Months ago it was confirmed that Google Chat will be the app that replaces Hangouts in Spain. The transition will take place this year, in the first half. Hangouts has been shutting down for quite some time and will soon be a reality. Google seeks to make the transition easier for users, so they will implement a preview soon.
Google Chat is not yet available for regular Google accounts, although this will change soon. In its latest version it has been seen that the code already shows references to a Consumer Beta, which will allow users to test it. Also, a preview will be released for Hangouts users.
Google Chat will replace Hangouts in 2021 and will be free for everyoneGoogle has confirmed that Hangouts will be dismissed in 2021 and Google Chat will be the application in charge of replacing it and will be available free to all.
Google Chats will soon replace Hangouts
The Google Chat preview will be activated in the coming weeks, to allow Hangouts users to migrate to this new application. This will allow them try the new messaging app from Google, an aid in this transition to it. In the new application there are functions that are not available in Hangouts, something that is shown in that code, so users can enjoy additional features.
The preview could cause problems or errors in operationSince this is a preview, it is not the final version of the application. Nothing is known about the dates when this preview will be made available to Hangouts users, although it should not take long, if Google plans to migrate to the new app in the first half of the year.
Also, it seems that It will also be possible to test Google Chat in Gmail, so that it would not be necessary to install this messaging app independently. It has been shown in the Gmail code that it will be possible to test the messaging app in this way. So far, only Google Workspace accounts have Chat built into Gmail. It seems that soon this integration will be released for all users.
It only remains to wait for this preview to be released for Hangouts users. It is also expected that during that time users will be able to alternate Google Chat and Hangouts, depending on their needs.
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