Hangouts is a communication app that supported messages, calls, and shared media between contacts.
Hangouts addressed everyday communication between people who wanted to chat with friends, family, or groups using a Google account. It was built mainly for personal conversations and kept discussions connected across supported devices. However, classic Hangouts was discontinued on November 1, 2022, and it is no longer accessible on mobile devices or the web.
Individual and group messaging
Hangouts allowed you to send instant messages to one contact or to a group conversation. Group chats could include up to 150 participants, which made the app suitable for family discussions, friend groups, and larger shared conversations. Messages could still be sent when a contact was offline, so they could read them later.
Voice and video conversations
Hangouts supported free voice calls and video calls between other Hangouts users. You could start a direct call with one person or bring several people into a video conversation. Group video calls supported up to 10 people, allowing small groups to talk face to face from their devices.
Photos, locations, and reactions
You could add more context to a conversation by sharing photos, videos, maps, emoji, stickers, animated GIFs, and status updates. For example, a map could help a group decide where to meet, while photos and videos could be sent directly in a chat. These items appeared alongside regular messages in the same conversation.
Calls to phone numbers
You can also call phone numbers in different countries. Calls between Hangouts users were free, while calls to regular phone numbers could involve charges depending on the destination. This option was different from an internet voice call because it could reach people who did not use Hangouts.
Google Voice connection
You could connect a Google Voice account to Hangouts for phone calls, SMS messages, and voicemail. This gave users a way to manage Google Voice communication through the interface. In addition, conversations synchronized across supported devices, so a message thread could remain available when switching between them.
Classic Google Hangouts was discontinued on November 1, 2022. It cannot be used as an active messaging service on Android, the web, or other former access points. As a result, an older Hangouts APK should not be treated as a way to restore the discontinued service.
Google Chat is the official service that replaced Hangouts. It is the relevant option for users who want a current Google messaging service, including people looking for a familiar account-based chat experience. Google Chat also serves as the destination for users who moved away from classic Hangouts.
Hangouts remains relevant as a former Google communication app, but its classic service has ended. For the current releases, you can always downoad Hangouts APK latest version from APKPure.