Google Chat will replace classic Hangouts for workspace users in March 2022
Google is all set to switch classic Hangouts to Google Chat for workspace users in March 2022. Since October 2019, Google was planning to migrate Classic Hangouts to Chat, but the multi-stage program didn’t start until 2020.
According to Google, it is not viable to opt-out of the change. But, it added that hangouts.google.com will continue to work but apps will be disabled for both Android and iOS. However, the users need not worry about chat history because Google already pushed chat records (history) to Google Chat.
Now, Google is now ready to move the last step for migration. This change is only for affecting Workspace users and there is an indication that free personal Google Accounts doesn’t get affected by it.
For your information, it’s a big shift in messaging app strategy, when users visit Classic Hangouts in mobile apps they will be directed to Chat. Except for a few cases, all the conversation history from Hangouts will be available in Chat:
- If the association’s admin console setting is yet ‘Chat and classic Hangouts’ an automated upgrade domain ‘Chat preferred’ will appear over three weeks beginning March 2022.
- Organizations that have ‘Classic Hangouts only’ will catch the migration over five-week from the 4th of April.
Classic Hangouts:
Make a one-to-one conversation or group chat with your gang and share emojis, photos, and GIFs. Classic Hangouts helped to keep in touch with one person or group. Google decided to replace it, which means when people visit Classic Hangouts in Gmail they will be directed to Google chats.
Google Chat:
Google Chat is available in personal Google accounts. You can turn it on in Gmail settings to experience its features. You can message a person or group in this app, in the same way, you do in Hangouts. Maybe you are not allowed to open Classic Hangouts in Gmail.
(Source- 9to5Google)