Yesterday morning we received the news of a render image of the Nexus 6 that came with different icons, the new ones from Google apps, and in which one appeared that left us with suspicion if it was the independent app of messaging that would come to rival WhatsApp.
From what we can already know, it is not this independent Hangouts app, but Messenger. This app will take care of all SMS and MMS messages from now on, detaching Hangouts from this task, when recently they wanted to bring together all of Google's messaging services.
Messenger and Hangouts together hand in hand
From a Google spokesperson they treat the new app in this way: «Messenger and Hangouts offer users different ways of choosing, each with its own benefits. Hangouts will be perfect for different platforms (web, iOS and Android) and communications (video, voice, messages and SMS). Messenger is specifically designed to be a fast and easy way to send and receive SMS and MMS messages on Android.»
Backtracking on centralizing Hangouts
We already knew in its day how Google's intention was centralize all your messaging services in Hangouts. For this reason Google Talk disappeared.
The reason they are now backing down is because integration has not been so easy as they thought at first and users, they have not responded in the best way to this change in Hangouts.
The Messenger app
This app is here for SMS / MMS messages without more than this. We do not know if it will have something to do with the future new standalone app Hangouts and will try to rival WhatsApp.
What is clear with the launch of this app is the mistake made by Google with the integration of SMS messages in Hangouts and Google Voice.
The rival WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger
Perhaps everything has to do with the movement made by Facebook related to your messaging apps. First, it was the acquisition of WhatsApp by Mark Zuckerberg's company, and then the unlinking of messaging from the Facebook app itself so that it is always done through Facebook Messenger, which has strengthened the company's online messaging.
Now Facebook has an independent app like WhatsApp, something iconic for everyone, now Facebook Messenger being the communications center for the social network par excellence that is Facebook.
Google tries to find some way to be a rival when it comes to messaging, and the model taken by Facebook seems perfect. Hence, you are thinking of launching an independent Hangouts app such as WhatsApp and treating Hangouts itself in a different way.
We will wait to the new messaging app of Google.
