14 DAY TRIAL // In an email to its partners, Google reportedly announced a significant change to the core GMS package for Android smartphones. Starting December, the tech giant will no longer include Hangouts in the list of applications bundled with new hardware.
“Today, we are announcing that Google Duo will replace Hangouts within the suite of core GMS apps, and Hangouts will become GMS Optional for telephony products. This change will take effect on December 1, 2016,” Google stated in the email, according to Android Police.
This means that manufacturers will have the option to stop including Google Hangouts on smartphones released in 2017. Users would have to download and install the application from the Play store if they wish to use it.
Google will transform Hangouts into a business communications platform
Google intends to replace Hangouts with Duo on the GMS package for Android smartphones and not Allo. Hangouts did offer video-calling options to its users and Google wanted to find a fitting equivalent, in the form of Duo.
However, Allo is a much more complex application, with its Google Assistant integration that allows smart replies and lots of other useful features. Allo is currently competing against other popular third-party messaging solutions, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Kik, and LINE.
It seems that Google might be trying to transform Hangouts into a business communications platform, so the app will be focusing on the collaborative group productivity market. This means that the app will continue to live on, but it’s unknown for how long.
Meanwhile, Google’s Duo continues to gain popularity, as the app surpassed the 10 million downloads mark on the Play Store. It offers an easy way to place video calls, with tools that prevent the app from dropping the call if Wi-Fi or network connectivity is lacking. It also has a very neat Knock Knock feature that shows a video of the caller before picking up.