Hangouts Chat Becomes Google Chat, Hangouts Meet Become Google Meet, and Rooms Become Spaces (2020)
To keep its user base good and confused, Google decided to pull the ol’ switcheroo on Hangouts users once again. In 2020, the company rebranded Hangouts Meet, re-dubbing it Google Meet, while Hangouts Chat became Google Chat. The reason for the change? The company said it was now pivoting Chat and Meet back the other direction, allowing consumers as well as enterprise users access to the apps. Meanwhile, in June 2021, Google announced that Gchat’s Rooms had now been transformed into “Spaces.” What was the difference? Not much! At the time, Google called it an “evolution” and explained that, in addition to having a different name, Spaces would also include some updated features.
