Android: Deactivate SMS sending via Hangouts

You can turn off text messaging in Google Hangouts for Android. To do this, you simply have to set another app as the standard SMS app.

Disable text messaging via Hangouts

If you find the management of your SMS via "Google Hangouts" too confusing, you can select another app for this task:

1. Open the Google Hangouts app on your Android device.
2. Open the menu of the app, either using the buttons on your device or using the menu button with the 3 dots, and select the "Settings".
3. Then click on "SMS". In the following, select the first menu item "SMS activated". You will be redirected to the internal menu of your Android operating system.
4. After clicking on "Standard SMS app" you can choose from the available apps on your smartphone. Hangout and the preinstalled SMS app for your device are now displayed here.
5. After clicking on the desired app, the SMS dispatch runs via the newly selected application.

This practical tip relates to Hangouts version 2.1.311 and Android version 4.4.3. Also read how to block individual contacts in Hangouts.