In 2021 Google introduce Google chat, it allows users to chat with each other privately with option to switch to google chat from hangout. Users were prompt to move to Google chat on their own while google chat would replace the hangout. Finally, the google hangout has been phased out by google this fall. It is the end of an era of a powerful application that allow people getting together without actually getting together. We got together virtually but over the time many chatting application with better feature and UI has been developed hangout. Google hangout was one of the Google+ feature before it was separated to be a stand alone application that can be downloaded from application store. It was estimated to have about 5 billion downloads from Google play store.
Now Users have until January 2023 to keep their hangout data all users both desktop and mobile users will be migrated to google chat to complete the total shutdown of the messaging app.
To enable Google chats on Gmail web, go to settings > Chat and Meet > select Google Chat. It is also available for iOS and Android platform. It is an intelligent messaging app for texting, voice chat and video chat.
We will miss you Google hangout but we have enough replacement in stores.