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There were a lot of… lets just call ’em optimistic Android users out there PO’d to find that — contrary to rumors — Google’s all new messaging service, Google+ Hangouts, didn’t do much to unify anything. Sure, now you can send picture messages through Google Talk Hangouts, but with Google+ messages still being sent through Google+ Messenger, not to mention SMS messages still being handled by the native text messaging app — just what the heck did Google unify? Slow down there, guys. At least one of those issues is being addressed in the very near future.
Googler Ben Eidelson explains on Google+ page today that, yes, Google will soon give the axe to Google+ Messenger, to be replaced by none other than Hangouts. Right now, Google is busy doing some work on the backend to make sure everything is backed up and that the transition will be an easy one. After that, expect that red Messenger icon to forward you straight to Hangouts before eventually going the way of the dinosaur. Hope this helps answer many of your questions regarding Google+ Messenger.
Good to know that at least the Messenger app is going away, but that still leaves SMS and Voice.
And I hope my old Messenger conversations are transferred over to Hangout’s much vaunted “sync’d history”
I can only assume that since it asks for your number at the beginning that SMS is coming. Just have to be patient. One thing at a time I would assume.
I really hope so too, that would make it such an excellent app.
I don’t know if I’d like SMS to be bundled under the name “Hangouts”. O.o
I read that it asks for your phone number so that it can send you an SMS when you are not logged into Hangouts and someone sends you a msg
yes….it looks like Google doesn’t have any strategy, just pulling what’s in their mind…..but this is very simple:
1) G+ app with Messenger included (but a special icon in Android)
2) simple contact list (+online status)
3) don’t mess streams with hangouts = all the post ale drowned then!!!!!
4) don’t mess text chat with video chat info = all the text in chat is drowned then!
5) integrate in Android properly! – just tap on contact and show “call, sms, hangout, chat, map etc”
6) keep simplicity and simple chat habits!
¨
7) much more but these point are the most important
i hope they make the app compatible with my tablet.
my N7 has the hangout app,don’t know if it works yet,but it did G talk OK( with wi fi)..
it’s compatible, you just have to sideload it. If you do that though, I found that it’s helpful to sign out of talk before installing the .apk. On my Nexus 7, I get notifications for both talk and hangouts. On my N10, I get just notifications for hangouts. kinda weird
I had that too until I rebooted.
If they can do this with gvoice as well I will be all set.
I have to believe it will replace SMS because on my nexus it asked to verify my phone number but on my Xoom and my wife’s incredible 2 it didn’t ask, nor is it in settings. I have to think then it will replace SMS And MMS on newer phones.
I don’t think it will “replace” SMS as this is a Google app and so base Android still needs to have a way to SMS. It may incorporate it but the messaging app will have to still exist.
I still can’t cut them any slack…. my measly “Verizon Messages” app can group message, send/capture pictures/videos/audio clips, send map locations, call people straight from the app, and save history to the cloud to sync all devices. All through SMS/MMS. Why can’t Google just make their stock SMS/MMS app do the same?!!!! Grrrrrr
I still don’t get this big push to get rid of SMS/MMS. If done right, it works just as well as any of these data based messaging apps. And it works wonderfully in rural areas where data (3g/4g) is limited or non existent. I work outside a lot for my job, and in many rural areas where I can’t even make a phone call, I am still able to converse through SMS/MMS.
I guess people don’t want to pay for both SMS and data.
In the United State, SMS/MMS is unlimited will almost every ‘smartphone’ plan.
Eh, have you spoken with AT&T’s or Verizon’s individual plans? $20 for unlimited texting. I don’t plan to pay for that, but I wouldn’t regardless since I use Voice with a ported number from my old VZW plan.
You pay about $20 to get that unlimited. It’s not added on because it’s cheap and easy to add on. Or you can pay 10 cent for every message sent or received. Picture messages can get up to 1-2MB in size. You think that would be cheap to maintain?
Your “measly” Verizon app is making money from your service. Have you clicked on any ads on Google and gave them some revenue? LoL!!
I’m sure it’s not that they can’t do it, but they need the bandwidth and money to be able to do it.
1MB is small, but imagine 100 people sending 10 pictures a day for one week. 1GB a day, 7GB a week. Now make that 1 million people. Little things add up fast. LoL!!
I hope everyone is bracing themselves for the data price to become sms + the original data price then.
There’s an HTC rep over on Reddit that has been doing a lot of Q&A. Someone asked him about an MMS bug and he said (paraphrased) “If we could get rid of MMS, we’d get rid of our largest bug source, since nobody implements the standard exactly the same, and it depends on sender, receiver, and carrier(s).” He then proceeded to suggest using anything but MMS to send photos since MMS requires re-compressing the photo.
Mathias Duarte already addressed this issue on Google+ and said they’re currently working on migrating data from messenger to the new hangouts application
Personally I think this app :
1) Google+ Messenger integration (confirmed they’re working on this)
2) SMS integration
3) Google voice integration
4) Paste copied picture or video rather than having to go to the gallery or take a new pic
5) Bring back voice only calls
6) Night mode / dark theme
Then delete the standalone apps of the absorbed services.
and after that expect SMS to be incorporated too. It just takes time and as we all know Google always put stuff out that then slowly overtakes its other aging services.