Google Chat or G-Chat or GTalk, whatever one calls it, the time for Google’s G-Chat is over and for good. Google released the Hangout application to be used as a full-featured application but did not remove the app altogether way back in 2013.

But, it seems Google has realized that the old rusty chat services can be done away with. This is the reason Google has decided to completely remove the old one and let people get fully used to the current modern looking hangout. While the removal of this application might be a sad news for many old-timers but as they say, with time one needs to adapt or fall down against its force. The list of contacts will still appear on the left-hand side.

There are certain complaints from the users that the contact list has disappeared too. This is more of a technical issue and needs to be addressed differently. I will discuss a few troubleshooting techniques to bring back the chat list. If a few contacts have been missing from your chat list then chances are either they have blocked you are not willing to appear on someone’s chat list. If the whole chat list has disappeared then the reasons may vary. I will discuss a few reasons for your chat list disappearance along with troubleshooting techniques to resolve the same.

Chat list Disappearance and Various Reasons for it:

The reason for ones chat list to completely disappear could be attributed to various factors which I will discuss in the following section. Kindly go through them carefully:

1. Only a Few Contacts Have Disappeared:

If only a few contacts have disappeared from the list then chances are that the concerned person might have either stopped using the service or blocked you from the contact list.

2. The Whole Chat List Is Gone:

The reason for your Gmail chat list to disappear completely could occur for various reasons which I will discuss one by one. I will also add a few troubleshooting techniques to resolve the problem.

  1. Try to bring back the chat list manually:

    One other way to bring back your chat list is to manually enable from settings if for some reason they have disabled. Sometimes an update might push this change or some technical glitch.

    Solution:

    Go to settings tab at the top-right corner and click on “Settings” from the drop-down menu. Once the settings appear, Click on the ‘Chat’ option present at the top. Make sure it has been "Turn On".
    Now go to ‘Labs’ just beside the Chat option on the top menu, make sure this option has been enabled.

  2. The Browser is not up-to-date:

    In case your account has been suspended and the chat list disappeared after a use for some-time then chances are your browser need an update.

    Solution:

    Go to your browser’s settings and check whether you are using the latest available version of the browser available. Also, update the flash player, video, and audio drivers.

  3. The User ID has been Blocked:

    This happens when the concerned user makes a mistake while making an account on the website. If the mistake is violating any of the companies policies regarding the chat then this kind of issue might appear.

    Solution:

    Go to your Gmail’s setting and click on Google Account > Google Account Help. Here, you will read about the issues or policies you might be violating, go through them carefully first. From here you need to go to the bottom of the message and click on “Contact Us”.

    You will be redirected to a page where you need to fill in some information regarding the problem you might be facing. Fill the form from the given above-link and submit it to Google. They will look into the matter duly update you on any progress regarding your account.

    These are some of the techniques to bring back your chat menu. These are proven troubleshooting techniques and comes to use most of the time If these does not work chances are there may be some serious software glitch and one needs to contact Google for the same.