Google is streamlining Hangouts experience for users. The company has announced that it will shut down Google Talks aka Gtalk/GChat feature in Gmail on June 26 and it will be replaced with Hangouts. Users will be will automatically be transitioned to Hangouts.
Gtalk launched in 2005 as an official chat client for Gmail users. In 2013, the company began replacing Google Talk with Hangouts, while still giving users the option to continue using Google Talk. If you are still using the old Google Talk Android app, which was replaced with Hangouts in 2013 in the Google Play Store, that app will now stop working.
Moreover, as reported earlier this week, Google is officially killing SMS support for Hangouts for Android on May 22. The company is encouraging Android users to switch over to the newly renamed Android Messages app. After Google removed messaging app on Nexus devices and released an updated Hangouts app that combined SMS and Hangouts conversation at the end of 2014, it released a standalone Messenger app in November 2014, which was recently renamed as Android Messages.
Finally, Google is also retiring a number of Gmail Lab add-ons on or around April 24. They include Authentication Icon, Google Voice Player, Picasa previews, Pictures in chat, Quick Links, Quote Selected Text, Smartlabels, and Yelp previews. Finally, two legacy Google+ features in Gmail, the ability to email Google+ profiles and the use of Google+ Circles, will also be retired on April 24.