Google forcing Hangouts users to switch to Chat, unhappy netizens find it difficult to say goodbye

It's finally happening.

Google is forcing people out of Hangouts and making them switch to Chat.

People using Hangouts on mobile and desktop started seeing an in-app screen asking them to move to the Chat app or Chat in Gmail. People, who use the Hangouts Chrome extension, will be asked to move to Chat on the web or install the Chat web app.

According to a Google statement, users who use Hangouts in Gmail on the web will be upgraded to Chat in July.

Last month, in a blog post, the tech company said that it will begin the migration of free Hangouts users to Chat which was initially announced in October 2020.

The forced migration has left many netizens upset. While some decided to explore a new platform, others have been sharing the 'existential crisis' they faced when Hangouts suddenly forced the move.






Many users, who have built an emotional connection growing up with the obsolete platform, took to Twitter to express disappointment.






The sudden migration made many users reminiscence good ol' days. They scrolled through old messages with long-lost friends.



Users can store a copy of their Hangouts content via Google Takeout - the tech company's Download Your Data project. The data must be downloaded before Hangouts is no longer available in November 2022.

In its blog post, Google said that moving to Chat will let users edit Docs, Slides or Sheets with side-by-side editing, making it easier to collaborate while continuing the conversation. It also includes Spaces, a dedicated place for topic-based collaboration.

The statement also said that groups and teams can share ideas, work on documents, and manage files and tasks, all from a single location. The new integrated view in Gmail makes it easier to use Chat alongside your Gmail inbox, Spaces, and Meet.