Google strips location sharing from Google Hangouts
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This is the worst time right now to be killing off a messaging app, when it is one of the few physical-virus-free ways to communicate.
For once, can we not move fast and break things when the situation warrants it?
For once, can we not move fast and break things when the situation warrants it?
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Snarky Robot
Ars Legatus Legionis
Google giveth and Google taketh away.
And then Google giveth something similar to what was takeneth away, but minus some features and then Google giveth another product that sounds like a feature that could have been added to either the first thing that was giveneth or the second thing that was giveneth away and then Google migrateth the second thing into the third thing, upsettingeth the loyal customers before givingeth another product and takeingeth away all other products before reversing course and migratingeth one of the products to be an enterprise solution and creating three clones of other people's products, and watching them be less successful.
Then Google giveth and taketh again.
And then Google giveth something similar to what was takeneth away, but minus some features and then Google giveth another product that sounds like a feature that could have been added to either the first thing that was giveneth or the second thing that was giveneth away and then Google migrateth the second thing into the third thing, upsettingeth the loyal customers before givingeth another product and takeingeth away all other products before reversing course and migratingeth one of the products to be an enterprise solution and creating three clones of other people's products, and watching them be less successful.
Then Google giveth and taketh again.
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Let's remember that Signal has location sharing 
And stickers, now, which I guess people like.
You can also send voice "notes", which is incredibly awesome when you can't type. There's a button you just hold down, and when you release it, it sends the little snippet along.
And, of course the number one bonus: Google can't shut it down.
And stickers, now, which I guess people like. You can also send voice "notes", which is incredibly awesome when you can't type. There's a button you just hold down, and when you release it, it sends the little snippet along.
And, of course the number one bonus: Google can't shut it down.
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Let's remember that Signal has location sharing
You can also send voice "notes", which is incredibly awesome when you can't type. There's a button you just hold down, and when you release it, it sends the little snippet along.
And, of course the number one bonus: Google can't shut it down.
Absolutely love Signal! It's been improving quite a bit recently as well - needs a couple more features that Hangouts has but Signal doesn't currently (group read receipts for each group member, for example), but overall it's a much better experience than the gimped Hangouts is.
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I'm not sure I'd say Hangouts is Google's best messaging app, but it's in the top twenty-five.
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Let's remember that Signal has location sharing
You can also send voice "notes", which is incredibly awesome when you can't type. There's a button you just hold down, and when you release it, it sends the little snippet along.
And, of course the number one bonus: Google can't shut it down.
If I end up switching off of google hangouts (phone and through the gmail interface), then my chances of staying with google are pretty slim, and I will probably drag people with me as well when I provide the recommendations that I am going to go with. I am already doing the legwork and feasibility of switching to an iPhone device (seeing what I apps I have paid for etc etc).
Obviously, Google understands their business way better than I do. I guess Hangouts isn't a "gateway app" and doesn't provide any ancillary revenue. But at this stage, I trust Microsoft and Apple more than I trust Google and Amazon, and I am looking to disentangle my life from the latter two as much as possible.
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The clear replacement for users is "literally any messeging service that Google doesn't control." No one should ever trust Google with messeging services again, ever.
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I knew I had to read the comments for this story even if it's flogging a dead llama at this point. Still, y'all did not disappoint. Thanks for the chuckles!
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Let's remember that Signal has location sharing
You can also send voice "notes", which is incredibly awesome when you can't type. There's a button you just hold down, and when you release it, it sends the little snippet along.
And, of course the number one bonus: Google can't shut it down.
If I end up switching off of google hangouts (phone and through the gmail interface), then my chances of staying with google are pretty slim, and I will probably drag people with me as well when I provide the recommendations that I am going to go with. I am already doing the legwork and feasibility of switching to an iPhone device (seeing what I apps I have paid for etc etc).
Obviously, Google understands their business way better than I do. I guess Hangouts isn't a "gateway app" and doesn't provide any ancillary revenue. But at this stage, I trust Microsoft and Apple more than I trust Google and Amazon, and I am looking to disentangle my life from the latter two as much as possible.
I know it's not ready for most people, but are you following progress on the PinePhone?
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davijoh723
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
Do people still use hangouts? After they removed SMS I assumed it just bit the dust.
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What does Winamp have to do with this? Is Google acquiring them for a llama-based update to RFC1149 (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1149)?
I'm soooooo confused!
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IDK, they've been adding a bunch of chat features that are enabled with some of my contacts. I see if a message has been sent, delivered and read. I can see if they're typing a reply. I can even noticed recently that I can send a location too.
Edit: I guess I should also say that I find encryption or desktop essential features for my messaging.
Oh, they do have a desktop part for Messages. https://messages.google.com/
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Sound to me like someone at Google is trying to kill the app so they can make a name for themselves by creating a similar app with the same features and a slightly more whimsical user interface.
Lather
Rinse
Repeat.
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In a world where Facebook spent 19 billion dollars acquire active users does Google believe they're exempt from user acquisition/retention? There's a reason Facebook didn't kill Whatsapp and attempt to migrate users to a different app after they acquired it, they would lose a tremendous number of those users.
Its like Google is applying 'build it and they will come' as if they were an institution rather than a tech company. Pushing users to switch platforms gives no guarantee that they won't go somewhere else.
Its like Google is applying 'build it and they will come' as if they were an institution rather than a tech company. Pushing users to switch platforms gives no guarantee that they won't go somewhere else.
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If you have a Google Fi plan Hangouts SMS still works. I still have an old pre-Fi Google Voice number that can do SMS as well but I don't think that one works without hangouts anymore. All this fragmentation sucks.
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I think the features you're describing are RCS, basically. They only work if your carrier has implemented it, the carrier of the person you're talking with has implemented it, and the carriers have implemented interoperability. As Ron alluded to in the article, this is unreliable.
Speaking of unreliable, whenever I try to use Messages browser interface, around 20% of the time it fails to sync messages properly, either not sending things I sent on the computer, or not showing me replies that were received by my phone. For a messaging service, that makes it unusable.
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For the people using Signal and liking it, are they using it on Android or iOS? Ever since iOS 13 came out, I've had issues getting messages delivered hours late on Signal.
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Since Slack removed the remote screen control feature (due to emojis, or security, or something), I haven't felt the same about the app. Used to love it, but at this point I am looking for a single app that can do everything in today's remote collaboration environment. We are talking about chat, groups, calls, sharing, and yes... desktop control. Having a single tool for all those things makes it easier for everyone in IT. Removing a whole feature due to security concerns (and something about emojis) is not a solution.
That being said, if whatever Slack-clone that Google plans to introduce has the above complete feature-set, then I am interested. Up until recently Slack was at the top for me, but times change and regimes fall.
That being said, if whatever Slack-clone that Google plans to introduce has the above complete feature-set, then I am interested. Up until recently Slack was at the top for me, but times change and regimes fall.
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I really wish I could be in on decision meetings on this. Hangouts was close to being a true competitor to iMessage with the potential to surpass it by working on iPhone, then they reversed course and started dismantling it, and haven't had a cohesive strategy since.
It is also curious that they are only pulling this feature right now since they were supposed to shut down Hangouts last year.
All I know is when Hangouts dies my friends and I will be moving to Signal, Telegram, or if I have my way some service not tied to your phone number.
It is also curious that they are only pulling this feature right now since they were supposed to shut down Hangouts last year.
All I know is when Hangouts dies my friends and I will be moving to Signal, Telegram, or if I have my way some service not tied to your phone number.
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I still use SMS through hangouts from my Google Voice number that I've used for ages now. Being able to login to any web browser and sync & send my texts are an important part of it. The crap messenger does where you have to scan a QR code makes it worthless for when my phone is not available/lost/stolen/whatever. It is also just plain inconvenient compared to hangouts. Why they can't seem to get their crap together on an answer to Apple on messaging after 10 years is just baffling.
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Here is hoping that Apple keeps loosening the reigns on their apps and ports iMessage to Android soon. I use Hangouts for my Google Voice number so I can still get SMS easily in my browser. If that integration goes away, I will have to inform all my contacts of my carrier number, which will be a bit of a pain. I still keep an older version of Hangouts installed to keep per conversation tones enabled.
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Apple has no reason to make iMessage available on Android. In fact, if messaging is terrible on Android and excellent on iOS, that's a positive for Apple, because it's a very real reason for people to prefer buying iPhones over Android phones. I'm not saying that Apple is actively working to make messaging on Android worse -- Google is doing a perfectly good job there without any outside help -- but there's no reason for Apple to lift a finger to make Android messaging better.
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Yeah they kicked Voice users back to a standalone Voice app a while back. This is after killing the original Voice app/site in favor of Hangouts integration, so it's something of a regression.
The new Voice app sucks too, and the website version is incredibly slow and buggy.
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I do not have real hope that they will bring iMessage to Android, but there are plenty of people who will never look at an Apple device because of price that they could start roping into the ecosystem. All they would need to do is make sure that only Apple Music worked with the app and bam, they have a revenue source that never would have existed before. I am in the camp of their phones are not great design, and I like my customizations, so I stick to Android.
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You can still send and receive SMS through Hangouts with Google Voice. Can even make phone calls, use the Hangouts website or get messages in the GMail
website. I have like five devices that sound off when I get a message or phone call from being logged into Hangouts.
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Actually you nailed the reason why when you mentioned in the article that you could share your location in hangouts with a single ping of your location - and that the replacement is an always on location service in maps. Hangouts’ feature lets you share your location with another person (and also google) in a discrete and limited fashion. They would prefer you share your location data with them at all times so you can periodically share it with another person. This, as usual, is about getting access to more data about people.
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Here's a reason: to let Android users see what life is like on the other side, without demanding a big investment up-front. This was part of the thinking behind putting iTunes on Windows, if I'm not mistaken? Most people are going to assume that all messaging apps are the same, especially when there are so many free options available.
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For me the message is clear: do what Google does.
I am carefully evaluating every Google product that I'm a user of, paying or not. I'm looking for a replacement, creating a transition plan and deciding when to switch. These products include Fi, Nest, Drive/GSuite, Pixel, WearOS, Android TV and may extend as far as Search and Maps. If any of these shows signs of weakness and the transition plan is feasible, just ruthlessly pull the plug.
Avoiding vendor lock-in is crucial so anything to do with Apple is out of the question. iMessage could be the most awesome technology in the universe but if I can't use it without buying hardware from the same vendor then it's a non-starter.
Additionally, needless to say, whenever Google launches a new product, very carefully consider if I should bother. If I need the service, chances are there's a competitor that's worth more to give my money and/or data to. Think Stadia.
I am carefully evaluating every Google product that I'm a user of, paying or not. I'm looking for a replacement, creating a transition plan and deciding when to switch. These products include Fi, Nest, Drive/GSuite, Pixel, WearOS, Android TV and may extend as far as Search and Maps. If any of these shows signs of weakness and the transition plan is feasible, just ruthlessly pull the plug.
Avoiding vendor lock-in is crucial so anything to do with Apple is out of the question. iMessage could be the most awesome technology in the universe but if I can't use it without buying hardware from the same vendor then it's a non-starter.
Additionally, needless to say, whenever Google launches a new product, very carefully consider if I should bother. If I need the service, chances are there's a competitor that's worth more to give my money and/or data to. Think Stadia.
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I have Slack and Teams, but Discord is also nice. Skype is still around too. Let's not forget the crowd on WhatsApp, and the people who simply use Twitter for everything. Alternatively Facebook Messenger.
Oh right, there's that one guy still on ICQ. And some prefer Snapchat I suppose. WeChat, LINE, Instagram, and Telegram are still around, I think. Viber and Kik are two of the ones I don't (yet) have.
How do I know about all those chat apps? I do because I know someone that refuses to use anything else, and so I HAVE TO HAVE ALL OF THEM INSTALLED AT ONCE.
(I was right in the middle of convincing everyone to just use Hangouts, since everyone has a Google account, but the retirement announcement in 2018 killed that plan)
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100% this. In companies like Google, you get promoted more rapidly for shipping the "new hotness." It ships, you get a good review and maybe a promotion, then by the time the shithouse of cards falls, you're already on your way towards something else.
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Android and desktop, sorry :/ The desktop app sometimes gets a little squrrely In corner cases like restoring a bare metal backup, but that's a little unfair.
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And let me add that I *really* appreciated Google disallowing my Voice number when I moved to Fi.
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What to use as a true Hangouts alternative?
And by "true alternative" I mean:
* Not tied to a phone number
* Not limited to one device
* Searchable archive
* Usable from the web without another device
* Offers one-time location sharing
And by "true alternative" I mean:
* Not tied to a phone number
* Not limited to one device
* Searchable archive
* Usable from the web without another device
* Offers one-time location sharing
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So Google's chat strategy plan poo-stained wall still doesn't make any sense? Nice to know that in these uncertain, socially-distanced days there are still some signs that life might return to normal.
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I have wanted to rely on Google messaging products since before Google Apps, but instead of finding a way to unify them into a cohesive system, they keep adding & removing features, changing names, adding and removing entire products. How can groups base their workflow around something that might cease to exist at any moment?
Google Search is great. So are Gmail, Google Maps, Google News. G Suite is good for a free product. The common factor is that the core of each has remained constant while additional features get added.
How does Google keep failing to do that with IM & chat?
Google Search is great. So are Gmail, Google Maps, Google News. G Suite is good for a free product. The common factor is that the core of each has remained constant while additional features get added.
How does Google keep failing to do that with IM & chat?
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