Google Hangouts stops working on Android and iOS
The end of Google Hangouts is near as many iOS and Android users have finally experienced issues with the defunct messaging service. It shouldn’t be a surprise because Google started moving users from Google Hangouts to Google Chat in 2020 and officially announced the product’s end of life earlier this month. According to 9to5 Google, not all Google Hangouts users will initially be affected, and the change has so far primarily affected users of Hangouts mobile apps, which haven’t received upgrades in a while.
When it comes to upgrading Chat, Google most definitely is guiding consumers. An “It’s time for Chat in Gmail” popup will appear when users attempt to launch the affected mobile apps, operating as a forced upgrade. Not only Android and iOS but other platforms as well are affected. Google is also removing the Hangouts Chrome desktop extension, and later this month, the traditional Hangouts feature in the Gmail sidebar will be discontinued.
Users are urged to go here(opens in a new tab) if they wish to download any data from Google Hangouts before the app officially ends. Google has informed users that data would be transferred from Google Hangouts to Google Chat automatically. Google has stated that it has “huge plans for the future of Chat,” and over the coming months, you’ll see even more capabilities like direct calling, in-line threading in Spaces, and the ability to share and see multiple photos. Users that do make the switch to Google Chat may well be rewarded.
Head here(opens in a new tab) to download the Google Chat app if you’re still using Google Hangouts and would like to upgrade before Google compels you to.