Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting down sometime in 2020

Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by robertcope on Friday November 30, 2018 @06:19PM (#18573657)

Yeah, this is a problem for me. I'm a long, long time Google Voice user. It is my main phone number. I do all my calls and SMS via Hangouts on my computer. It's pretty rare for me to use my phone. I'm going to be lost if I can't do this any longer, honestly.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by amerine on Saturday December 01, 2018 @05:10AM (#18576138)

I also have a very long time Grandcentral/Google Voice number 541-306-3055, and it’s been a journey.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by xtagon on Friday November 30, 2018 @04:42PM (#18572933)

With Google Voice + Hangouts you can also answer phone calls from a desktop computer/laptop very easily. I'll miss that.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by Marsymars on Friday November 30, 2018 @10:34PM (#18574936)

I recently looked into ways to do this outside of the US. Seems to be basically impossible other than using an iPhone/Mac with Continuity. :(

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by QuicksilverJohn on Saturday December 01, 2018 @03:17AM (#18575869)

No, Hangouts works great for this outside of the US. I use it in New Zealand all the time.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by 4ad on Saturday December 01, 2018 @11:30AM (#18577420)

IFF you have a GV number, which is US-only.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by JustSomeNobody on Friday November 30, 2018 @04:54PM (#18573051)

www.google.com/voice Should be able to make calls from there, right?

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by xtagon on Friday November 30, 2018 @05:14PM (#18573208)

I don't think that works for receiving incoming calls though.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by JustSomeNobody on Friday November 30, 2018 @07:01PM (#18573951)

There’s a slider in the iOS app that indicates it might be possible to enable. I’ll have to try that when I have a chance.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by JoshTriplett on Friday November 30, 2018 @06:08PM (#18573586)

You can do SMS via Android Messages and use messages.android.com on a computer. However, unlike Hangouts, it just connects to your phone to send and receive messages.

Google Fi will be unchanged; I've been using Messages from the beginning. Voice, however, has a much better experience with Hangouts than with the standalone Voice app, and in particular the standalone Voice app doesn't let you make VoIP calls as far as I can tell.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by mike00632 on Saturday December 01, 2018 @03:13AM (#18575856)

What do you mean by, "However, unlike Hangouts, it just connects to your phone to send and receive messages,"? My Google Voice number is my primary number but not my cell-service number. Would messages.android.com send/receive SMS as my Google Voice number or my cellular carrier number?

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by JoshTriplett on Saturday December 01, 2018 @03:34AM (#18575916)

Whichever number you have working through the Android Messages app on your phone. messages.android.com just connects (via Google) to the app on your phone, displays your messages from that, and lets you compose and send messages via that.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by int_19h on Friday November 30, 2018 @07:40PM (#18574153)

It needs to be something that can work as a background app with notifications etc.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by JoshTriplett on Friday November 30, 2018 @07:46PM (#18574187)

Messages on the web does support notifications, though you do have to keep it open. (But then, the same applies to Hangouts unless you use the Chrome app.)

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by curt15 on Friday November 30, 2018 @05:06PM (#18573142)

Google Voice? Google Fi?

There may be a more fundamental question here.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by flavor8 on Friday November 30, 2018 @05:17PM (#18573233)

They _just_ rebranded from Project Fi to Google Fi, and featured it on the google.com home page, so it seems safe for now.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by int_19h on Friday November 30, 2018 @07:41PM (#18574160)

But it still requires Hangouts to make and accept phone calls on other devices, so far as I can see.

https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6188337?hl=en&ref_topic...

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by JustSomeNobody on Friday November 30, 2018 @04:51PM (#18573025)

There's a google voice app.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by flavor8 on Friday November 30, 2018 @05:17PM (#18573237)

But it doesn't do SMS on the desktop.

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Re:Source: Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting do... by userhacker on Friday November 30, 2018 @11:58PM (#18575269)

If you are on a mac, I created a simple web wrapper for the google voice website and puts it on the menubar, you can SMS on the desktop that way. Link to the app voicenotifies.com

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