Google Hangouts and SMS Integration: A Mess, For Now

Android Headlines reports that a bug in the Google Hangouts app is causing confusion for users who would like to send and receive SMS messages. According to the article, [S]ome users are reporting an issue that is preventing the merging of SMS messages with Hangouts. The exact nature of what is causing this error is still unknown, as Google has not divulged any concrete information. They did state though that they are working on a fix and will have it ready for release as soon as they figure out what is going on. On this front, I wish there were a good roadmap for all the overlapping and sometimes circular-seeming options for Google's various flavors of VoiP and messaging. Between Google Voice, Google Plus, Messenger (not Facebook's Messenger), Gmail, and now Google Fi, it's hard to tell quite where the there begins. After setting up a new phone through Google Fi, I find that the very pleasant full-screen text-message window I used to like with Google Voice is now one I can't figure out how to reach, and the screen directs me to use Hangouts instead.

Comments

I used google voice for a bit

[blang]

Call quality was so much better than skype, but it was a real pain to set up and use on android, and i don't even remember how to get to it on chrome.

Sorry google, if you want to compete, you have to bring your A-game, not 5 of your B-games.

Re:I gave up on some Google Apps

[slaker]

Google's on screen keyboard properly displays the case of characters based on the state of the shift key. Apple's keyboard is kind of an unpolished insult to the concept of literacy. There's plenty of stuff I don't like about Google's applications but none of it is as unforgivable as that.