Google is prompting Hangouts mobile users to migrate to Chat in Gmail or the Chat app. The tech giant will shut down Hangouts in November this year.
Hangouts Chrome extension users will have to move to Chat on the web or install the Chat web app. Those using Hangouts in Gmail on the web will be upgraded to Chat in July, Google said in a blog post. However, Hangouts on the web will be available until later this year, Google added.
The conversations will automatically migrate from Hangouts to Chat. Users can also download their data using Google Takeout before Hangouts goes inoperative.
Google Chat features
“Over the coming months, you will see even more features like direct calling, in-line threading in Spaces and the ability to share and view multiple images. As we take this final step to bring remaining Hangouts users to Chat, we hope users will appreciate our continued investment in making Chat a powerful place to create and collaborate,” Ravi Kanneganti, product manager at Google Chat, wrote in a blog post.