Google's standalone Messenger app aims to offer users more choice

Himanshu Arora

Himanshu Arora

Posts: 902   +7
Staff

Nearly an year after Google updated its Hangouts Android app with support for SMS and MMS messages, the company has released a new, standalone messaging app for its mobile operating system. Dubbed Messenger, the app is compatible with Android devices running version 4.1 or higher, and is available for download on the Play Store.

The app sports Material Design and has all the typical texting app features that one would expect. For example, you can select or take pictures and videos directly from the app and share easily, search your contacts and conversations, send audio messages to your contacts, block SMSs when required, and send emoji. In addition, it also supports colored text threads, message archiving, and more.

Officially confirmed to exist by Google last month, Messenger isn't actually a Hangouts replacement, rather it's intended to coexist with the latter -- at least that's what Google says.

"Messenger and Hangouts offer users choice, each have their own benefits", the Mountain View, California-based company said last month, adding that while Hangouts work great for cross platform (web, iOS, Android) and cross medium communications (video, voice, messaging, SMS), Messenger is specially designed to be a quick and easy way to send and receive SMS and MMS messages on Android.

What's your take on the new Messenger app? Do you think creating another standalone app is a good move from Google?

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/58811-google-standalone-messenger-app.html

 
Downloading right now. Not a fan of the Hangouts app, plus most people I use Hangouts with are those that don't have WhatsApp. It would be nice if I could use just Messenger and WhatsApp, but I'll still get the odd message on Hangouts, I know it.
 
Downloaded it just now. UI is pretty nice and smooth. Options are almost the same any texting app would have. Overall a good texting app.
 
Like Hangouts, it displays day of the week instead of date for messages from no more than a week ago. Very inconvenient.
 
This isn't actually a new product. It's just the Android L upgrade and material-design-makeover of the existing SMS messaging app that came standard with ICS - the green smiley one. It's now on Play Store for people to get a 'stock-Android' experience with, and just adds to the Gmail/Calendar/etc apps making their way to Play Store.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Skidmarksdeluxe
Puiu said:
you can also sent normal messages as far as I know
Click to expand...
I suppose you can send normal messages with any messaging app, you don't always have to send fancy ones :p I've checked it out and it looks like a replacement for the standard messaging app that comes bundled with all mobile devices but I don't know if it uses mobile/wifi data or call time yet. If it uses your call time then it makes no sense to me.
 
Last edited:
St1ckM4n said:
This isn't actually a new product. It's just the Android L upgrade and material-design-makeover of the existing SMS messaging app that came standard with ICS - the green smiley one. It's now on Play Store for people to get a 'stock-Android' experience with, and just adds to the Gmail/Calendar/etc apps making their way to Play Store.
Click to expand...
Yeah it doesn't look like anything special to me, just a standard sms messenger replacement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Daniel Sims
Apple halts another attempt at iMessage on Android, while dodging EU scrutiny
Replies
8
Views
379
BuckarooBonzaii
B
Cal Jeffrey
The EU says iMessage can remain closed to rivals because it's not a "gatekeeper service"...
Replies
4
Views
204
bviktor
B
midian182
Beware: Fake LastPass app sneaks onto Apple's App Store
Replies
3
Views
263
m4a4
m4a4

Latest posts

Back