According to Android Police, the app appears to be a mini-social network that a group of friends or family members could use for shared conversations inside of a splashy interface.
The leaked screenshots show photos, social invites, web links, and other content shared among all of those involved in the chat. It appears the angle is to better organize different groups of those you have frequent conversations with: one for co-workers, another for the children, and perhaps one for close friends. It’s a decent idea, but Android is awash with plenty of messaging apps.
Plus, the ubiquity of the phone number still makes SMS the easiest method.
Why this matters: Hangouts has been kind of a bust, as many users complain of its bugginess and inconsistent performance across platforms. Messaging is more about sharing media these days, particularly with the success of apps like Snapchat Facebook Messenger. Google is always one to go after a new idea, even if it doesn’t turn out to be a final product. So we may see this one day, or it could never make it out of the lab.