All Mobile Video Chat Apps Will Work on AT&T's Network by End of 2013

Google Hangouts is a free video chat service from Google. It enables both one-on-one chats and group chats with up to ten people at a time. While it is similar to Skype, FaceTime and Facebook Video Chat, what sets Google Hangouts apart is that it focuses more on face-to-face-to-face group interaction as opposed to just one-on-one video chats. Google Hangouts utilizes advanced technology to seamlessly switch the focus to the person currently chatting.

Google would like everyone to use Google Hangouts on every smartphone. AT&T has been a little resistant. On May 15, 2013, SlashGear reported that the video chat capacity in the Google Hangouts app for Android was disabled on AT&T’s network.

If you tried to access the video portion of Google Hangout you would get a messaging saying “you must be on a Wi-Fi network to join a video call.” The app appeared to work without any problems on Verizon’s network.

You may recall that in August of last year AT&T had a similar issue with FaceTime. It would only work over Wi-Fi. The main concern is that apps like FaceTime and Google Hangouts will create a lot of congestion on cellular networks.

Eventually AT&T allowed customers with limited data plans access over cellular. It recently decided that people on unlimited plans would also have access but they would need to have an LTE phone. People using Apple, Samsung or BlackBerry smartphones would all have access.

In a statement from AT&T to The Verge, the company said by the end of 2013 AT&T will allow all video apps to work over its cellular network. It is working on making this a possibility. In another statement, AT&T said, “For video chat apps that come pre-loaded on devices, we currently give all OS and device makers the ability for those apps to work over cellular for our customers who are on Mobile Share or Tiered plans. Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry have chosen to enable this for their pre-loaded video chat apps. And by mid-June, we’ll have enabled those apps over cellular for our unlimited plan customers who have LTE devices from those three manufacturers.”

Throughout the second half of this year, AT&T plans to enable pre-loaded video chat apps over cellular for all of its customers, regardless of data plan or device. Today, all AT&T customers can use any mobile video chat app they download from the Internet, such as Skype.

AT&T has been under some condemnation over the video chat app blocking issue. Verizon doesn’t seem to have the same issues concerning traffic over cellular that AT&T does. Since the ability is there, people like to see a face when they are having a conversation, especially if you are away from home.

It will be interesting to see if AT&T follows through and allows all video chat apps to work over cellular by the end of the year. It will also be interesting to see if that much cellular traffic will affect my service.