In true Google fashion, the launch of Duo, a new video chat focused mobile app, doesn’t mean the end of the company’s popular but dated Hangouts text and video chat platform.
According to a report stemming from Engadget, Hangouts is set to still be around following the rollout of Duo, though the app’s focus will shift to enterprise users. This is in line with a statement the search giant made during an interview with Business Insider, wherein a spokesperson for Google said the company will continue “to invest in Hangouts and it will remain a standalone product.”
With Google+ slowly becoming less important to Google’s apps — at one point the Facebook and Twitter competitor acted as the central hub for most of the tech giant’s apps — the company’s chat app strategy increasingly continues to make less sense.
The live version of Hangouts, however, called Hangouts On Air, will be phased out of Google+ and transition to YouTube Live starting September 12th.
Because Hangouts is available on iOS and Android, as well as desktop, the chat platform still holds a significant advantage over mobile-only Duo and Allo, though with the launch of two more platforms, Google’s app ecosystem is even more confusing.
Duo is currently rolling out worldwide and should be available in Canada soon.
[source]Engadget, Business Insider[/source][via]Android Authority[/via]
