News of Google finally killing Hangouts has been circulating around media outlets for the past year but the cross-platform messaging app is still persisting. However, Google recently took another step toward shutting down the app.
The latest move shows Android and iOS users with free personal accounts a banner that says, "Hangouts is being replaced by Google Chat". Along with the notice, users also get a "Learn more" button that opens a support article explaining the switch from classic Hangouts to Google Chat and the process to turn on Google Chat from Gmail. You"ll come across a similar notification on the web portal as well.
Once users click on the switch option, they will be signed out of the Hangouts mobile app and will no longer be able to send messages with the app or receive notifications. However, they do not need to worry about losing their Hangouts conversations as their "conversations from the last year are already in Chat, and older conversations will be available later".
An important point to note is that mobile users can still use the app by opening it and adding their account once again after Google signs them out. It also implies that Google does not have an official end date for Hangouts yet. The company had previously mentioned that a "mandatory upgrade" for enterprise accounts will take place later this year.
Source: Google via Gizmodo | Image: 9to5Google