Google Hangouts is officially closing for good

One of the most influential names in chat software is bidding farewell as Google Hangouts begins its final goodbye.

The company has confirmed that from November 1, 2022, Hangouts on the web will no longer be available for users as it looks to modernize its Google Workspace suite to be as effective for users as possible.

Instead, users will now be directed to Google Chat as the company looks to continue the transition to its more unified instant messaging service.

Goodbye Google Hangouts

Users looking to access the Hangouts website will now see a message stating, "Starting November 1, 2022, Hangouts on the web will redirect to Chat on Web. We recommend moving to Chat now."

The news is the final nail in the coffin for Google Hangouts following the initial announcement of its retirement in 2020.

The Android and iOS apps were shut down in July 2022, with the oficial Hangouts Chrome extension also closed shortly after.

Google Hangouts to Chat migration — (Image credit: Google)

Google says that although most messages and contacts should be moved to the new service, some conversations or portions of conversations won’t automatically migrate from Hangouts to Chat, although affected users should already have been contacted.

Users can continue to use Google's Takeout service to download their Hangouts data until January 1, 2023.

> Google Chat groups are about to get even more complex

> Check out the best messaging services we've seen

> Google Chat is starting to look even more like Slack

The company first began "upgrading" enterprise and business users on "Classic Hangouts" to Google Chat in March 2022. Mobile users started seeing in-app alerts to move onto Chat in Gmail or the Chat app in June, with web users upgraded in July.

"Google Chat offers a modern and integrated experience in Google Workspace. We have big ambitions for the future of Chat, and over the coming months you'll see even more features like direct calling, in-line threading in Spaces and the ability to share and view multiple images," wrote Ravi Kanneganti, Product Manager, Google Chat at the time.

"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."

Here's our list of the best online collaboration tools right now

Via TechCrunch

Source: TechRadar

Android 12 will bring the end of third-party share menus

Apps like Sharedr will no longer be able to replace the default share dialog. What you need to know Third-party apps will not be allowed to replace the Android share menu in Android 12. You will no longer be able to set apps like Sharedr as the default. Google says it never intended to allow third-party apps to replace the official Sharesheet. One of Android 12 's biggest highlights is the new Material You design language, which brings major changes to nearly every key UI component. Android 12 will also introduce a major change to the way users share links and photos, according to a report from XDA Developers . On Android 11 , Google allows third-party apps and OEMs to fully customize the Android Sharesheet, which is the reason why the share dialog differs from one app to another. It is even possible to completely bypass the official Android Sharesheet by setting an app like Sharedr as the default Sharesheet. In addition to providing a more consistent experience, Sharedr

The new Amazon Fire HD 10 is growing into a viable productivity tablet

An already good entertainment device finally gets productive. Amazon has been busy churning out a whole host of new devices and upgrades to existing devices over the past several months. Earlier this year, I reviewed the excellent Echo Buds (2nd Gen) , and even the fantastic Echo Frames (2nd Gen), have since been updated to include options with sunglass and blue light filtering lenses . In early May, we also learned that Amazon was refreshing the Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 and that it was even rolling out its first Echo Show for kids . While newer and more novel products like the ones mentioned above often see a faster update cycle, more mature devices like Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets go longer between new versions. In fact, the last update to the Fire HD 10 line was back in 2019, so, understandably, Amazon was ready to reinvigorate its flagship tablet. Not only did it update the specs and colors on the Fire HD 10, but it also gave us a second version in the Fire HD 10 Plu

Google Announces Support for Account Passkeys

Google today announced that it is introducing support for passkeys, providing an easier and more secure login method for Google accounts. Apple integrated passkeys into iOS with the launch of iOS 16 , and it is also available in iPadOS 16.1 and later as well as macOS Ventura . Passkeys are an industry standard developed by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium, so Google's passkey integration will work on Apple devices as well as on other devices that support the feature. As Google notes: Last year — alongside FIDO Alliance, Apple and Microsoft — we announced we would begin work to support passkeys on our platform as an easier and more secure alternative to passwords. And today, ahead of World Password Day, we've begun rolling out support for passkeys across Google Accounts on all major platforms. They'll be an additional option that people can use to sign in, alongside passwords, 2-Step Verification (2SV), etc. Passkeys are both easier to use and more

Wondershare Photo Collage Studio

Wondershare Photo Collage Studio Studio integrated workshop create albums of your digital photos Yes with this program you can create Albums wonderful from your digital photos and keep them you can create albums stunning so wonderful additions distinctive not imagine it The program supports hundreds of templates and frameworks that can be used during the creation of your album from your digital photos and keep your album in a computer Create beautiful albums and you can add a lot through this program distinctive and you can with this program, add effects beautiful and can set the time to add effects and allows you to program import all image formats and also features a unique interface easier for the professional user and the novice to use this program if you want to view images through your computer, this program will add a great aesthetic touch to browse your photos through this program is a wonderful experience import all image formats

Tech Talk

Search This Blog