I have a mixed family. While my wife and I are both (currently) using Android ph

Question

I have a mixed family. While my wife and I are both (currently) using Android phones, as is one of my children; my other child uses an iPhone.

It's important for us to stay in contact, and phone calls aren't always viable. SMS is unreliable for us and, in any event, we only have small allotments of SMS messages available (to keep our mobile plans from being too expensive).

I'm looking for a messaging solution that will work for all of us.

The app should be available for iPhone and in the Google Play Store. (No sideloading.)
It should not use SMS as its delivery mechanism.
Free is good, but not required.

We have been using Kik Messenger, and it's okay, but technically we're violating the Terms of Service (because my kids aren't 17) and I'm tired of the unsolicited spam chat requests. Please don't suggest that.

Explanation / Answer

Google Hangouts works well for this. It was formerly known as Google Talk but the iOS and Android apps are now "Google Hangouts". It actually supports voice and video, but I haven't used those features. It syncs well between all clients, so if you use a computer and a phone it's seamless to transition a conversation between devices. You can also do group messaging, as well as individual messages.

Google Hangouts for Android
Google Hangouts for iOS

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