Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, ever since they have been released, have been quite a sensation. They have been bringing forward a large number of changes in the way the markets of smartphone technology function, and have been some of the most innovative smartphones in a long time. Google has brought forward hardware as well as software changes with these devices. Google Pixel also marks major branding changes as these ‘Google Smartphones’ will now take on the Apple iPhone devices. Google Pixel also marks one more major change – the process of bidding a slow goodbye to Google Hangouts has now begun.
According to reports via Chrome Unboxed, it has now come to light that the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL smartphones will no longer feature the Google Hangouts app as the default app, which it used to be in the past. The app will now be ‘disabled’ by default in the Play Store. However interested users can still enable it and use its services like in the past.
Google has also stated in the past that they have no intention of killing the Hangouts app and the users can use the service as they always did in the past. The Google Hangouts app faces major threat from the arrival of Google Allo and Google Duo. Google intends to soon market the Google Hangouts app as the face of corporate communication, taking on the likes of Skype, which has been one of the most popular apps in that niche in the past.
Google Allo and Google Duo have been performing well for Google when it comes to the numbers game. The apps have both received millions of downloads in a rather short time. The Google Duo is being hailed for its simplicity and the tap-to-call approach, while the Google Allo is generating buzz for the Google Assistant. The sword is indeed hanging on the head of Google Hangouts.
