How long have you been a google mail (Gmail) user? There is a reason for this question and in due course, you are going to find it. If you have been using the Gmail platform for quite some time now, let me say, since 2010, then you should have noticed the Google talk tool.
Well if you were an active user since then you wouldn’t have just noticed it, you would have even made use of it. And like I said if you were an active user you will find out that the feature and tool are no longer available, right? Have you ever wondered why, as the reason for this, what happened to the app you have been making use of for some time?
Google Talk
Google talk is or was an instant messaging (texting and voice) tool developed by Google. This instant messaging tool as you may have known provided users with both texting and voice communication. This tool was referred to among users then as GTalk, iMessage, or Gchat.
Many Gmail users then were very conversant with this tool as they were making use of it with every chance they get. However, there are some users that never knew of its existence although they were active Gmail account holders. Google talk was also available in various versions and applications. The application however was available for blackberry, android, Microsoft windows, and Chrome operating systems.
In February 2015, the tool and service were discontinued. Users who were trying to access the platform were met with an error message. Within this error message was an explanation explaining to users what had happened. Users were however referred to Google hangouts in other to keep chatting with their friends. Some users now know how the Google hangouts tool came into existence and used.
Since the Google hangouts service replaced Google talk directly, users or Google talk account holders could use the same account details to log in to Google hangouts. Your contacts from the previous tool will appear automatically in the hangouts app. Users however can still connect to Google talk via third-party apps such as pidgin and gajim.
To find your contacts and history in the Google Hangouts app, people that you chat with frequently will appear in the contacts and recent conversations tabs in hangouts. However, if you see a contact here you can opt to search for their names using the search bar. You can also find your conversation history from Google talk in the Gmail chat archive.
Google Hangouts Chat
‘Google Hangouts was the program or service that replaced Google talk. The integration of the service went into full throttle immediately after the Google talk service was discontinued. Here is something you should know, however. The Google hangouts tool will now be referred to as hangouts chat.
In August 2019, the g-suite version of hangouts will be replaced by ‘chat’ and ‘meet’. With the Google hangouts tool, you can message friends and make free voice and video calls. You can also create a group for all your friends that are making use of the service. Also, you can join a group.
This and so much more you can do with the Google hangouts tool. If you already have a Google talk account you can sign in to hangouts with the login details. You can download the Google hangouts app on your mobile device or you can access it on the web via your mobile devices web browser. There is also a chrome extension for this Google tool and you can get it from the Google Chrome web store. On your mobile device, visit your AppStore to get it for free.
Google Voice | Google Talk App
Moving away from the Google talk and hangouts tools, there is the Google voice tool. Unlike the hangout and the talk tools and services, this very service is solely for voice calls. When you sign up with this platform and service you will be given a phone number and with this number, you can not only place calls but also receive calls from just about anywhere you are in the world.
The number works on smartphones and on the web. This tool helps you save time while keeping you connected to both family and business. To get started with this tool and Google service go to Google Voice.
