So. Google voice is still going on? Since Google voice added a dialer in an update last year.
Google voice app is taking over?
I mean Google voice on PC will still offer phone numbers ect right?
I believe GV with a dialer is still in beta test-- I don't think the standard version has it yet. (But yes, that seems to be the plan.)
Not sure about any impact on GV on PC, as I haven't used that feature.
(EDIT: I'm wrong about the dialer-- see Isamorph's reply below. Maybe I was confused with WiFi calling/VoIP, which may still be in beta?)
I believe the GV dialer is standard now. I have the GV app with dialer, downloaded from the play store, on my phones. From what I gather, when Hangouts is ended for consumers, the GV phone app, as well as GV on pcs will continue to work as they have. But who knows with Google, for things may change between now and 2020.
I also read on Twitter the person in charge of hangouts said that hangouts will be replaced by Google chat. Or something like that
They may have been talking about Hangouts Chat, which will be mostly for businesses and not everyday consumers.
https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/products/chat/get-started/#!/
I use Google voice for texts and voicemail. I never finished putting the dialer to work. I got 2019 to fix that
From the horse's mouth: Apparently the death of Hangouts is premature, or at least confusing.
https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/12/03/hangouts-executive-rebuts-rumors-of-shut-down-users-will-be-transitioned-to-hangouts-chat-and-meet/
That's good news. I have tried Google Voice before and I could not get group texting to work. It would send to each recipient separately.
Here's more Hangouts news. All I can say is the future is hard to predict.
Are we forced to use chat and meet or will Google voice app still work? I like that app
If one wants to continue using Hangouts, then you would have to use whatever is required. I've seen nothing that says GV and the app will not work in the future. But with Google one never knows, and they could choose to end GV at any time. Google's hangman has been busy over the years, as can be seen in the following cemetery.
The Killed by Google list is indeed impressive. Among surprises to me was Google Site Search (used to provide google search function within an entities website), which I imagine caused significant upset to those using it.
The list touches on the edge of my most missed "killed" item-- Google Search, limited to blogs, forums, and newsgroups. (The list mentions Google Blog Search.). For me, the perfect way to research an item without having to wade through endless reseller sites, and links to reseller sites, etc. I used it multiple times a week. Unfortunately, it apparently got killed because it was not nearly as conducive to monetizing.......
Yes, the less one travels on the internet, the less billboards one sees.
More abut the fate of Hangouts.
So my confusion is. If Google voice app is essentially a better Hangout s. Like app.
Why would Google bring out new transition apps?
Google voice cannot do video calls or video conference calls, and so it's not essentially a better Hangouts app. Google has had a problem making an all encompassing app for messaging, calls, video calls and group chats, etc., and so it now takes a one size does not fit all approach and has several apps that each do at least one thing well. The following link is probably a good summation of Google's communication apps.
Hangouts seems to be the most versatile and has the highest installed base so I guess it makes perfect sense to get rid of it.
Oh wait...
Or confine it to "Google Suite" where someone must pay for it.
Well for us google voice is sufficient we do not need group chat or video calls (Skype)
We use it in buildings that have no TMobile service and have wifi. It is a great back up. Not used everyday but once awhile