So what’s new? First, Android users get a feature that has been available on iOS for quite awhile now: video messages. This isn’t video chat, it’s sending a recorded message. ile didn’t mention how long the messages can be, the limit is 2 minutes on iOS, we’d wager it’s the same on Android. The other major change is that has disabled the ability to merge SMS over-the-top (OTT) messages. The explanation from , via it’s support page, is as follows: Hangouts 11 is rolling out now via the ay store. For the best SMS text messaging experience, we recommend using ’s Messenger app. The impact on you: If you were really into merged conversations on Hangouts, this is a bummer. It’s good that we’re finally getting video messages, but ’s scattered history with messaging apps is a mess. Messenger continues to be popular because it’s needed in areas where users may not have a account. Hangouts does the same thing, but not as well, also provides OTT messaging. lo is on the way this fall, it looks awesome, but will it catch on? If is to combat Facebook Messenger atsApp, it needs a single united front.
