Skip to main content

Google Hangouts SMS support ‘coming soon’

google hangouts
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As convenient as it is to message your friends with an all-in-one Google messaging app, a unification the platform badly needed, as of yesterday’s announcement we were still uncertain if the new product would support SMS messaging as well. While initially that will remain the case, Google says that a fix is on the way.

google hangouts sms question
Image used with permission by copyright holder

SMS messaging is a highly requested feature, and Google knows that. With that in mind, support for text messaging straight from Hangouts to your friend’s phone via SMS will be arriving shortly, according to Hangouts and Chat community manager Dori Storbeck.

Recommended Videos

There isn’t a definitive timeline on when exactly SMS will be arriving on the messaging app, but Storbeck assures users that it’s coming “soon.”

SMS support isn’t the only feature that’s missing. One-to-one voice calling is also noticeably absent. But Storbeck, responding to questions in her Google+ page, also says Google Voice features are in the works. Right now, you can receive calls to your Google Voice number and answer those calls using Hangouts – however until an update is pushed, you won’t be able to make outbound calls using Hangouts. 

She also clarifies a few other details that Google VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra didn’t get to. Hangouts On Air is only available through Google+ – although you can view other people’s HoAs – and can’t be initiated via mobile. However Storbeck says “the team wants to provide the option to initiate HOAs from mobile, they just haven’t gotten to it yet. And I don’t have a specific timeline.”

Oh and in case you weren’t aware, while 10 people is the maximum number of users that can participate in a Hangout, paid Google Apps accounts allow up to 15 partcipants.

Francis Bea
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Francis got his first taste of the tech industry in a failed attempt at a startup during his time as a student at the…
Google Messages might let you unsend awkward messages in RCS chats
The Google Messages app on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Google Messages, the default messaging app on Android phones, could soon get new features that will let you unsend texts like third-party messengers. The unsend functionality is reportedly under testing and will be available for chats over RCS protocol, which succeeds traditional SMS with improved support for multimedia, emoji, reactions, etc.

Presently, when you delete a message, it is only removed from your device without impacting other participants in the chat. Now, Google appears to be testing a new "delete for everyone" functionality for conversations that will delete messages for all parties, similar to instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram. 9to5Google spotted references to the under-development functionality, suggesting it might be available for a wider audience to benefit from -- though the exact timeline of remains unknown.

Read more
Google Photos will add a hidden watermark to your AI-edited images
About this image data for photos.

Google’s bet on AI is no secret, and it becomes evident the moment you launch any of its software products. The Google Photos app has been one of the earliest recipients of all this AI love. Now, it’s time for some transparency.

Remember Magic Editor, your gateway to AI-powered editing in the Google Photos app? Moving forward, images that have received an AI makeover using the Reimagine tool in Magic Editor will get an invisible watermark.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Clash of titans
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra colors

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and you're thinking of getting that special someone in your life a new smartphone. You can get the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, the top tier model in the latest line of the flagship Samsung Galaxy series, complete with its trusty S Pen, beautifully rounded corners, and every feature powered by Galaxy AI, including the distraction-free Now Brief and picture-perfect ProScaler. You can also buy them the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, the first XL phone in the Google Pixel series since 2019 for its larger-than-life screen, which comes with a redesigned camera bar .

Both phones run on Android, but they're worlds apart in terms of appearance and the features they have. Which one will wow your significant other? Let us save you the heart-wrenching, time-consuming dilemma with this side-by-side guide to help you make this important decision.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Pixel 9 Pro XL: specs

Read more