NEW DELHI: Google Talk, the 9-year old instant
messaging service, has finally been killed by the internet giant. Popularly
known as GTalk, the service will now be replaced by Google's Hangouts; the two
have co-existed since 2013.
The news about the retirement of GTalk had
been announced by Google's product manager for Voice and Hangouts, Mayur Kamat,
on February 16 via a blog post.
Though the service is officially dead, it can
still be accessed via third-party applications like Jitsi, Psi, Instantbird,
Miranda IM, among many others. However, Google in an email sent to users said,
"Please bear in mind that these aren't Google products, so exercise
caution when signing in with your Google account."
Among the key features of Google Talk was
invisibility mode, which is not available in Hangouts. Also, sharing files is
much more convenient on GTalk compared to Hangouts.
However, Hangouts is an important tool in
Google's fight against popular messaging apps like WhatsApp. With a browser
extension, mobile app and Gmail integration, Hangouts provides a more
consistent user experience than GTalk.
Moreover, Hangouts integrates text messages
with internet-based instant messages, along with GTalk features like voice and
video calling.
Below is the full text of the email that
Google sent to GTalk users:
Hi User,
We noticed that you recently tried using the Google Talk app for Windows.
We wanted to let you know that this was discontinued on 23 February 2015. We
recommend giving Hangouts a try so that you can chat with all of your Google
contacts. Hangouts supports people's favourite features from Google Talk,
including text chat, presence, contact lists and status messages. In addition,
Hangouts lets you have group video chats, make phone calls, express yourself
with emojis and keep your conversations going across Android, iOS and your
computer.
If messaging right from your desktop is important to you, try the
Hangouts Chrome app or Hangouts in Gmail. If you're not ready to make the switch
to Hangouts quite yet, you can continue using Google Talk on Windows with a
range of compatible third-party chat apps. (Please bear in mind that these
aren't Google products, so exercise caution when signing in with your Google
account.)
As a loyal Google Talk user, we thank you for your support and we hope
that you give us the opportunity to provide an even better communications
experience with Google Hangouts.
If this sign-in attempt was not made by you, please check details on your Devices and Activity page
If this sign-in attempt was not made by you, please check details on your Devices and Activity page
Sincerely, The Google Talk and Hangouts team
