One of the reasons why an online service is shutting down is due to the lack of users. That seems to be the reason why Google Hangouts is going out this year. Despite that, it goes without saying that there are still a number of people who actually use it.
If you’re one of those people, it is probably best to leave Google Hangouts now and start looking for alternatives. In an official announcement, the tech giant announced that its cross-platform instant messaging service will be shutting down in November this year.
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The announcement came after Hangouts was removed from Google Workspace in lieu of Google Chat a few months back.
As per Google, those who still use Hangouts via the mobile app will see a prompt asking them to move to Google Chat.
Hangouts users in Gmail’s web version will not get the prompt until July. Meanwhile, Hangouts desktop site users will get the prompt at least a month before it shuts down in November.
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Whether you initiate the move or not, Google should automatically transfer your chats and conversations to Google Chat. But if you plan on not using any Google messaging services altogether, the company has a Takeout service that lets you download all your Hangouts data before November.
To make Google Chats interesting, the company said that it will be adding new features like direct calls, in-line threads, and more to the replacement service.