Google’s new all-encompassing messaging app, Hangouts, will soon benefit from Google Voice integration, the web giant confirmed on Monday evening.
The application combines a host of existing Google communications products, like Gtalk, Gmail, and Hangouts video conferencing.
However, the cheap VoIP service Voice wasn’t included in the initial launch, leading to speculation in some quarters that it may be on the outs.
The confirmation that Voice will indeed be part of Hangouts came after the company worried some users by disabling Google Voice outgoing calls within the Gmail web app.
Google’s Nikhyl Singhal said the functionality would soon be returning to the Gmail app and would stay there until full Google Voice integration was in place.
He wrote in a post on Google Plus: “We’re working hard on supporting both, and outbound/inbound calls will soon be available. In the meantime, you can continue using Google Talk in Gmail.”
He added: “Hangouts is designed to be the future of Google Voice, and making/receiving phone calls is just the beginning.”
We wonder what Google has planned for Voice that would generate such hyperbole as Voice certainly hasn’t had much love from The Big G in recent years.
So far Hangouts, which was announced at Google I/O last week, has been received well following its instantaneous release on iOS, Android and the web.
The aim of the service is to condense all of Google’s auxiliary messaging apps into one app that’s available on multiple platforms.
It has the potential to become the one messaging app to rule them all, but on the downside, users have to be Google members to make use of Hangouts.
Has that put you off? What are your experiences so far? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
