google eventually replace Hangouts with Chat by the first half of 2021.
Google Hangouts kills Group Video calling - pushes users to Google Meet
Google Hangouts latest update removes native group video calling support as the company prepares to close the app in favour of Google Chat.
Google has started the company's traditional ‘death by a thousand cuts’ for outgoing products with the removal of group video calling from Hangouts. The messenger app, once known as Google Talk and soon to be replaced by Google Chat and Google Meet, has been updated to version 36.0.340725045, bringing in the first loss of functionality ahead of its planned switch-off in 2021.
Google Chat will soon let customers see conversations from Hangouts
Soon, G Suite users will be able to see classic Hangouts conversations in Google Chat as they happen. This could begin the transition away from Hangouts.
It's been a long and twisting road for Google Hangouts. Launched in 2013, the service was an instant favorite with Android users and the SMS integration won over even more users. Nowadays, the Hangouts brand is split into a "Classic" version for consumers and the G Suite version was renamed to Google Chat.
[Update: Confirmed] Google may rebrand Hangouts Meet to simply "Google Meet"
Google will rename its current video conferencing platform Hangouts Meet as Google Meet for a cleaner and more appealing branding.
Google has a reputation for killing its apps tastelessly. Hangouts, however, has survived the ax despite Google's deliberation of shutting it down – or replacing it with apps named after it – for over three years now. Since then, it has been talking about "upgrading" users from the classic Hangouts app to Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. Last year, Google pushed the deadline for making users switch over to the new platforms but it may have finally started getting rid of the previous lineage. A new report suggests that Hangouts Meet may be rebranded to simply Google Meet as we move closer to the migration date.
Google Hangouts update on Android removes location sharing
The latest update for Google's messaging service Hangouts (v.32) on Android removes the location sharing feature from the app.
Google released Hangouts way back in 2013 and the service soon became a favorite among Android users. The app featured SMS integration, which was one of its more popular features as it allowed users to have all their messages in one app. Sadly though, despite its popularity, the service was sidelined in favor of Allo and was split into two products for G Suite users: Meet and Chat. Funnily enough, Allo also met an untimely demise in 2018 and was replaced by Android Messages. Despite being shelved by Google, Hangouts still enjoyed the favor of many users until reports revealed that the service would finally be shut down in 2020. While Google denied these claims at the time, a recent report from ArsTechnica claims that Google has removed location sharing from Hangouts which leads us to believe that the service may, after all, be shut down soon.
[Update: Postponed for G Suite] Google will transition "classic" Hangouts users to Chat and Meet later this year
Google has posted an update on the transition for G Suite users from "classic" Hangouts to Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet.
One of the biggest Google stories of 2018 was the downfall of Hangouts. The platform had long been seemingly abandoned, but we finally got some news about its future. In December, we learned that Hangouts users will eventually be transitioned to Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. There was no timeline given at the time, but now we have a little more of an idea.
[Update: Rolling out] Google Voice is finally testing making Phone Calls over Wi-Fi
Google is recruiting beta testers to try phone calls over Wi-Fi or mobile data connections in the Google Voice app. This allows you to make calls with your Google Voice number on devices without cellular radios or devices with poor connections.
Google and messaging apps: name a more iconic duo. Okay, while we like to joke about Google's penchant for creating new messaging apps, the company does still update their older apps with really useful features. Case in point: Google Voice. After a years-long wait, the Google Voice app will finally receive the ability to place phone calls over Wi-Fi or a data connection.
[Update: No Decisions Made About Timeline] Google Hangouts for consumers may be shutting down in 2020
Unfortunately, Hangouts has slowly been left by the wayside. A new report claims Hangouts for consumers will be totally shut down by 2020.
Google Hangouts is not the darling child it once was. Released back in 2013, it was a favorite among Android users. The SMS integration was very popular as it allowed users to have all their messaging in one app. Unfortunately, Hangouts has slowly been left by the wayside. A new report claims Hangouts for consumers will be totally shut down by 2020.
Gboard testing smart replies for WhatsApp, Facebook, Allo, Snapchat, and more
Google's keyboard app Gboard is testing smart replies for messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Allo, Snapchat, and more.
Google's stock keyboard app for Nexus and Pixel smartphones, Gboard, is my go-to keyboard ever since Swype for Android was discontinued. The popular keyboard app for Android devices recently received the ability to create GIFs but the last update that added a feature I would call "smart" was back in February with the addition of email address autocompletion. Now, it appears that a feature hinted at in teardowns back in January is nearing completion as Gboard tests smart replies to messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Allo, Snapchat, and more.
Hangouts Meet is replacing classic Hangouts video in May for G Suite users
Hangouts Meet is a video chat platform that has existed independently from the old Hangouts video chat. That's about to change as Meet will officially replace the old Hangouts video chat in May for G Suite users.
About a year ago, Google split Hangouts into two separate apps for G Suite users. Hangouts Chat is a Slack-like communication platform for teams. Hangouts Meet is a video chat platform that has existed independently from the old Hangouts video chat that everyone knows. That's about to change as Meet will officially replace the old Hangouts video chat in May for G Suite users.
Dropbox announces integrations with Google Drive, Hangouts, and Gmail
Dropbox has announced integrations with Google's G suite (Drive, Hangouts, and Gmail). Users will be able to create, open and edit Docs, Sheets, and Slides files that are stored in Dropbox.
Dropbox had a major role in making cloud storage popular. Unfortunately, the company still gives only 2GB of storage for a free account, an amount which has long since been surpassed by Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. The service has managed to retain many loyal consumers, and now, it's getting integration with Google's cloud productivity tools: Docs, Sheets, Slides, Hangouts, and Gmail.