Starting next month, Google Workspace users will no longer have the classic Hangouts messaging service as part of the transition to Google Chat. Google has announced that it will make Google Chat the default chat application from March 22nd. This means that users will be redirected to Chat when they try to visit Hangouts in Gmail for the web or when they try to use the old Hangouts mobile app. Switching from Google Hangouts to Google Chat is Google's latest step in the process of evolving its messaging strategy. Google Chat should not be confused with the GChat service, which is the unofficial... … Read More »

Google's latest move concerns the improvement of Workspace, and the goal of companies that have existing email systems, but do not have access to modern productivity applications. A big selling point of the Google Workspace Essentials Starter Edition is that it's free, with no "limited trial period". The Workspace Essentials Starter Edition primarily implements Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as Chat (along with Spaces) and Meet for Communication. As with a free personal account, storage space is limited to 15GB. The biggest thing missing here, of course, is Gmail. No need for... … Read More »