Google says iMessage is too powerful

Re:Google says iMessage is too powerful by zamadatix on Tuesday January 11, 2022 @09:31PM (#29901563)

Google Chat, it actually loads on the sidebar of gmail unless you disable it... though I can't blame you for never noticing/caring.

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Re:Google says iMessage is too powerful by Gigachad on Tuesday January 11, 2022 @09:52PM (#29901704)

We are going to need a full diagram to explain what the google chat app is. From what I remember it goes

Google Talk

Google Voice

Google Wave

Google Buzz

Google Hangouts

Allo / Duo

Hangouts Meet / Hangouts Chat

Google Meet / Google Chat

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Re:Google says iMessage is too powerful by easrng on Tuesday January 11, 2022 @10:20PM (#29901871)

Currently there's

  +----------+-------------+------------------------+-------------+
  |          | Audio Calls | Messaging              | Video Calls |
  +----------+-------------+------------------------+-------------+
  | Consumer | Duo         | Messages (SMS/RCS),    | Duo         |
  |          |             | Hangouts               |             |
  +----------+-------------+------------------------+-------------+
  | Business | Voice       | Chat (Formerly         | Meet        |
  |          |             | Hangouts Chat), Voice  |             |
  +----------+-------------+------------------------+-------------+

Business products are available for consumers too, but with limitations. (For example, consumers can't make bots for Chat.)

Hangouts is almost gone, starting a video call just makes a Meet and sends the link as a message, the messaging still works but has been folded into Chat (They interop for now at least.) so there's no reason to keep Hangouts on anymore really. Meet is for larger meetings, Duo is mostly for one-on-one calls but has group support now too. Chat is basically a Slack clone. Messages is Google's SMS/MMS/RCS app for Android and it requires an Android phone with an active phone plan but it has a web interface for composing messages on your computer. Voice does phone calls, voicemail, and SMS and MMS with a number from Google, and is separate from Messages. I don't think Voice can do RCS which is odd considering how their pushing it on Android.

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Re:Google says iMessage is too powerful by whydoyoucare on Tuesday January 11, 2022 @10:09PM (#29901796)

That is one thing that I absolutely dislike -- sticking everything as a part of one big browser. I prefer individual apps that I can control separately, than use a monolithic application. :-(

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Re:Google says iMessage is too powerful by zamadatix on Tuesday January 11, 2022 @10:25PM (#29901902)

You can, Chat has its own full page that loads when you click it from the apps menu and you can disable the sidebar in Gmail in the settings. The same was true of GTalk/Hangouts before Chat

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