Hangouts was always supposed to unify Google’s myriad of messaging apps but so far it has only replaced Google Talk and Google Messenger. This could be changing soon as a leaked build of Hangouts 1.3 shows SMS and MMS integration. This will likely get rid of Google’s current Messaging app, which only handles SMS and MMS.
From the leaked photos of the Hangouts update, texting will work similarly to what Apple has with its iMessage app. Texts sent in Hangouts will have a “via SMS” tag next to it so you know exactly which messages were sent with which protocol. Users will also have the ability to request delivery confirmations so make sure an important text has been received and read.
Additionally, Hangouts 1.3 will apparently support sending video via MMS according to Android Police. They found a setting to toggle auto-retrieving messages while roaming as well as an option to opt out of integrating SMS/MMS into Hangouts.
Facebook Messenger for Android already supports texts within the app, marking texts with green chat bubbles instead of blue for Facebook Messages.
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There’s no timeline for when Hangouts 1.3 will be released but there’s a good chance Google will release it in conjunction with Android 4.4, which is rumored to debut sometime this month.
[Source: Android Police]
