INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Google has continued the reshaping of G Suite with a rebranding of its Hangouts chat and collaboration service.Hangouts, which allows users
marks the complete removal of the Hangouts brand from the enterprise version of G Suite, although the Hangouts name will still live on as
and will not see any changes, the company said in a statement to The Verge
This means that desktop Gmail users, as well as iOS and Android users, will still be able to use Hangouts in the same way.The rebranding to
Chat may cause some initial confusion, as Google gave the same moniker to its RCS-based Android messaging service, announced only a few
months ago.The company's videoconferencing service, previously known as Hangouts Meet, is also getting a refresh
The news was revealed in a Google Cloud blog post, which unveiled the service's new title of Google Meet.Google Meet will need to move fast
to ensure it stays at the front of mind for enterprise users in what has become a crowded market in recent weeks
Many user may have already pivoted to using video conferencing services such as Zoom in response to the global need to work from home
following the coronavirus outbreak.The service has already seen a huge surge in users, with Google revealing that Meet's usage was 25 times
larger than what it had seen in January, gaining around two million new users every day.Last month Google decided to extend some features of
Meet, such as allowing 250 participants in video calls and live streaming for up to 100,000 viewers on a domain, to help people stay
connected during this trying time
