Is Google Hangouts Going Away?

If you use Google Hangouts to communicate with your colleagues, you might be worried after you’ve read that Google announced that it would shut down Hangouts. It might seem like an unreasonable decision, taken into consideration the number of people who used this service.

However, there’s no reason for concern as you will still be able to communicate with people from all around the world using Google services. The company decided that it was time to replace Google Hangouts with a pair of more modern apps.

Launching of Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts launched in 2013. It soon became one of the most popular platforms for meetings and video conferences. The app quickly attracted millions of users from all around the world.

Back in the day, it was one of the most modern communication apps, and it made a small revolution in the business world. It enabled people to work from home or from wherever they want and to stay in touch with their colleagues. In the following years, many similar apps appeared.

Google was continuously working on Hangouts and adding various new features. The quality of the app tremendously improved, and the app is now more user-friendly and responsive. However, Google says that it is time for a change.

A couple of years ago, they started developing new apps that could replace Google Hangouts, and that could better match the needs of modern business people. That’s how Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat came into being.

Splitting of Google Hangouts

Google decided to split Google Hangouts into two complementary apps that you can use together. The main reason for this decision is that they wanted to improve the quality of both video calls and instant messaging.

Hangouts Meet is an app that is very similar to previous versions of Google Hangouts. It focuses on video conferences and online business meetings. The call quality is much better, and there are some new features that we’ll explain in more detail later on.

On the other hand, Hangouts Chat is there to make instant messaging easier and quicker. This app has some new features, and one of the most significant innovations is bot assistant. Both apps primarily aim at business customers and want to meet their needs.

What Is Hangouts Meet?

Some people say that Hangouts Meet is an improved version of the old Hangouts, tailored for the needs of business in the 20s. Assuming that you already know something about Google Hangouts and the way it works, we’ll focus on explaining some of the new features.

Hangouts Meet is a mobile-friendly app, and you can now do everything on your mobile phone. The original Hangouts had some restrictions because the app was developed in the period when most people used their PCs for video conferences. That changed, and you can now enjoy a high-quality conference call on your mobile phone.

Moreover, Hangouts Meet allows you to increase the number of people who participate in an online meeting. It’s now possible to include up to 250 participants, without compromising the quality of the call.

It is also much easier to join a video call now. External participants can join in a matter of seconds, via a shared link. You won’t have to bother with sending invitations and permissions anymore.

What Is Hangouts Chat?

Hangouts Chat is a modern and intuitive platform that allows you to communicate with your team, share ideas, and track progress. You can have private and group conversations. Also, you can make virtual rooms for each project and take the communication there. It makes it easier to follow different projects and stay in the know.

Google integrated Hangouts Chat with G Suite, which allows the users to collaborate on documents and sheets and upload additional material from Google Drive. It also syncs with your calendar, and it will enable you to schedule your meetings easily.

If you are concerned about the safety of your data, you should know that this is one of the safest chat apps on the market. Google developed it with business people in mind and understanding that you want to protect your information. Hangouts Chat has two-factor authentication and integrated support for Vault.

Meet and Chat

Google Hangouts might be going away, but that’s not bad news. We now have two amazing apps that can make our communication easier. We encourage you to explore Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat, and we are sure that you won’t be disappointed.

Have you already tried these apps? Do you like them? Which one do you use more often? Let us know in the comments section below.