Google announces a complete shift from Hangouts to Chat

Google announces a complete shift from Hangouts to Chat

Google Workspace has announced that it is replacing Google Hangouts with Google Chat. The company disclosed its plans to disable Google Hangouts on web and migrate data to Google Chat on web instead.

Earlier this year, the company mentioned that Google Chat will become the default application for texting and that users visiting Google Hangouts via Gmail web, Hangouts mobile app, and Hangouts Chrome extension will be automatically redirected to Google Chat. With today's announcement, Google Hangouts is officially set to end services by November 1, 2022.

According to the company, more information regarding exporting data and Vault changes will be emailed to Admins. While most data will automatically be exported to Google Chat, some might still be left behind; in that case, Google will notify the respective users. The company supported its decision by stating that the upgrade would provide users with “a single messaging solution and better integration across Google Workspace.” The update also comes with other features like tagging users in chat, sharing GIFs and emoji reactions, and accessing Chat from Gmail.

All Google Workspace users and legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers will experience the update that will commence at the beginning of November. Additionally, users can download chat data by January 1, 2023 (PST, GMT-7) via Google Takeout, because after that all data on Hangouts will be deleted.