#Call thru google talk free download android#

Google Messages only has an Android app and a Web app. If you want Google Fi messages, you'll soon need to use Google Messages, the Android SMS app. While Google Chat is taking over for Hangouts, it's not picking up this bit of functionality. For Google users, it was also the home of their non-SMS messages, so you got everything in one convenient app. Hangouts has apps for Android, a Chrome extension, and two Web access points-Gmail and -so it was a super-easy way to use Google Fi. We've already seen Hangouts lose location sharing and SMS support, and in the blog post, Google announced that phone calls, Google Fi support, and Google Voice support will soon be stripped away from the service.įurther Reading Google to simplify messaging strategy, will support only five messaging appsFirst up is the loss of Google Fi SMS, which starts 'in the next few weeks.' Google Fi can use your phone SMS app to send messages, but since it's a real cell phone service, it could also get SMS messages through Hangouts. Google initially announced this all the way back in 2018, and now we're getting more details about the service's slow shutdown and transition plans for the services that rely on it. With the rise of Google Chat, Google Hangouts is going to die. Google says it wants a 'smooth transition' from Google Hangouts to Chat, and it will 'automatically migrate your Hangouts conversations, along with contacts and saved history.' The slow death of Hangouts But in 2021, it will be free for everyone. OK, now that we're all on the same page (right? everyone?) the first bit of news in the blog post is that Google Chat will go live for consumer accounts 'starting in the first half of 2021.' The service started as a business-focused G Suite app (G Suite is now called ' Google Workspace'), so access to Google Chat originally required you to pay for G Suite.

Google Messages (2014)-Android's default SMS app.

Instead of hooking Google Voice up to other services, Google Fi resells T-Mobile and US cellular service with a bunch of Google extras.

Google Fi (2015)-All the Google Voice stuff but with proper cell phone service attached.

Voice has its own phone and Web apps but is also integrated into Google Hangouts. This is hooked up to the Internet, so your phone number doesn't have to be tied to a piece of hardware anymore, and you can forward calls and messages to other devices.

Google Voice (2009)-Voice is a free service that gives you a Google phone number where you can receive calls and SMS messages.

Chat was originally conceived as a Slack competitor for G Suite (Google's paid business-focused accounts), but now it's been drafted into service as the consumer successor to Google Hangouts.

Google Chat (2018) -Formerly 'Google Hangouts Chat,' this was recently renamed to 'Google Chat' after Google realized having two completely unrelated products called 'Hangouts' is confusing.

This was once Google's unified messaging app and could display messages from Hangouts, SMS, Google Voice, and Google Fi. It's been a default Android app for years, and it's integrated into Gmail. This app has a 15-year userbase going back to the launch of Google Talk in 2005, which Hangouts seamlessly replaced.

Google Hangouts (2013)-Google's biggest-ever messaging app, and the app that's shutting down.

Since it can be hard to keep track of the dozen-or-so messaging products Google has released over the years, before we get started, here's a glossary of the Google messaging apps that will be referenced in this article. The company's latest blog lays out future plans for its suite of messaging services, which includes stripping features out of Google Hangouts as we head toward its eventual demise and the promotion of Google Chat to being the main messaging product. It's time to talk about Google messaging again.

Call thru google talk free download