<p>A few days ago, a set of leaked images pointed to some pretty drastic changes to the Google Hangouts Android app, the biggest of which was that users would be able to send SMS messages without having to switch into another messaging application. Well, Vic Gundotra trotted onstage at a Google+ event in San Francisco (after a power outage caused a half hour stream delay, no less) today to confirm exactly that.</p><p>The Hangouts Android app will be indeed able to fire off bog-standard text messages, as well as share a user's location and send/display animated GIFs like this one when the update rolls out in a few days.</p><p>If you'll recall, the iOS version of the Hangouts app got at least one of these tweaks ahead of the Android version (which was a surprising and refreshing change of pace) as of about two weeks ago, iOS Hangouts users could send and receive animated GIFs, and got the ability to make Google Voice calls over a data network as an added bonus. (I should note that last bit is a bummer, but it's a story for another time).</p><p>But really, it's that SMS support bit that seems the most intriguing if only because we're starting to see some peculiar movement in the messaging space by players that have sought to own it. Take Facebook for instance. Earlier today it pulled back the curtain on a revamped Messenger app for Android, and the once-present support for sending SMS messages from certain Android devices is officially gone. To hear Facebook tell it, the feature was the victim of poor traction so it got axed. Fair enough there are more than enough mobile messaging apps out there to fill the chat void for certain users, and Facebook Messenger is poised to reach plenty of them.</p><p><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/29/google-adds-sms-support-to-its-android-messaging-app-as-facebook-axes-it/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/29/google-hangouts-sms/?ncid=rss_truncated">Google Hangouts updated with SMS support, animated GIFs and auto enhance ...</a> (Engadget)</p><p><a href="http://www.phonedog.com/2013/10/29/google-hangouts-app-to-gain-support-for-sms-location-sharing-and-animated-gifs/">Google Hangouts app to gain support for SMS, location sharing and animated ...</a> (PhoneDog)</p><p><a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/29/us-google-social-idUKBRE99S12F20131029">Google+ rolls out movie-making features, claims 300 million users</a> (Reuters UK)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=doReHLIbAChOqaMdb-oo_7vWzR4RM&ned=us">190 additional articles.</a></p>