Google Hangouts updates

[Siva]

Today Google has introduced a new way to launch Hangouts on the web. Previously, if you wanted to launch Hangouts from your desktop, you’d need to access the service through Gmail, Inbox, Google+, or through a Chrome extension or Chrome application. Now Google has created a webpage for Hangouts, which can be found at hangouts.google.com. The new site gives you quick access to your contacts and communication options.

Once you navigate to the webpage, simply click on one of the big circles in the center to start a video call, phone call or Hangouts message. You’ll see a list of your Google contacts on the left side of the screen, which makes it easy to quickly jump to a particular person. The slide-out menu on the left side also houses links to the Hangouts applications for both Android and iOS, as well as the Hangouts Dialer app for Android and Chrome app.

This is a pretty simple webpage, and doesn’t really provide much more than that. The background changes every few minutes or so, which is definitely a nice touch if you plan on leaving this tab open all day.

If you’re interested in checking it out, head on over to hangouts.google.com for more information.

http://www.androidauthority.com/google-hangouts-gets-its-own-webpage-634967/

 

[Rahulan Raj]

They need to promote this crap ''Hangout'' very well

 

[Siva]

Google Hangouts is one of the more popular video chatting services out there. Believe it or not, though, there are some people who have never signed up for a Google account. How do you chat with these people through Hangouts? Well, up until now, that hasn’t been possible. But thanks to a recent announcement from Google, video chatting with people who don’t have a Google account will soon get much easier.

Google has just announced that it’s dropping the requirement to have a Google account to join a Hangouts video chat. Guests that don’t have a Google account will simply need to click on a video chat link that’s shared with them by the host. All they need to do is enter in their name and then request to join the call.

Google is also making it much easier for guests who don’t use Google Calendar by providing a link to the video call in the description of the event. This handy new feature is now available for guests joining with a web browser.

http://www.androidauthority.com/invite-non-google-users-to-hangouts-video-chats-656639/

 

[Siva]

Things don’t change often in the world of Google Hangouts, so every time we see a cool new feature arrive it’s worthy of celebration. It is the IM service all Android users have by default, after all (whether you use it or not).

Reports of Hangouts version 7.0 rolling out have started hitting the web. But there’s more than just a lucky number to this upgrade. Google has graced us with a couple features that many of us have actually been hoping for.

The first one (and the coolest, in my opinion) is the implementation of quick replies. What this does is allow you to reply to a Hangouts message without having to go into the app. When you receive an instant message notification, simply hit the reply button and a floating screen will show up. Type in your message and send away without having to go away from what you were doing.

There’s also a new option that allows you to create conversation shortcuts on your home screen. Simply open a Hangouts conversation, hit the 3-dot menu button in the top-right corner and select “Save to Home Screen”. An icon with your contact’s profile picture will show up in your home screen so you can message away quicker than ever.

Both great additions, right? I am a huge Hangouts user, so these are definitely welcomed improvements by my book. Are you as excited about them? Be patient, as these updates roll out periodically.

http://www.androidauthority.com/google-hangouts-7-0-quick-replies-shortcuts-669838/

 

[rahul1117kumar]

Google last week rolled out Hangouts v8.0 on Android and brought the same version to iOS earlier this week. However, the updated app iOS has brought an exclusive feature where users can record and send videos for a much longer duration than before.

Hangouts 8.0 on iOS will now let users record and send videos for as long as 60 seconds. It is worth mentioning that the messenger app on iOS already had 10-second video recording and sending ability since the app version 2.0 (released in 2014). It is yet to be revealed when the feature will arrive on its Android client as it has not yet got the ability to send 10-second videos.

The Hangouts v8.0 for iOS additionally brings fixes for unread conversations when the user is on call, for users stuck on the "Ok, got it" button, and support for Google for Work - Mobile Management. The updated app is available to download from App Store.

Google Hangouts 8.0 on Android on the other hand got the Android N's inline notification responding feature among others. Of course, the quick reply feature was already available with Hangouts 7.0 but this time the Direct Reply works inside the notification tray only. The app also got support for Android N's new bundled notifications, stacking up individual message notifications in one card inside the notification tray. None of these features will be visible for those who are on the older version of Android. The images sent or received inside the chat window has also become slightly rounded from corners.

Hangouts last month got improved call quality with peer-to-peer connections. The inclusion of peer-to-peer protocol for calling, Google says, allows the app to reroute the call to the recipient or caller instead of going through Google's servers. While this improves the quality, as the packets have to travel a shorter distance - which in turn, takes less time - there's a downside to this as well.

In a support document, Google has revealed that a direct peer-to-peer communication also discloses the IP addresses of all the participating parties. "A direct peer-to-peer connection between you and the other person reveals both your IP addresses. With an IP address, it's possible to approximate your location."

Google Hangouts 8.0 for iOS Lets You Record and Send 60-Second Videos | NDTV Gadgets360.com

 

[rahul1117kumar]

Both Android and iOS platforms are receiving the Hangouts v11.0 update, and the biggest highlight of the iteration is that Google's mobile operating system has finally got video messaging, more than two years after Apple's mobile OS. The update brings other changes to both platforms, along with some platform-specific changes.

The updated Google Hangouts app for Android is not yet listed on Google Play in India, but users eager to try it out can sideload the Google-signed apk via APK Mirror. The updated iOS app is already listed on the App Store.

The video messaging feature was brought to
Google Hangouts for iOS back in February 2014. The duration limit on video was increased from 10 seconds to 1 minute in March this year. The latest update further increases the duration limit to 2 minutes on iOS. On Android however, the feature has been introduced with a 1-minute limit.

Other changes common to the updated
Android and iOS apps of Google Hangouts include the ability to kick users out of group conversations. On Android, Google has also removed 'merged conversations', which showed Hangouts messages and SMS messages from the same user in a single conversation.

On its support page, Google has reasoned this change by saying, "Merged conversations used to let you see your Hangouts messages and text messages in the same conversation. We have decided to remove it, because it caused user confusion and had low usage." However, the users will not lose any of the messages sent and can see them right there in Hangouts, the page says.

On iOS, Google Hangouts v11.0 also gets a fix for static gifs and square cropping of images.

Google Hangouts for Android Finally Gets Video Messaging | NDTV Gadgets360.com

 

[iSK]

Good News hya

 

[rahul1117kumar]

Google has sent out an email to members of G Suite team informing them about removing SMS support in Hangouts from May. The said email has been shared over Reddit and states that the change will come into effect from May 22. The move is believed to be part of Google’s growing focus on the enterprise segment. Google recently launched a ‘Hangouts Meet ‘ for corporate video conferencing. In the enterprise segment, Google already competes with Skype, and is now also facing competition from new products like Slack and Microsoft’s Teams.

Coming back to Hangouts, users who have enabled Hangouts as the default SMS app, will be notified from March 27 regarding the change. Users will also be directed to set another chat app as the default. If the user does not have any other chat app pre-installed, Google will redirect them to Play Store to download another chat app

Google to end support for SMS in Hangouts from May 22

 

[Bapun]

According to source familiar with the product’s internal roadmap, Google Hangouts for consumers will be shutting down sometime in 2020. That’s not surprising at all since Google essentially ceased development on the app more than a year ago. But just know, going into 2019, this is indeed your last year to keep using the beloved (?) legacy chat app.

[Update: Google confirms shut down, denies timeline] 2019 is your last year to use Google Hangouts if you haven’t moved on already

 

[iDJ]

Are they insane? Everyone at most offices uses hangouts.
If marketed properly it would have an edge over whatsapp.