Google Splits Hangouts into Two – Say Hi to Meet and Chat

Google continues its confusing messaging app strategy. The search giant has announced it will be splitting Hangouts into two parts – Meet and Chat.

Meet is a video meeting service which should make joint meetings a breeze, while Chat facilitates group chats.

Meet offers support for up to 30-person video conferences and doesn’t require folks to get registered with an account, which is quite convenient. Users can simply join by accessing a link. The app also offers the option to join a video conference from Calendar. It also integrates G Suite, so info pulled from Calendar is also available.

As for Chat, the app has been designed to help teams work better together. It features virtual rooms that allow threaded conversations. Like Meet, the service also integrates with G Suite, so teams can share content from Drive and Docs between them.

Other neat features include bots, Google App Script support, and integration with third-party apps.  has created a bot called @meet that can automatically check everyone’s schedule and suggest an appropriate meeting time, then schedule it directly in Google Calendar.

Last but not least, we have to note that meetings will also be provided with a dial-in number, so users will be able to join by clicking on the dial number.

The service will work without any plugins and Google has confirmed the app won’t put a grand toll on battery life.

[Google]