Is Google Planning to Phase Out Hangouts After the Launch of Allo and Duo?

The recent launches of Google Allo and Duo have cast a shadow over the cherished Google Hangouts, leaving many users yearning for the simplicity and versatility of the older service. Hangouts once stood as a multi-purpose platform catering to text, multimedia, voice, and video communication, all bundled into a lightweight app that seamlessly worked across multiple devices.

The Decline of Hangouts

One user laments, 'I really miss the old Hangouts. It was simple, lightweight, and worked seamlessly for SMS, MMS, VoIP, and video calls. I could switch between devices without missing a beat.' This sentiment highlights a growing frustration with the new apps. While Hangouts was a robust all-in-one solution, it has been slowly replaced by a suite of specialized applications.

Google’s Hangouts will continue to be positioned as their primary business communication tool, while Allo and Duo will focus on consumer needs. Nick Fox, Google’s Vice President of Communication Products, explained, 'We’ve historically tried to do a lot in a single app, but the reality is that video and text are pretty different types of communication. We see them differently and think we’ll be able to build the best experiences by building focused experiences that do what they’re intended to do really really well.'

Allo and Duo: Focused Communication Apps

Google’s technical lead for Duo, Justin Uberti, highlighted the strategic differentiation between the apps: 'Allo and Duo will definitely integrate with each other more in the future. This integration will blur the line between two separate apps, though no word has been said yet about integrating from and to Hangouts, or whether Allo’s killer feature, Google Assistant, will also feature in Hangouts.'

Allo and Duo are consumer-oriented apps, with Allo tailored for text-based chats and Duo for 1-to-1 video conferencing. Allo, in particular, offers an interesting integration with Google Assistant, a feature that isn’t yet available on Hangouts. While Hangouts caters more to business and group communication, it stands as a paid solution with offerings like the Chromebox for Meetings for teleconferencing.

Text Chat and Beyond

For text-based chat, Hangouts, Allo, and Allo Android Messenger serve the same primary functions. However, the introduction of the Google Assistant into Allo adds an extra layer of functionality that isn’t available in Hangouts. The question arises, why does Google need three different applications to serve the same purpose? It would have made more sense to enhance Hangouts with these features rather than introduce a new app.

The Future of Hangouts

Despite the concerns, Hangouts is not likely to be phased out anytime soon. Google markets it as a solution for businesses with tools like the Chromebox for Meetings and other teleconferencing solutions. Furthermore, Hangouts continues to be updated and improved, indicating that it still holds a significant place in Google’s communication strategy.

Conclusion

The future of these apps remains uncertain, but for now, it appears that Hangouts will coexist with Allo and Duo, each serving a specific purpose. Whether this arrangement is sustainable or if Google will eventually unify their communication platforms into one, only time will tell. If you're a fan of Hangouts, there are still good reasons to stick with it, especially if you're in a professional environment or looking for a robust teleconferencing solution.