Google Hangouts has been another success story for the company, which has had several different platforms for voice calling and messaging services.
The likes of Google Talk and G+ Messenger certainly created a lot of confusion amongst users. They have managed to do away with it to some extent after the launch of Google Hangouts in 2013. Following its success, the company is planning to merge the two options it has for voice calling – Google Hangouts and Voice.
Unifying both these products will bring out a stand-alone unit that will serve to take care of all needs like messaging, voice calling, and video calling. Google is yet to make this announcement official, but it seems that work has already begun in motion.
Voice Explained
Google Hangouts is an extremely popular product despite being around only for a short period of time. This is not the case with Google Voice. This is the product from Google that will allow its users to make phone calls, send voice messages, text messages, and make conference calls. This is all done via the telecommunication service that Google had opted for this purpose. This is the VoIP, which Google has been calling by the name Voice. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol.
Google Talk used to be the interface between the phone and the PC. It allowed the user to send text messages as well. However, the popularity of Google Hangouts may actually help the company get more out of this feature by offering it in the Hangout product.
Integration
Hangouts has been around since 2011, but it was not until 2013 that it started being used as the preferred communication app of Google. The ease of being able to make video calls to anyone across the world made it hugely popular. Unlike Skype, it was also possible for users to make conference video calls. Hangout became so popular that even big companies use this app for their video conferencing needs.
Even though Hangouts started out with only basic features like chatting and video conferencing, over the last few years, Google has added several features like being able to send text messages and files. One can also share the screen using Hangouts, which right now supports up to 10 users in a conference call. The presence of a strong list of competitors like Skype and Facebook messenger makes it very difficult and imperative for Google that it provides a one-stop solution.
Offering one product with all the above mentioned features will also help the company streamline operations and it is not surprising that they have decided to do away with the Voice.
According to rumors, Google was reportedly aware that Voice would not stand the test of time since it was merely a start into the future. They are now confident that Hangouts can take the position as the superior voice calling app out there.
Google is also working on integrating Hangouts into the phone so that users will be able to make VoIP much easier. This would eliminate the need to use a conventional telecom carrier for making calls.
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