Before Closing In November, Google Begins Migration From Hangouts To Chat

Google Chat will bring several new features to attract Hangouts users (photo: Google)

JAKARTA - Following the announcement Google made in October 2020, and discontinuing Hangouts users in February, Google is now starting its migration to Google Chat.

The tech giant is asking Hangouts users to switch to Google Chat. Mobile users will see a request to upgrade from Hangouts to Chat in Gmail or the Chat app.

Google claims that moving to Chat will open up new and better ways to connect with other people.

"For example, users can edit Docs, Slides or Sheets with side-by-side editing, making it easier to collaborate while continuing the conversation," wrote Ravi Kanneganti, Product Manager, Google Chat on a Google blog.

Google Chat will also provide Spaces, a kind of group that allows you to share ideas, manage files and tasks together in one location with your friends.

Best of all, in Chat, you can easily express yourself using features like @mentions, emoji reactions, and the integrated GIF selector.

While Google is encouraging all Hangouts users to switch to Chat, Hangouts on the web will still be available until later this year, in November to be exact.

For those of you who already want to switch to Chat but are afraid your previous conversations will be lost, Google recommends saving a copy of your Hangouts data using Google Takeout.