Android News
Should Google merge Google Talk and Messenger into one app? [POLL]
December 23, 2011 | by Andrew Kameka
Google has products that allow people to communicate in a variety of formats. There’s Google Talk for instant messaging on mobile or desktop, Google Messenger for communicating just within your Google+ circles, and Google Voice for sending SMS messages. Each app takes a different approach, but they all share one common goal – enable communication between users.
Should that shared goal mean that they also share an app?
Since Huddles became Messenger, I’ve seen several people on Google+ and Twitter complain about the lack of integration with Google Talk. In the eyes of a few people I follow, Google is making a mistake by enabling mobile-to-desktop communication with GTalk, but not doing the same for mobile-only Messenger. Wouldn’t it make sense to unify the two experiences so users could just as easily chat with someone in Google Talk and Messenger without having to switch between apps or worry about where they communicated with someone. A unified inbox might simplify things for some users.
Then there’s the opposition that would prefer to see these products remain separate. Google Talk is for my closest circle of co-workers and online friends. These are the people who I have given permission to shoot a message at any time and regularly chat. 
My Google+ circles are a different story. I’m not sure if I’d like to see all of the messages that I’ve been invited to through Google+ or have those same users appear when I just want to chat with the people on my GTalk list. I’m sure Google could come up with some kind of way to provide filtering and permissions to allay that concern, but it seems like more trouble than it’s worth.
In the past week, I’ve seen two different reddit discussions in which people ask why Google doesn’t just merge its two messaging clients into one app. In one of them, someone claims to have been in a Hangout with a Google+ Product Manager who said that Google will eventually replace Talk with Messenger and enable across the board communication on mobile and desktop. Take that with a giant grain of salt, but it’s plausible that Google might do that.
The question is: would you welcome that change?
Should Google merge Google Talk and Messenger into one app?
- Yes, unify communication (95%, 369 Votes)
- No, keep them separate (5%, 21 Votes)
Total Voters: 389
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I think that this is what google is working towards, a tipping point were G+ is popular enough and the messaging functionality is polished and complete, then google talk will be swallowed up by plus messenger
Less duplicate apps is better.
Along the Google consolidation lines I'd like to see Google Reader and Google News consolidate. Either have RSS reading be a part of News or make the News categories RSS feeds. Google News could really improve with Reader's features, why not consolidate those two also?
I agree, I think it's easier to use apps that way when they have apps with the same goal merge into one.
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SYNERGY
Messenger/Huddle/whatever you want to call it simply isn't necessary. GTalk has the brand's flag and can be the logical bridge between G+ and GVoice. No one will miss Messenger.
Google needs one killer messenger app. I really like Google Chat but wish it supported photos & Google Voice. I really don't care much about Messenger but since we have it, it should probably be supported.
kill two birds with one stone… go for it google!
Merging them makes so much sense to me that I keep being almost surprised whenever I remember that each application (Gtalk, GVoice, Messanger) are actually not the same app.
Same thing with the posts feature on Google+. People use it as a blogging platform they good really merge those two also.
It's hard to say, if you do merge them then you'd basically be getting rid of one since they already do just about the same things. It's all about preference really, if people wanted to they could just send direct messages from the mobile app. Instead of merging Talk and Messenger I think a better option may be to create a stream for Messenger Messages in the browser version of Google+
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One app that also needs attention is the Google Maps and Google Latitude. It really is very convenient when apps with almost the same features merge into one. It doesn't only save time for the users, but also saves space on the phone's app menu.
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thats the first thing i thought about when i tried to download google+ app on my android device i found that messenger auto installs when you do install + but google talk is still there and they are not connected while you are logged in to both of them with the same account!! it just doesnt make any sense they have to be only ONE app with filters
This is honestly the single most annoying thing about any Google product to me. Not because it is so terrible but because it is soooo easily fixed and not fixing really hurts adoption in my opinion.
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I think Google Talk is unnecessary
Google Talk is necessary until Messenger will support web access.
By the moment GTalk is the best for combine mobile and desktop chat. For the rest Plus Messenger is better.
Google must merge them!!!!
thankfully, that’s the plan. they confirmed they’re working on something at Google I/O.
halo
esta bien pero mi problema es que no puedo tener la aplicación en mi cel y es android 2.5 y no se como hacerle gracias
nice
Google…
always a major fan of linking to bloggers that I really like but really don’t get quite a bit of link really like from…
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information is covered first.some readers might not want to read till the end if useless information is shared in the beginning. there should not be fancy words used instead the post should be in a simple, easy to understand language.one thing…