Hangouts is probably one of the most loved chats and SMS applications that Google released a few years back to replace the Google Talk. It won’t be wrong to say that Google has tried experimenting with a lot of chat related applications ( like Allo) but the Hangouts application is the most successful one among them. Even, the phones with the pure Android version still come pre-loaded with Hangouts as one of the SMS apps. Well, it seems like it is time to say Goodbye to SMS feature on Hangouts for Android.
We can easily guess why this is going to happen. Recently, Google renamed its Messenger application to Android Messages, which is the default SMS app on most of the devices. So, when we already have an SMS app, then there is no need for the same feature on Hangouts. Also, Google wants to have an individual app for a particular feature. For Example, Google Allo for instant Messaging, Hangouts for some normal conversations, and the same goes for other Google apps like Duo, Hangouts Meet, Hangouts Chat, etc. Now, Google has begun sending an email to the administrators of the G Suite stating that Hangouts for Android will no longer support the SMS feature after 22nd May.
Talking about the Google Fi, the company has officially said –
Project Fi users can still send SMS messages through Hangouts and will not be affected by these changes. If you have the Project Fi/Hangouts integration enabled (i.e. Fi messages are synced across your devices), you will not be affected.
VIA – G Suite Updates