14 DAY TRIAL // Google’s long rumored unified chatting service has finally become official, and is now available for the owners of Android devices as Google Hangouts, a new application meant to replace the older Google Talk.
The software was made available with support for all smartphones and tablet PCs that run under Android 2.3 or newer, and can be downloaded from Softpedia as well, via this link.
“Hangouts brings one-on-one and group conversations to life with photos, emoji, and video calls for free. Connect with friends across computers, Android and Apple devices. Brought to you by Google,” the app’s description reads.
The application might not appear as available for all users right from the start, but it will be pushed to all of them in a matter of days, Google announced.
In addition to being a chatting application, Hangouts provides users with the possibility to send photos and emoji and to see when people are together in Hangouts, when they’re typing, or whether they’ve seen a sent message.
Furthermore, the app comes with video calling capabilities, with support for up to 10 participants, allows users to send messages to friends even if they are offline, and is available on other platforms as well.
Some of the features that the app / service arrives on Android with include:
- Hangouts stay in sync across devices so you can start or continue them anywhere. - Choose from hundreds of emoji to help you make your point - See what you talked about in the past, including shared photos and your video call history. - Get notifications just once. Once you see an alert, you won’t see repeats on your computer or other Android devices. - View collections of photos shared from each of your Hangouts. - Snooze notifications at times when you’d prefer to be undisturbed by alerts.
One thing that users should be aware of, however, is the fact that Hangouts does not come with support for "invisible" status.