Hangouts had been on borrowed time for over three years. We now know his date of death: November 2022. The instant messaging service debuted in May 2013.
The closure of Hangouts in favor of Google Chat had been decided since October 2020. Today, Google specifies the final timetable. By next November, all users must have migrated to Google Chat.
Many stages
Those who use Workspace have been experimenting with Google Chat since February. From now on, all users will be forced to switch to Google Chat.
The first people affected are those who use Hangouts on their smartphone. Right now, they’re likely to see an in-app screen prompting them to switch to Google Chat, both in-app and via Gmail. Same incentive for those who use the Chrome Hangouts extension: they will be invited to switch to the Google Chat extension. In fact, Hangouts in Gmail Web will automatically switch to Chat in Gmail starting in July.
While Google is encouraging everyone to switch to Chat as quickly as possible, the company says Hangouts Web will remain available and operational until next November. The latest notifications will be sent no later than one month before the switch from Hangouts Web to Chat Web.
Upload your data before November, just in case
The Mountain View giant specifies that in principle, all conversations will be transferred from Hangouts to Chat automatically. Still, he recommends those who really want to keep a copy of their Hangouts data to download it through Google Takeout before the November deadline.
In order to make you accept this more or less forced migration, Google puts several arguments on the table. The company assures that Google Chat offers a more modern and integrated experience in Google Workspace. Additionally, the company claims that it has ” great ambitions for the future of Chat with the addition of new features over the coming months.
Already, Google believes that Chat is more fun and richer than Hangouts, and that the service offers ” best ways to connect and collaborate “. He also mentions the possibility of integrating GIFs or, in another register, Spacesa space devoted to collaboration.
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Google Talk messaging is going to die, and this time it’s true
Source : Google
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