Hangouts integrates your Google Voice and Google Fi texts right into web pages like GMail, contacts, etc.
And this works even if your phone is off, lost, broken, or has no service. Hangouts also works on any device with an internet connection if you log in. You can text and call from your number on literally any device just by signing into hangouts. None of the multitude of other redundant Google messaging products does any of this. Even their official replacement "messages" only works if your phone is on and has service.
You don't even need a phone to call and text from a laptop through GMail from your phone number. That functionality will be lost.
And this works even if your phone is off, lost, broken, or has no service. Hangouts also works on any device with an internet connection if you log in. You can text and call from your number on literally any device just by signing into hangouts. None of the multitude of other redundant Google messaging products does any of this. Even their official replacement "messages" only works if your phone is on and has service.
You don't even need a phone to call and text from a laptop through GMail from your phone number. That functionality will be lost.