Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Social Media
  3. News

Google will begin shutting down the classic Hangouts app in October

By

Will the classic Google Hangouts finally get the chop? Absolutely — and now we know a little more about when.

Last year, a report from 9to5Google claimed that the classic Google Hangouts app was set to shut down for consumers at some point in 2020, citing “a source familiar with the product’s internal roadmap.” The news wasn’t all that surprising. Google often gets ridiculed for its multitude of messaging apps, and the company recently announced that it would be turning its attention to Android Messages and integration with the new RCS “Chat” messaging standard. Not only that, but Google ceased development on Hangouts more than a year ago. Now, Google has clarified its timeline — it will begin retiring the classic Hangouts app in October 2019 for some G Suite users. Given that, we think it’s pretty likely that the classic Hangouts app will shut down for good in 2020.

Recommended Videos

According to Google, the classic Hangouts won’t be retired for customers until they’ve successfully migrated to Hangouts Chat and Meet.

Related

When news first broke that the classic Hangouts app would be retired, Google quickly pushed back. The tech giant reached out to Digital Trends to dispel the confusion, claiming it had not set any specific end-of-life date for Hangouts.

“In March 2017, we announced plans to evolve classic Hangouts to focus on two experiences that help bring teams together: Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet,” a spokesperson told Digital Trends. “Both Chat and Meet are available today for G Suite customers and will be made available for consumer users, too. We have not announced an official timeline for transitioning users from classic Hangouts to Chat and Meet. We are fully committed to supporting classic Hangouts users until everyone is successfully migrated to Chat and Meet.”

Given that Google has been bringing new features to other messaging apps, many customers have already moved away from Google Hangouts, but there is still a loyal following who prefer to stick with the older service. Safe to say, if you have not already transitioned away from Google Hangouts, then you will want to do so at some point in 2019.

It’s important to note that not everything about Hangouts will disappear. The Hangouts brand will still live on in G Suite’s Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet services, which are targeted at businesses and aimed at those who might otherwise be interested in services like Slack. Hopefully, this signals the start of a much more streamlined approach to messaging for Google. As mentioned, it has launched quite a few messaging services over the years, and many of them have fallen flat. After Hangouts, Google launched Allo — but considering Allo only allowed users to message other Allo users, it wasn’t really embraced.

Update on January 22, 2019: Google has clarified its timeline for shutting down Hangouts.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper
Contributor
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Google Pixel 9: news, rumored price, release date, and more
Front and rear profile of leaked Google Pixel 9 renders.

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are Google's latest and most powerful devices, but it won't be that way for long. Rumors of the Google Pixel 8a mean this pair of flagships will be supplanted as the latest Google phones fairly soon — but they'll be able to hold on to the title of "most powerful" for a little while longer. The Google Pixel 9 range, while definitely on the way, isn't due to arrive any time soon.

But when it does, it's sure to be a pair of blockbusters. Leaks for the Pixel 9 family are a little thin on the ground at the moment, but it seems as if Google is planning on making some big changes this time around. If leaks are correct, we expect a new look and some exciting new AI features that go beyond what we've seen before.

Read more
Google Messages vs. Samsung Messages: Which app should you use?
Google messages versus samsung messages app icons side by side on Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Amid the rise of third-party messaging apps, texting remains a popular means of messaging in the U.S. If you own an Android phone, you've likely used or heard of Google Messages, which is positioned as the default text messaging app for Android. It is the culmination of Google's long history with multiple messaging platforms. Google has pursued smartphone companies to use its Dialer and Messages apps as their default since at least 2017 and now mandates them to use Google Messages as the default messaging app on all devices.

Meanwhile, if you have been a Samsung user in the past, you have likely also known and experienced the Samsung Messages app, which comes preinstalled on all Samsung phones and cannot be uninstalled. This is despite losing its spot as the default messaging app on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

Read more
The 1Password Android app just got a huge upgrade
The 1Password Android app, side-by-side, showing the light and dark mode.

The 1Password password manager app for Android has just gotten a huge new update, which unlocks the use of passkeys through its app. Held by many as the future of secure authentication, passkeys are the next evolution of the password, and from today, you'll be able to use 1Password to create, manage, and unlock your accounts that use passkey authentication.

1Password is one of the world's most popular password managers, with over 700,000 passwords saved. But it clearly sees that the future is elsewhere, as it has been leading the charge on taking passkeys into the mainstream.

Read more