With Android 5.0 now out in the wild, there’s finally high-resolution shots of the new Android Lollipop interface. We’ve seen an initial build via the Android L developer previews, but there’s a fair bit of buzz about something not included in those builds but present front and centre in the dock on the new Android home screen: the Messaging app.
Since Google began allowing their all-in-one messaging app Hangouts to handle SMS, there’s been a lot of chatter about the default SMS app being removed. This chatter was confused somewhat by the appearance of this new message app in screenshots that surfaced in leaks. It appears that Google isn’t ready to force users into Hangouts for all their SMS and MMS messaging needs just yet though, with Google clarifying the new messaging app to Android Police
Messenger and Hangouts offer users choice, each have their own benefits. Hangouts work great for cross platform (web, iOS, Android) and cross medium communications (video, voice,messaging, SMS). Messenger will be specially designed to be a quick and easy way to send and receive SMS and MMS messages on Android; more to come (Nexus 6 will come with both apps).
So you will still have a SMS/MMS app if you don’t quite like the way Hangouts handles SMS messages.
Of course this updated icon also comes with an updated new look, it’s flat and appears to be very much in line with Material Design guidelines (as you’d expect).
This of course begs the question of whether Google will place the Messaging app into the Google Play store as they have with other apps like Camera and Keyboard.
We can’t wait to see the new Messaging app in action when Google releases their updated Android L (I guess we can say Android Lollipop now) developer builds on Saturday.
Do you use Hangouts for SMS or still use the default Messaging app or a third party SMS app?
