Google Hangouts launched in 2013 as Google's messaging and video calling platform, replacing several earlier chat services before calls were later moved toward Google Meet and Chat. Its outgoing tone became familiar to students and remote workers who used Hangouts for group video chats in the 2010s. As other apps rose in popularity, creators began reusing the ring as a nostalgic shorthand for an online call starting, in much the same way a Discord call sound signals a modern gaming chat joining.