It’s not a secret: Google wants to get rid of Hangouts. Initially launched as a competitor to Facebook Messenger, this instant messenger failed to establish itself with the general public, who preferred Facebook apps in addition to Google+. including WhatsApp. Google then turned Hangouts to the pros. Head-to-head competition with SkypeWith two apps, Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet.
This week Google Renames Hangouts Meet. Will be called soon Google Meet, It’s pretty simple. The information conveyed by our American colleagues from 9to5Google comes from the technical support page for Google applications, where Hangouts Meet was replaced by Google Meet, as you can see in the screenshot below. It doesn’t get any clearer. Note that Google spokespersons have been calling the app “Meet” for the past few months. It’s like Hangouts doesn’t exist anymore.
Take advantage of the influx of teleworkers
This change is not trivial. And Google didn’t choose it by chance in April. Looks like Google wants take advantage of the confinement period of many countries, after the international coronavirus epidemic, to establish itself in the business video conferencing market. The area where Microsoft and Zoom are already well established. At a time when meetings are now held remotely, Google hopes to persuade those disappointed with the competition. But it must be done now. Hence the urgency of getting rid of the Hangouts brand.
A brand synonymous with failure for Google. Indeed, despite Google’s strong legitimacy, Despite the app’s systematic presence on Android since KitKatDespite multiple connections with G Suite’s most popular tools (including Gmail), Hangouts was not successful. For two years, there were rumors that Google wanted to remove the brand. until the end of 2020. And a new step has been taken.
Source : 9to5Google
