[phander]

Hi,

Has anyone got google hangouts - in particular, chat feature with multiple users - to work on their WP8 phone?

I'm aware of the following apps that claim to support hangouts:
1) IM+ - best of the bunch, last updated in Oct 2013
2) JITalk - last updated mid 2013
3) Gchat - development stalled - last updated 2012

I'm desperately looking for something that supports chat with multiple participants. Can anyone help?

Thanks!

ps Advice to change to Skype or something else is valid but ultimately not what I'm looking for. It's difficult for me to convince 10+ friends to switch app on account of my being the only WP8 user. I really don't want to change phones because of this but it's soon gonna be a deal breaker for me. I have various multi-user conversations going constantly that are important and work-related. Atm, I can't participate when I'm away from my desk.

[N_LaRUE]

Not to be a pain but if Google services were that important to you, you picked the wrong OS. The only way Google services (not 3rd party) will ever make it onto WP is if it passes Android/iPhone in sales. But even then it's not a guarantee.

There is always the miracle of Google and MS becoming friends...

Anything 3rd party is not going to be that great and will always be subject to Google API changes. Which is what's probably happened to all the current apps. I believe the API recently changed.

If you're friends/co-workers aren't willing to be flexible in changing apps then you're best to get a Android phone. This is unfortunately the reality of WP at the moment.

[phander]

It's a fair point but to be honest, we can't predict which services we might find important when we purchase a phone. And if we all stuck by this maxim, then WP would have few supporters due to the speed at which it gets apps for popular service (instagram being an example).

For me, google hangout chat has only SUDDENLY become important to my working day. And as such, I think MS's reaction would be: 'Hang on (out? ) in there and we're sure an app will be along in time.' What's more, the two most popular types of smartphone OS BOTH support google hangouts. So your advice might also be: 'You're best to get an Android/iOS phone'.

I can use any other google service I need to within WP8. So my question is just wondering whether anyone has worked out anything for google hangout chat (with multiusers). And as such I think it's a valid one.

I really don't think WP8 fans do themselves a favour by saying 'Our way or the highway' (as they do so frequently on here). There's plenty of scope for compatibility - as we've seen by MS steps to integrate syncing with google calendar etc.

Thanks for replying though.

[N_LaRUE]

I really don't think WP8 fans do themselves a favour by saying 'Our way or the highway' (as they do so frequently on here). There's plenty of scope for compatibility - as we've seen by MS steps to integrate syncing with google calendar etc.

I personally wish the issues with getting Google services on WP wasn't an issue. However, I'm just going by reality. MS and Google are not the best of friends haven't heard of the Scoogled ads by MS? MS isn't doing itself any favours and seems hell bent on keeping animosity between themselves and Google. Google just needs to make an API change and poof! All 3rd party apps stop working. This is the situation with WP and Google currently. When I first got my WP Google was purposely blocking Google Maps from WP users.

Do you see the issues? MS and Google need to make amends but there are many who feel they're better off without Google. I'm not one of them but I don't use Google services anyway.

[phander]

Thanks. Understand the essence of what you're saying and the animosity is well known to all (WP8 users!). But ultimately I don't care about their rivalry. Like most people, I just want my stuff to work! The reality is only the situation as it is today.

Google hangouts work perfectly with one person (on IM+ for example). It's just multiuser chats that fail. Can it really be an api problem or is it just that the developers of the aforementioned apps have lost interest or found it uneconomic to continue developing? Or is it technically impossible atm?

[ag1986]

Thanks. Understand the essence of what you're saying and the animosity is well known to all (WP8 users!). But ultimately I don't care about their rivalry. Like most people, I just want my stuff to work! The reality is only the situation as it is today.

Google hangouts work perfectly with one person (on IM+ for example). It's just multiuser chats that fail. Can it really be an api problem or is it just that the developers of the aforementioned apps have lost interest or found it uneconomic to continue developing? Or is it technically impossible atm?

I've seen that if you still use the old "Gtalk" chat in your Gmail, you still cannot participate in a multi-user "Hangouts" chat, though you can still chat with individuals. So it doesn't work even between Google platforms and you'd think they would put in the effort to make it work. So no, there seems to be something about the architecture of Hangouts that makes it difficult/impossible to make it work.

[phander]

So no, there seems to be something about the architecture of Hangouts that makes it difficult/impossible to make it work.

Can a dev comment?

[Jack Neill]

I feel your pain, everyone in my fam is Android this and Android that... I rock a Lumia... Funny thing is Hangouts works better on my iP4s than on my N7..

[Luke Paireepinart]

Can a dev comment?

A bit of an old post, but I can comment.

Google Talk is just an implementation of the Jabber protocol. this is an open standard that anyone can implement. They had no user-base and so they needed inter-operability with other chat clients (this was at a time when Yahoo Messenger, MSN and AIM were the big boys.) And gmail was pretty new at the time as well.

So all these pointed toward using an open standard, and they did.

Fast forward to now, GTalk is a widely used IM system and they have a captive audience now. They wanted to guard their userbase by creating a "walled garden" of chat (which, to be fair, is just good business IMHO.) So they invented a new protocol that is specific to Google, and don't provide any public API, so that only approved applications can access it.

It may be possible to reverse-engineer Hangouts just as some have managed to reverse-engineer Chromecast (another "walled garden" which at least has an SDK) but in the end, they can change the API and break compatibility, because it's private and there's no contract to keep support for older versions.

The reason IM + continues to work is that google doesn't want to alienate their old users who prefer google talk or use alternative clients, so the Jabber interface is still active. Eventually they will deem it a necessary expenditure of users and purge the Jabber support so they can more tightly control their chat clients.

People talk about android and Google like they're all about the open-source, but when it comes to Google products, they are anything but. Android is just free / open source for OEMs because it increases the market penetration of proprietary google apps that are a revenue stream for them.

[phander]

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Might be an old post but I'm still desperate for a solution.

So it doesn't seem possible after all, without an API from google. Ah, well. Thanks again.

[Devilstar]

What really sucks is this is what is holding me back from getting back on the WP train once 8.1 comes. ( I have an HTC 8xt just sitting in a drawer :/ )

[Jack Janik]

Agent +ICQ is a great Facebook/google talk messenger! I highly recommend it!

http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=...4-8e67817067cc

[Angy Ortiz1]

Hi,

Has anyone got google hangouts - in particular, chat feature with multiple users - to work on their WP8 phone?

I'm aware of the following apps that claim to support hangouts:
1) IM+ - best of the bunch, last updated in Oct 2013
2) JITalk - last updated mid 2013
3) Gchat - development stalled - last updated 2012

I'm desperately looking for something that supports chat with multiple participants. Can anyone help?

Thanks!

ps Advice to change to Skype or something else is valid but ultimately not what I'm looking for. It's difficult for me to convince 10+ friends to switch app on account of my being the only WP8 user. I really don't want to change phones because of this but it's soon gonna be a deal breaker for me. I have various multi-user conversations going constantly that are important and work-related. Atm, I can't participate when I'm away from my desk.

Well, try gplus, anywhy it costs 0.99 buck.

[Luke Paireepinart]

Well, try gplus, anywhy it costs 0.99 buck.

Does gplus work with multi-user hangouts? I haven't tried it. Thanks for replying!

[Djolle]

Did you tried Nimbuzz? I am using only IM+ to chat individualy but maybe Nimbuzz have what are you looking for ;-)

Sent from my RM-846_eu_russia_201 using Tapatalk

[Luke Paireepinart]

What really sucks is this is what is holding me back from getting back on the WP train once 8.1 comes. ( I have an HTC 8xt just sitting in a drawer :/ )

You need group messaging on your phone so badly that it's a dealbreaker? there are several apps that support normal chats through the legacy Jabber protocol.

[LumiaIcon]

So... What application (if any) allows me to send and receive text messages across platforms without the other user needing to have the application installed on their phone? And if it exists on WP, do any of these also allow for video call, group chat and other features if they DO have the app?

[AndyCalling]

Sms?

[Jack Janik]

So... What application (if any) allows me to send and receive text messages across platforms without the other user needing to have the application installed on their phone? And if it exists on WP, do any of these also allow for video call, group chat and other features if they DO have the app?

TextPlus gives you a real number to text with. For the other things, I'd go with WeChat.

[kb4000]

Another option could be to pick up a cheap android tablet on eBay for those few apps that you need that WP doesn't have yet.

[prasath1234]

Ya that's right you can even get nexus 7 2012 model that's still cheap.

Sent from my C2305 using WPCentral Forums mobile app

[Jack Janik]

Kindle Fire 1st Gen is super cheap!

[Willit7]

I just got a Lumia 925, mainly because of the release of Line Messenger for Windows. There is an app in the Store for it, and it can be downloaded for iOS and Android. There's also an app for Win8.1 for your computer. The messenger is clean and works great. I got all my friends to switch over to it. Its free and looks and works great. Like i said, its for iOS Android and Windows Phone, as well as for your windows 8.1 PC. Doesn't get much better than that! Ask your friends/coworkers to try it out. I've had no negative reactions yet, and I've personally got 18 people to switch from hangouts and whatsapp. Try it!

[Ian Hanson]

If you really want to have Android on hand, why not buy an unlocked Moto G for $179 and just use it as a wifi device, and tether it to your WP whenever you need it on the go? I know it's not ideal, but desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

[iHeartBretski]

I have been using Android for about 5 years, needless to say, if you use an OS for that long, you tend to get fully invested.
I have wanted to use a WP device for a long time. I recently bought a pre-owned Lumia 925 and I am excited to use it, the only thing I am worrying about is the fact some of my freelance work is all done through hangouts and gmail. I also am a lover of Google+
So this post facinates me. I have a couple questions....

1. Can the stock email app accept and sync with Gmail?
2. Is there a good 3rd party application for Google+ that allows posting media as well?