is dialing back its ambitious plans to make Hangouts the all-in-one app for text picture messaging on Android. llipop 5.0 will ship with a separate Messenger app, which we first spotted in a leak of the Nexus 6 just before its announcement.
The app will ship as the default for SMS MMS, whereas Hangouts is the pre-selected choice on Kit Kat, the current version of Android.
Evleaks Hangouts is banished to a folder in this image of the Nexus 6 running Android 5.0, which showcases the Messenger app on the home screen.
confirmed to Android lice that this icon is indeed for an app called Messenger, built specifically to hle text picture messages. (It’s essentially an updated version of Android’s Messaging app.) Hangouts can still hle those tasks if that’s the preference.
Here’s what a spokesperson told Android lice:
“Messenger Hangouts offer users choice, each have their own benefits. Hangouts work great for cross platform (web, iOS, Android) cross medium communications (video, voice,messaging, SMS). Messenger will be specially designed to be a quick easy way to send receive SMS MMS messages on Android; more to come (Nexus 6 will come with both apps).”
is also rumored to be building a separate messaging app for its Android One phones in India to compete with atsApp, but there’s no indication this app is part of that effort.
y this matters: is backtracking on its goal of moving all of its messaging into Hangouts. The app now hles SMS, MMS, Hangouts instant messages, video chat, Voice. th this feature creep it’s become rather bloated clunky to use, requiring too much navigation to hle simple tasks.
It never had the fluidity of something like iMessage, which transitions between instant messages SMS seamlessly. The new Android Messenger app should streamline some of the confusion around the myriad messaging options in Hangouts.
