Google app histories contain several different transitions: an existing app can gain a new name, one service can replace another, or users can be offered a way to move their data. Treating every transition as a merger obscures what actually happened.
We reconciled 44 historical descriptions against announcements, help pages and contemporary reporting. Eight name or successor relationships are directly supported, including these seven:
| App | Earlier name or workplace predecessor | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chat | Hangouts Chat | Announcement or documentation |
| Google Cloud Search | Springboard | Announcement or documentation |
| Google Home | Chromecast → Google Cast | Announcement or documentation |
| Read Along | Bolo in India | Announcement or documentation |
| Wear OS | Android Wear | Announcement or documentation |
| YouTube Studio | Creator Studio | Announcement or documentation |
| Currents for work | Google+ for G Suite | Announcement or documentation |
The Google Home sequence illustrates why a joined chronology helps. The Chromecast app became Google Cast, then Google Home. Two announcements establish the chain; neither should be mistaken for a single worldwide switch on one day. Read Along’s history adds a geographical distinction: its earlier Indian release was called Bolo.
The eighth confirmed relationship is Triangle becoming Datally, documented in contemporary Android Police reporting. Its global launch announcement alone did not establish that earlier test name.
Data transfers can be less straightforward than renames. Google Play Music offered music-library transfers to YouTube Music, while podcast subscriptions and progress went to Google Podcasts. Expeditions moved much of its tour content to Arts & Culture. Those are different kinds of continuity, even though both involve a successor product.
The audit also identifies mistaken destinations. AdSense users were directed to the AdSense website, not Google Ads. DoubleClick for Publishers joined Ad Exchange under Google Ad Manager. Google Voice’s integration with Hangouts did not mean Voice itself was retired.
The downloadable chronology preserves 55 event records and links to 49 Google/YouTube sources, with additional historical reporting kept separately. Announcements, rollout windows, app-store removal and confirmed shutdown are recorded as different events. The original claims and unresolved cases remain available alongside the supported transitions.
Confirmed transitions · All 44 findings and source links · Event chronology · Additional reporting · Complete dataset · Methods
Research data and calculation scripts, version 3.0 (ZIP, 5 MB). Updated 16 September 2026.