Google is shutting down an email service you haven’t heard of in years


Google has announced the end of support for Google Talk. Already replaced by Hangouts almost ten years ago, the service was still accessible via various messaging software.

Google Talk will no longer be supported by third-party messaging apps // Source: Montage Frandroid

While Google announced a few weeks ago the upcoming merger of Google Meet and Google Duo, the Mountain View company continues its major messaging applications project. As reported Android Policethe publisher announced the end of Google Talk, scheduled for this Thursday, June 16.

We are used to Google ending its various services – in particular messaging applications. However, this announcement is surprising, since Google had already closed the web version of Google Talk in April 2012 and then opted for Google Hangouts as its main messaging service. It was then in 2013 that Hangouts began to replace Google Talk within Gmail, becoming, in effect, Google’s main messaging application.

The end of Google Talk for third-party messaging apps

Also known as Google Chat, Google Talk had not completely disappeared, however. If Google’s clients had ceased to be updated, it was still possible to connect to the servers through third-party clients compatible with the XMPP messaging protocol such as Pidgin, Thunderbird, Xabber, Swift or Gagim. It is precisely this support for third-party instant messaging applications that will expire this Thursday, as Google indicates in a support page:

We will deactivate the Google Talk service. Starting June 16, 2022, as we announced in 2017, we will no longer support third-party apps, including Pidgin and Gajim. To continue chatting with your contacts, we advise you to use Google Chat. You’ll find it easier to schedule tasks with others, share and collaborate on files, and assign tasks with Spaces, the advanced Chat feature. You’ll also get the same strong phishing protections we offer in Gmail, plus accessibility features like screen reader compatibility.

Google therefore now recommends going through its Google Chat service – a new service, not the old name of Google Talk. Launched in 2020, this service is aimed at companies using the Google Workplace suite, but also at individuals. It actually integrates the previous functions of Google Hangouts, but also allows you to take advantage of several features such as sending attachments, file sharing or managing different fonts. Google Chat is now also integrated into Gmail, alongside Google Meet and the Spaces solution, Slack’s competitor with Google sauce.


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