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"UPDATE 2:\u00A0It seems we were on the right track with this. Google employee Dori Storbeck has confirmed SMS integration is coming soon, as well as outbound calls. She revealed the nuggets when responding to questions from users on\u00A0Google+\u00A0(spotted by\u00A0The Verge) but didn't go into specific details so it is not yet clear which platforms will get the features:\r\n...yes, SMS integration is coming soon - it is one of our most requested features!\r\n\r\nFuture versions of Hangouts will support outgoing calls along with other Google Voice features.\r\n(Original post continues below)\r\n\r\nSupport for SMS was one of the notable omissions from Google Hangouts, the cross-platform messaging service that\u00A0launched at the Google I/O event yesterday, but it appears the absence\u00A0may only temporary according to details within the Google Play store.\r\n\r\nIncluded within\u00A0the list of permissions for Hangouts for Android are requests to read and send text messages (as Google+ user Kenny Strawn noticed). That Google is already asking for permission to do these things is an indication that support may be coming, since the app doesn't appear to use a device's text messages at this point.\r\n\r\nHere are the key permissions listed under 'YOUR MESSAGES':\r\nREAD YOUR TEXT MESSAGES (SMS OR MMS)\r\nAllows the app to read SMS messages stored on your device or SIM card. This allows the app to read all SMS messages, regardless of content or confidentiality.\r\n\r\nSEND SMS MESSAGES\r\nAllows the app to send SMS messages. This may result in unexpected charges. Malicious apps may cost you money by sending messages without your confirmation.\r\nThis is an important point as it is unclear as to whether Google has decided against supporting SMS, it is unable to do so or the feature is still being developed.\r\n\r\nSupport for SMS would put Hangouts on a par with Apple's iMessage service. iMessage allows users to send free messages to other iMessage users but switches to SMS when the recipient is not an iMessage user (or is offline).\r\n\r\nThough iMessage is not cross-platform like Hangouts -- which is available for iOS, Android and on the Web via the Chrome browser -- the SMS-in and -out features allow users to stay connected with anyone on any phone, operating platform and location.\r\n\r\nWhile it isn't clear how Hangouts could support SMS, or whether it might be limited to mobile only, the ability to contact non-users from inside the app would be an important one that could be key to making the service usable on a regular basis.\r\n\r\nThere an alternative suggestion that the service uses SMS for other reasons. The app does use SMS to verify a user's phone number, but that doesn't appear to require these permissions since users manually enter a PIN code that is sent to their device via SMS. It could, of course, also be for other verification methods.\r\n\r\nGoogle decline to provide comment on its plans for SMS in Hangouts, or what the permissions specifically cover.\r\n\r\nWe'll leave you to consider the significance of that, but the fact that the company hasn't dismissed this out of hand could be taken as a sign that the permissions may cover future developments.\r\n\r\nUpdate:\u00A0Google is actually already using SMS in Hangouts in emerging markets, as\u00A0TechCrunch explains:\r\nGoogle tells us that in some countries, feature phone users, but not smartphone users, can participate in Hangouts via SMS. This should help it reach more people in the developing world, a core area for growth of messaging apps.\r\nThat could explain why it needs to read (and receive SMS messages) on smartphones -- when feature phone users connect -- but it doesn't explain why the Android app would send outbound text messages.\r\n\r\nHap tip @ow"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/google/2013/05/16/googles-hangouts-service-will-rival-imessage-with-support-for-sms-google-play-listing-reveals/>