Google Hangouts could lose its ability to send and receive SMS and MMS messages on Android.

A “trusted source” claims Google has decided it’s no longer a good idea to make Hangouts a do-it-all messaging app, but it’s not totally clear why the company has had a change of heart.

It’s now been more than two years since the Hangouts app for Android gained the ability to send and receive SMS and MMS messages alongside instant messages, and although it was plagued with various problems initially — and missing some features — it is stable and reliable now.

Despite this, Google may have decided to strip Hangouts of those capabilities.

“According to a trusted source familiar with the matter, the next version of Hangouts for Android will bring about what’s sure to be an unpopular change: the removal of its SMS/MMS feature,” reports Phandroid. “Why? That’s one question we can’t answer right now.”

The report adds that Google insiders are already testing the new Hangouts app — without SMS functionality — and it is said to contain a prompt that encourages users to download Messenger, Google’s own SMS and MMS client.

• SourcePhandroid