Google Hangouts, one of the company's many communication apps/services, is shutting down in 2021, but current users will not be left without a replacement. Google Chat, which was originally called Hangouts Chat is being offered as a free upgrade. While this new app doesn't completely replace all of the functionality of Hangouts, Google offers other apps that fill the missing pieces.

Google has many different chat, voice calling, messaging and conferencing apps. So many that the company has rightly been accused of lacking a clear focus on how to proceed. Instead, users are periodically forced to reintegrate their workflow around a new system. For example, Google Voice is a virtual phone service that launched in 2009 that provides telephone numbers to accept calls, voice message and text messages. Likewise, calls can be made and texts sent using Google Voice as well. By 2014 Google appeared to be replacing the service with Hangouts, since the older app stopped receiving updates. Four years later, Voice resurfaced with new updates and further adding to the confusion. Other Google communication apps/services include Allo, Chat, Duo, Hangouts, Meet, Messenger, Talk and Voice. Many of these provide overlapping features, but as each Google app/service is well made, the confusion is generally excused.

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For anyone using Google Workspace or G Suite, the various Google apps and cloud services integrated for enterprise and education, the transition to Google Chat may have already happened. The option to migrate users has been an Admin console setting since June, according to Google. For everyone else, Google Chat will be available for free in the first half of 2021. Chat is a more full-featured chat app than Hangouts, which tended to behave a bit like a mix of a voice messenger, text chat and video conference service. It handled all of these tasks well, but didn't specialize in any. Part of the reason for this change is due to new telecommunications regulations that requires removal of the Hangouts feature that allowed users to call a phone number via the app.

Calls, Texts, Voice Mail & Video Conferences

Since Google has such a wide range of overlapping services, replacing all of the features of Hangouts isn't difficult. To replace telephone functionality, Google refers users back to Voice, which was among the first and best Google messaging apps. Google Voice generates a phone number that can be set to forward calls to several different phones, after verifying each phone, allowing the user to pick up a call from any linked device. Text messages are also handled via Voice. Voice mail is saved for later playback and a transcription of the message is emailed to the associated Gmail account.

Google Meet, which is integrated into Gmail, appears as a tab when using the app, or in the sidebar when using Gmail in a browser. This service allows video conferencing, which it calls a meeting, of course. There is a separate Meet app for those that don't use Gmail. As with all Google services, a Google account is required. Google is making the transition slowly to give users a chance to acclimate to the new services and will be moving contacts and messages to aid with the switch. Google Hangouts users will begin seeing notices about the changes as soon as October 2020, with the transition expected to be complete by the end of 2021.

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Source: Google