![]() Either way, Google Messages lacks encryption, a centralized account system, and desktop apps, so we have trouble seeing how it would ever compete with an over-the-top messaging system like iMessage or Facebook Messenger. Google Messages works with the ancient SMS standard or the meager upgrades provided by the carrier’s plan for SMS’s replacement, RCS. Google’s only other active messaging service is “Google Messages,” but this is tied to the boat anchor that is carrier-controlled messaging standards. If that sounds extremely redundant compared to this Hangouts merger, you’re right, but that has never stopped Google before. There are also rumors of a second Slack-like enterprise messaging app that would merge functions from Gmail, Drive, Hangouts Chat, and Hangouts Meet. This Hangouts merger looks like a mess, and it’s not clear if pushing a Slack-like service onto consumers would work. It’s hard to know what Google’s future messaging strategy is. The first steps toward shutting down consumer Google Hangouts was originally planned for October 2019, and after very little progress from Google, the transition was delayed to June 2020. It’s unclear how you could ever merge two messaging apps with completely different interfaces and use cases, and Google seems to be having a hard time with this plan. Previously, you could press the location button and get a map like this.Ron AmadeoThe consumer version of Google Hangouts is on death row at Google, so maybe this feature removal is a sign of, uh, “progress” for that initiative. Google announced at the end of 2018 that it was going to merge Google Hangouts and an unrelated, enterprise-focused Slack clone called “Hangouts Chat,” but using a Slack-style app for personal messaging use sounds awfully messy. Hangouts users will have to switch to real-time location sharing through Google Maps.Įnlarge / Google Hangouts location sharing. In the past, this worked on Android and iOS, though at some point it was removed from the iOS version. Previously, the button would do a one-time ping of the user’s location, mark it on Google Maps, and send a link and in-line map to the chat window. ![]() It’s not clear why Google is suddenly stripping away features from Google Hangouts, but an update to the Hangouts Android app, version 32, removes the location button from the text input area. ![]() Google Hangouts users are no longer able to share their locations with one another. Google is stripping away a key feature from its best and most popular messaging app. ![]()
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