If you were an avid Hangouts app user then you must have gotten the news about its suspension. Well, the Hangouts app has now been replaced with a new and improved Google Chat app. Google started rolling out a free version of Google Chat ahead of classic Hangouts going away.
Google Chat video calling app was the first to go free for personal usage last year, and the messaging service is now following. The chat app will fully replace the classic Hangouts mobile apps, website, and Gmail integration.
What happened to the Hangouts app?
You can easily access the app from chat.google.com, or by downloading Google Chat for Android. You will notice that Google has migrated all Hangouts conversations, contacts, and saved history to this new app. Google Chat is a fairly straightforward messaging app.
The App comes with the ability to quickly insert files from Google Drive and create Calendar events, while all Meet videos — including 1-to-1 calls. You can create rooms and then share the links to those rooms so that people can join in your conversations, kind of like Whatsapp groups.
The beta version of the Google Chat app lets you reach and find any of your old contacts. Along with the groups. The whole idea behind this is that Google wants to make Gmail your new “home for work. By merging email, Chat, and Meet into one browser window, as well as its mobile app.
The apps redesign is mostly simplified with the left panel only showing Chat and Rooms, as well as Gmail’s Google Meet shortcuts for “New” and “Join a meeting.” Threads appear at the right, but you now have the ability to “exit full screen” from the top-right corner.
It definitely is fun to use a new app from google. Let us know if you liked the app by leaving a comment below with your opinion about Google Chat.