Over the years, Google has created various products and services, and sometimes these services can overlap with each other and has caused confusion. Hangouts is the perfect example where in the past, Hangouts was pretty much the only way you could make group video calls.
However, Google recently changed things up by introducing platforms like Google Meet and Google Duo, all of which support similar features. That being said, it now looks like Google has killed off the group video call feature of Hangouts, and are now directing users towards Google Meet if they want to conduct similar group video calls in the future.
Hangouts users who launch the app are now greeted by a message informing them that group video calls will have to be made through Google Meet. They also highlight some of the benefits of Meet, such as live captions and screen sharing. It’s not surprising that Google is starting to move Hangouts users towards Meet as the company does plan to eventually retire Hangouts.
The company had previously stated that they will be shutting the service down in the first half of 2021, so if you’re still using Hangouts for chats or group video calls, it might be a good idea to start moving to Meet and get used to the new interface and features.
Filed in . Read more about Google. Source: xda-developers