I have a handful of friends who I chat with daily via Hangouts. Text only, though (though I did once do a video call with one while I was strolling through Disneyland, back when we could still stroll through Disneyland).
It's a great solution, and it'll be a shame if Google ever really gets rid of it.
It's a great solution, and it'll be a shame if Google ever really gets rid of it.