Google Hangouts will be punted for business use, company exec explains

Google, after I/O 2016, vehemently denied it will be killing Hangouts after it announced two new chat apps, but the company has been mum on what that meant for the service. Thanks to new remarks from Google’s Nick Fox, we can now prepare to see Hangouts rebranded as a business-orientated service.

Speaking to Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham, the VP of communications Fox explains that Google’s two new chat apps — video calling service Duo, and search-enhanced chat app Allo — will pilot the company’s consumer messaging division.

On Gearburn: Google I/O 2016: Allo and Duo apps revealed

Hangouts will be refocused as a business utility, rather than a consumer service.

“Because Hangouts is built on a Google account, because it’s deeply integrated with Google apps, the Apps suite, Gmail, Calendar and so on, it’s seen much more success in the enterprise,” Fox reveals.

That’s largely thanks to the two apps’ requirements. Unlike Hangouts, Duo and Allo don’t explicitly require users to log in using a Google account, instead working much like WhatsApp‘s phone number-based system.

Google Hangouts will be refocused as a business utility, rather than a consumer service

Fox also denied that the company’s spreading itself too thin, offering three chat apps that are relatively similar in execution.

“We see them differently, and we think we’ll be able to build the best experiences by building focused experiences that do what they’re intended to do really, really well,” he notes.

He notes that separate apps also means a less cluttered experience within each. This is a stark departure from Facebook Messenger‘s add-all-the-things philosophy.

Google Duo is currently available on the Play Store, but Allo has yet to be giving a launch date.

You can find the full Engadget article here.