Using Hangouts for SMS/Texts/MMS is really going to take some getting used to

[Jdane07]

I like the hangouts. Clean, simple interface. I use it just for SMS though. Not sure why it gets so much negativity.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Rexglen]

The SMS in Ice Cream Sandwich was fine, I don't like Hangouts because it is so touchy and pushy. I accidentally archive and can't find or recover the messages. It seems to be trying to force me to join Google + and spread my life around like a Facebook fool. I prompts me with suggested people that are apparently in my Google contacts but I seem to have a lot of contacts I dislike, pervs from kids sports teams, wacko co-workers, people from organizations I can't exactly throw away but have no interest in and so on. And really, a Hangout where you sent a fire hose of texts to a group of acquaintances? Let's all trash Tamilla and giggle!!! Who but 13 year olds live life like that? Back off Google!

 

[Jonneh]

The SMS in Ice Cream Sandwich was fine, I don't like Hangouts because it is so touchy and pushy. I accidentally archive and can't find or recover the messages. It seems to be trying to force me to join Google + and spread my life around like a Facebook fool. I prompts me with suggested people that are apparently in my Google contacts but I seem to have a lot of contacts I dislike, pervs from kids sports teams, wacko co-workers, people from organizations I can't exactly throw away but have no interest in and so on. And really, a Hangout where you sent a fire hose of texts to a group of acquaintances? Let's all trash Tamilla and giggle!!! Who but 13 year olds live life like that? Back off Google!

I have no idea what you are saying, especially at the end.
The only thing I can agree with you on is that it is too easy to accidentally archive conversations. I like the way that gmail implements this (you can archive an e-mail by simply swiping it away), but gmail gives you the option to also delete the email by swiping it. I think in Hangouts there should be an option in the settings to uncheck "archive by swiping conversations".

Personally, I do not understand the point of archiving my conversations - can someone explain this to me? In gmail, I switched that to delete the email. Why would I archive a text or a hangout?

 

[Aquila]

I have no idea what you are saying, especially at the end.
The only thing I can agree with you on is that it is too easy to accidentally archive conversations. I like the way that gmail implements this (you can archive an e-mail by simply swiping it away), but gmail gives you the option to also delete the email by swiping it. I think in Hangouts there should be an option in the settings to uncheck "archive by swiping conversations".

Personally, I do not understand the point of archiving my conversations - can someone explain this to me? In gmail, I switched that to delete the email. Why would I archive a text or a hangout?

Reducing clutter. Retain the history but getting it out of your space until needed.

 

[mrsmumbles]

I have no idea what you are saying, especially at the end.
The only thing I can agree with you on is that it is too easy to accidentally archive conversations. I like the way that gmail implements this (you can archive an e-mail by simply swiping it away), but gmail gives you the option to also delete the email by swiping it. I think in Hangouts there should be an option in the settings to uncheck "archive by swiping conversations".

Personally, I do not understand the point of archiving my conversations - can someone explain this to me? In gmail, I switched that to delete the email. Why would I archive a text or a hangout?

I understood him/her (but I wish I knew who's Tamilla!).

As for your last sentence, I'm sentimental and always archive stuff (or never delete it) from loved ones.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jonneh]

Reducing clutter. Retain the history but getting it out of your space until needed.

I understood him/her (but I wish I knew who's Tamilla!).

As for your last sentence, I'm sentimental and always archive stuff (or never delete it) from loved ones.

Ah, now I understand the use case better. Thanks to both of you

 

[Fr3lncr]

Just curious, but if they have hangouts, wouldn't sending it as a hangout as a default be preferable? Some people are charged on a per text basis, Google probably doesn't have access to yours or the recipient's rate plan, and so sending it as a hangout avoids potential fees incurred by you and/or the recipient when none is necessary.

Maybe, but I like to know upfront how something is going to be sent. In this case it was to my brothers iPhone and he likes texting all the time. I didn't know he had Hangouts on his phone. So, while the message did get to him, I would just have preferred knowing which way it is being sent.

In the end, I've gone back to Hangouts as the ads in GO SMS and Handcents are too annoying for me. I don't want to see them for what should be a 'stock' feature. I'll just send texts from the address book from now on.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

Maybe, but I like to know upfront how something is going to be sent. In this case it was to my brothers iPhone and he likes texting all the time. I didn't know he had Hangouts on his phone. So, while the message did get to him, I would just have preferred knowing which way it is being sent.

In the end, I've gone back to Hangouts as the ads in GO SMS and Handcents are too annoying for me. I don't want to see them for what should be a 'stock' feature. I'll just send texts from the address book from now on.

That's what I would recommend. In a perfect world, at the very least everyone with Android would be using Hangouts on their mobile device...and I'm hoping that the addition of SMS integration helps to makes this happen, even if it is a voluntary change (even non-Nexus users can use other 3rd party apps)...but yeah, it is the kind of thing that may require some coordination with friends and other contacts.

In your case, since this is your brother (a person I assume you're fairly close with), and you're both using different platforms, it's pretty easy to say, "Hey, do you use Hangouts on your phone, or would you prefer standard texts?" or "Hey, since I have limited text plan, what do you think about using Hangouts for our conversations?".

Personally, I do have a limited text plan, so if it's a friend or family member I talk with frequently, I straight up tell them that they HAVE TO use email or Hangouts to reach me because I can't afford to text them all the time...and they don't seem to have a problem with that...and then I still have plenty of texts remaining on my plan to cover those folks I don't talk with that often without going over or needing to worry about it.

One great thing about Hangouts is that iOS users can use it, and I have plenty of friends on iOS I use Hangouts with all the time.

 

[chestvrg]

In my case my kid has an ipad and I installed hangouts on his so in the future I use hangouts, it'll substitute all the things FaceTime can do, no matter which platform OS we're in. At times he likes to FaceTime papa (6 1/2yrs old), so I was constantly worried what would happen to him if I switched to an android based phone from ios7? The answer: hangouts for iOS.

 

[mr.brand]

Does anyone know if there's a setting in the Hangouts app that lets you see whether your contacts are online or not? In the desktop Chrome extension, there are green bars to indicate this, but I don't see them on my phone.

 

[jrc2]

Does anyone know if there's a setting in the Hangouts app that lets you see whether your contacts are online or not? In the desktop Chrome extension, there are green bars to indicate this, but I don't see them on my phone.

I haven't personally tried this, but https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...enzobraghetto.hangoutsisonline&token=RvApTUtv is supposed to tell you. It got decent reviews too, so it might be worth a shot.

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[mrmobileperformance]

thanks i just tried this it's exactly what i'm looking for BUT it will not let me send MMS Picture Messages! i get a crash! have you tried this yet on Nexus 5/Kit Kat? anybody?

I get those crashes too, when I try to SMS a picture or a location. I have a Note 3.

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[maxihod]

I struggled with Hangouts. A good number of my contacts are on the phone or not in the google account. A number of times it tried to start a hangouts exchange rather than sending an SMS.
Installed Texta as the default text app, and it's all working really well so far as far as I can tell.
Might go back once they've sorted out the integration and interface a bit more, but for me it was too confused to be honest.

 

[Gekko]

Hangouts is starting to grow on me but it still needs some UI tweaks and fixes. one thing i do like is when you text a youtube link a screenshot of the video shows up in the thread. also Hangouts hasn't crashed or hung yet while sending a text or MMS - which i can not say about any other texting app i've used.

 

[cgardnervt]

I too use Textra on my HTC One currently and love it. I will be getting the N5 here soon and plan to use it on that device as well if Hangout is still a mess.

 

[QWIKSTRIKE]

Textra wins all day, every day.

Textra is clean and looks extremely well in dark theme. It seems more polished than hangouts to me! I like the fact that picutres can be auto logged to the picture gallery as well as more text settings and appearnces than hangouts.

 

[Gekko]

update - so i've been using the Hangouts App for SMS and have pretty much gotten used to it. i would like to see the following tweaks -

1. get rid of "Suggested People". at least make it "Frequents" "Recents" or let me program "Favorites".
2. make adding additional recipients/Group SMS less clunky. too many extra steps as it is today.
3. let me "turn off" Hangouts sending - and make it "SMS/MMS Only".

 

[gidgiddonihah]

update - so i've been using the Hangouts App for SMS and have pretty much gotten used to it. i would like to see the following tweaks -

1. get rid of "Suggested People". at .
3. let me "turn off" Hangouts sending - and make it "SMS/MMS Only".

+1 Love the way Hangouts looks but it's much too clunky.

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[Gekko]

i also would like a "Night/Dark Mode".

 

[JohnnyBroccoli]

Yeah. A night mode and the ability to change the color of the text bubbles would be nice.