Google to shut down Hangouts in November and migrate users to Chat (2024)

FAQs

Google to shut down Hangouts in November and migrate users to Chat? ›

After nearly a decade, Google Hangouts will be no more in November. Google Hangouts is officially shutting down in November. The search giant is prompting people still using Hangouts to migrate over to Chat as part of its plan to retire the aging messaging platform, the company said in a blog post Monday.

Since then, the Hangouts mobile app, Hangouts Chrome extension, and Hangouts in Gmail on web have been redirecting to Chat. As a final step in the migration, beginning November 1, 2022, Google Hangouts on web will redirect to Google Chat on web, and Hangouts will no longer be accessible.

Google Hangouts was a popular messaging app that was discontinued in November 2022. There are a few reasons why it fell out of favor: It was not as user-friendly as other messaging apps.

Hangouts shut down in November 2022. You should have seen a notice when you used Hangouts. Most Hangouts conversations were migrated from Hangouts to Google Chat. So how have you been accessing those conversations?

Initially, the service was only available to Google Workspace customers, but in February 2021, Google started offering Google Chat to regular consumer accounts in “early access” until it was fully available in April 2021. Google replaced the original Hangouts with Chat and deprecated it on November 1, 2022.

Google Chat, formerly known as “Google Hangouts”, is a chat-based messaging app that gives businesses and regular users a space to collaborate and catch up for free. The app is wildly popular, boasting over 10 million downloads on Google Play alone.

As a result, Google Chat is something like the evolution of Hangouts. It grants that same one-on-one communication but expands on it to be more effective in a business setting. Important features available in Hangouts like read receipts, video and audio conferencing, and image sharing are all available through Chat.

In April 2021, Google Chat indeed became free as an "Early Access" service, for users who choose to use it instead of Hangouts. On June 27, 2022, Google officially announced they would be shutting down Google Hangouts on November 1, 2022 and migrating all users to Google Chat.

Google Chat is a communication service developed by Google.

Where has Google Chat gone? ›

Go into settings in your Gmail app & select the option that is your email address. It will open up a menu with a bunch of customization options, including adding/enabling chat (which also added Meet, but you can deselect that option further down). I'm glad to get this button back!

Google Chat uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt your messages between your device and Google servers. However, Google has access to your chats and may share information with third parties or in response to legal requests. Google Chat does not offer end-to-end encryption like some other messaging apps.

The first chat app invented by Google was Google Talk, also known as Google Chat or Gchat. It was released in 2005 and allowed users to chat with their contacts through text or voice calls. In 2013, Google Talk was replaced by Google Hangouts.

When you delete a message, you can't undo it. Chat notifications may include the original message. After you (or other members in a conversation) delete a message, the message is permanently removed from your Google Account and can't be recovered. You can download previously edited messages from your Google Account.

Google Chat is HIPAA compliant when the messaging service is utilized as part of a Workspace account that has been configured to support HIPAA compliance and when the services is covered by a Business Associate Addendum to the Workspace Terms of Service.

Google Chat, the instant messaging platform developed by Google, allows users to communicate in real time via message. With over 10 million downloads in the Google Play store alone, Google Chat is a prime hangout for people to send direct messages, hold group chats, share files, and more.

One such limitation is that while Google Chat encrypts your messages to protect them during transmission, it does not offer end-to-end encryption. This means that if someone gains access to Google's servers, by hacking or otherwise, they could theoretically read your messages.

Do not use Chat for phishing, including: Asking for or collecting sensitive data, including but not limited to passwords, financial details, and Social Security numbers. Using Chat to trick, mislead, or deceive other users into sharing information under false pretenses.

Here are some troubleshooting tips if you're still having trouble making calls in Google Chat: Make sure that you have the latest version of Google Chat installed. Check your app permissions to make sure that Google Chat can access your microphone and camera. Restart your computer or phone.