GTalk (“Google Talk”) Windows Desktop Client to be discontinued on February 16, 2015. Hangouts Alternatives?

Question

GTalk will stop working on Feb 16, 2015.

Google Says to start using the Hangouts Chrome App. I don't like it. Is there any third party or open source alternative to the Chrome app (for Windows) that lets me talk to my google contacts? From what I understand, google moved away from the XMPP protocol so third-party development is no longer possible. Does this mean programs like pidgin can no longer talk to hangouts people on Feb 16, or does pidgin still somehow connect?

I just want to use something as simple and featureless as GTalk. I hate Hangouts.

Answer 1

https://github.com/xmikos/qhangups is a PyQt application, that is a GUI interface to the command-line client at https://github.com/tdryer/hangups, that was created by reverse-engineering the undocumented Hangouts API.

It doesn't seem to work for me but seems promising. I would like to see it gain momentum, contributors etc.

Answer 2

I discovered that Miranda lets you still login to the old GTalk network and talk to your google contacts. It doesn't support voice chat, but has a minimalist interface just like GTalk did. There is also Miranda NG but I found that interface too bloated like all the other IM clients out there.

When installing, setup a "JABBER" account and put your gmail username (everything before the "@" sign). Then you need to go to Accounts and set the "type" of Jabber connection to "GTalk!" and fill in your info like the pic below:

After filling in your account info, make sure you set your "status" to online (or invisible) and your buddy list will be downloaded.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You have to enable "less secure apps" in your Google Account if you want to use Miranda!!

Answer 3

With my personal experience of what I am using right now is Trillian and this also works like a email client.*And in my opinion this is even better than Google talk

I will list down some features from its official website and few screenshots for your reference.

This is available as gratis and paid

Features

• Continuous Client
  Your chats go with you everywhere. Trillian even keeps your phone quiet when you're active at a desktop!
• Interoperable
  With support for Google Talk, Facebook, MSN, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo!, and more, stay connected with everyone.
• Device Support
  Trillian is available on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and directly in your web browser.
• Email
  POP3, IMAP, and native IM mail integration. New mail alerts and basic mail management are all exposed.
• Social
  Never miss a beat with Trillian's social integration, keeping you connected to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
• Tabbed Chats
  Keep your desktop tidy with tabbed chats, featuring drag and drop support, unread indicators, and more.
• Message History
  All desktop versions of Trillian come with a fully-featured message history viewer, including searching and filters.
• Spellcheck
  Trillian's integrated spellcheck will always let you know when a word is misspelled and offer suggested fixes.
• Emoticons
  Hundreds of amazing handcrafted emoticons for your chatting pleasure. Find them all, even the hidden ones!
• […]
• Internationalization
  User-created language packs and strong UTF-8 support help ensure a great experience in your native language.

Contacts

Note: To use any version of Trillian you'll have to have your own Trillian Account (formerly "Astra Account"), which keeps your settings synchronized between Trillian on your desktop, mobile devices and in-browser Trillian for Web which also another feature.

Hope my answer will help you to get out of Hangouts Chrome App ;)