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> crappy apps like hangouts. What's wrong with Hangouts? I quite like having an all-in-one text message + internet message + phone and video call app that I c

by Mikeb85 12y ago

> crappy apps like hangouts. What's wrong with Hangouts? I quite like having an all-in-one text message + internet message + phone and video call app that I can use from my phone and computer web browser seamlessly...

x0x0 12y ago
messages that don't send people that never appear online, even when you appear online to them the ui disaster, and how I had to google to figure out how to sign out of it my phone staying signed in and eating messages that I would much rather have had delivered to my laptop where I was actively conversing all of this on a nexus running stock 4.4.latest
72deluxe 12y ago
I prefer NOT to have it take over SMS messaging because I want to know that the person will receive the message. If I wanted to get in touch with you, there is a conscious decision as to whether I instant message you, ring you, video call you, send an SMS, visit you in person or send you a letter. This shouldn't be removed or hidden - the reliability of the transport medium is important! Half of my contacts never get messages from me in Hangouts. This makes it unreliable, and therefore useless. Additionally, if I video call someone (eg my wife sat the other side of the room), Hangouts informs me that she is not available for a video call. But she has zero notifications or alerts or ringing or ANYTHING. The inability to see if someone is online/offline also makes it useless. If I am having a conversation with someone sat next to me, I would like to know if they're sat next to me else I'll be talking to a wall. Chatting with people on Hangouts is like talking to a wall. It truly is bad. EDIT: I noticed the INSTANT downvote after writing this. Are you disagreeing with me on Hangouts or something? Or are you saying that I made all of this up or something? Hangouts does not work for me, full stop. I have used Android since 1.5 and Talk was far superior. The lack of proper UI (screen-width listview for contacts????) and behaviour on Hangouts (I am using a tablet) does not encourage decent applications. Compare the quality of Hangouts to GMail on a tablet for reference.
- katbyte 12y ago
  Weird, I've found hangouts to be nothing but great with no missing messages.. however i (and pretty much everyone i talk to) just use it on iOS/chrome and not tied into sms like iMessage. The only issue I've had is it tends to chow through my battery. When i was playing around with an andriod you could choose to have it take over sms or not, is that no longer an option?
  - Mikeb85 12y ago
    > When i was playing around with an andriod you could choose to have it take over sms or not, is that no longer an option? No it's still an option. They just didn't bother to look for it, or don't realise that they may not have the phone number and Google profile of their contacts synced... But yes, if the person you're messaging has a phone number and Hangouts profile, and those are applied to the same contact, you can choose to SMS them or send a Hangouts message.
    - 72deluxe 12y ago
      I have it disabled for SMS messages. I am not so much complaining that it offers SMS tie-in, more that it is unreliable in its transportation, so knowing how you're sending a message is more important if you want the person to receive it. The problem exists for iPhone users as well I think - Messages will send via SMS or Internet and there is confusion amongst my relatives with regard to it. They don't know if they've sent an SMS or if it's gone via the Internet, so I won't get messages on my Mac/iPad because it's gone via SMS etc. etc. Muddying the method of communication is a disservice.
- vilmosi 12y ago
  The problem is you don't even try to make hangouts work for you. You complain that you can't even choose between SMS and instant chat, yet hangouts offers that effortlessly. And you ca see someone online/offline, you can even see exactly the last time they opened the app. It's fine to not like Hangouts, but your complaints are just plain false.
nitrogen 12y ago
Hangouts gets slower with every version, to the point that my older dual-core phone can no longer run it at all -- it just hangs.
talideon 12y ago
It's a bit half-assed, at least on phones, especially with its SMS handling.

by Mikeb85 12y ago

x0x0 12y ago

messages that don't send people that never appear online, even when you appear online to them the ui disaster, and how I had to google to figure out how to sign out of it my phone staying signed in and eating messages that I would much rather have had delivered to my laptop where I was actively conversing all of this on a nexus running stock 4.4.latest

72deluxe 12y ago

I prefer NOT to have it take over SMS messaging because I want to know that the person will receive the message. If I wanted to get in touch with you, there is a conscious decision as to whether I instant message you, ring you, video call you, send an SMS, visit you in person or send you a letter. This shouldn't be removed or hidden - the reliability of the transport medium is important! Half of my contacts never get messages from me in Hangouts. This makes it unreliable, and therefore useless. Additionally, if I video call someone (eg my wife sat the other side of the room), Hangouts informs me that she is not available for a video call. But she has zero notifications or alerts or ringing or ANYTHING. The inability to see if someone is online/offline also makes it useless. If I am having a conversation with someone sat next to me, I would like to know if they're sat next to me else I'll be talking to a wall. Chatting with people on Hangouts is like talking to a wall. It truly is bad. EDIT: I noticed the INSTANT downvote after writing this. Are you disagreeing with me on Hangouts or something? Or are you saying that I made all of this up or something? Hangouts does not work for me, full stop. I have used Android since 1.5 and Talk was far superior. The lack of proper UI (screen-width listview for contacts????) and behaviour on Hangouts (I am using a tablet) does not encourage decent applications. Compare the quality of Hangouts to GMail on a tablet for reference.

katbyte 12y ago
Weird, I've found hangouts to be nothing but great with no missing messages.. however i (and pretty much everyone i talk to) just use it on iOS/chrome and not tied into sms like iMessage. The only issue I've had is it tends to chow through my battery. When i was playing around with an andriod you could choose to have it take over sms or not, is that no longer an option?
- Mikeb85 12y ago
  > When i was playing around with an andriod you could choose to have it take over sms or not, is that no longer an option? No it's still an option. They just didn't bother to look for it, or don't realise that they may not have the phone number and Google profile of their contacts synced... But yes, if the person you're messaging has a phone number and Hangouts profile, and those are applied to the same contact, you can choose to SMS them or send a Hangouts message.
  - 72deluxe 12y ago
    I have it disabled for SMS messages. I am not so much complaining that it offers SMS tie-in, more that it is unreliable in its transportation, so knowing how you're sending a message is more important if you want the person to receive it. The problem exists for iPhone users as well I think - Messages will send via SMS or Internet and there is confusion amongst my relatives with regard to it. They don't know if they've sent an SMS or if it's gone via the Internet, so I won't get messages on my Mac/iPad because it's gone via SMS etc. etc. Muddying the method of communication is a disservice.
vilmosi 12y ago
The problem is you don't even try to make hangouts work for you. You complain that you can't even choose between SMS and instant chat, yet hangouts offers that effortlessly. And you ca see someone online/offline, you can even see exactly the last time they opened the app. It's fine to not like Hangouts, but your complaints are just plain false.

nitrogen 12y ago

Hangouts gets slower with every version, to the point that my older dual-core phone can no longer run it at all -- it just hangs.

talideon 12y ago

It's a bit half-assed, at least on phones, especially with its SMS handling.