11 Facts About Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts is a cross-platform instant messaging service developed by Google.

Originally a feature of Google+, Hangouts became a standalone product in 2013, when Google began integrating features from Google+ Messenger and Google Talk into Hangouts.

Subsequently, Gmail users transitioned from Google Hangouts to Meet and Chat during 2021 and the Google Hangouts service is to be discontinued.

In January 2016, Google discouraged using Hangouts for SMS, recommending to instead use Google's "Messenger" SMS app .

Google's Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones released later that year were the first Google devices shipped with Duo and Allo preinstalled instead of Hangouts.

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In December 2018 Google Hangouts announced Allo would be discontinued in March 2019 with some of its features migrated into Google Hangouts Messages.

Also in April 2020, Google announced Hangouts will remain a consumer-level product for people using standard Google accounts.

In October 2020 Google announced that Chat would be made free to everyone and replace "classic" Hangouts by 2021.

However, because it uses a proprietary protocol instead of the XMPP open standard protocol used by Google Talk, most third-party applications which had access to Google Talk do not have access to Google+ Hangouts.

The reason for the delay appears tied to Google Hangouts switching away from the XMPP protocol it used, as mentioned above.

Google Hangouts includes the ability to make free voice calls to other Google Hangouts users, and charges users to call landline and mobile phones internationally except for calls to the United States and Canada which are free of charge.