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Google+ is losing Hangouts On Air

Hangouts On Air is officially transitioning over to YouTube live on September 12 and will no longer be available on Google+.

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Published onAugust 15, 2016

If you haven’t noticed, Google is starting to gradually disentangle parts of itself from Google+. The search giant’s effort to become a social giant never really took off the way platforms like Facebook and Twitter did, but Google has still been using the social system as a hub for a variety of services. No longer. The most recent loss is Hangouts On Air.

This really shouldn’t surprise anyone. Google’s dissatisfaction with Google+ as a service mecca has been growing increasingly apparent. For instance, the company recently removed the requirement that all reviewers in the Google Play Store have Google+ accounts.

Hangouts is not going away, says Google

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Starting September 12, Hangouts On Air will be transitioning over to YouTube Live. For most, this should be a fairly uncomplicated transition. Hangouts On Air functionality will appear in the Live Streaming Events area of the YouTube creator studio instead of being housed in Google+.

What does this imply about the long-term viability of Google+? Is Google planning on letting the service fall by the wayside completely, or is this restructuring just evidence of the company stripping the social media platform for a simpler, less sprawling experience? Death knell or optimization; let us know your theory in the comments below!