The Android app, Events and Hangouts are all getting some improvements

Dec 14, 2012 15:33 GMT  ·  By

The holidays are just around the corner and some people, the lucky ones, are already wrapping up their work for the year. The Google+ team, for example, is rushing to ship some of the new features they've been working on lately and then, presumably, enjoy their prolonged vacation.

So the team is unleashing 18 new features at once, one for each day left in the year, if you count this one as well.

On the mobile front, photos are getting a big update. For one, you can now upload full-sized photos via the Instant Upload feature.

They will eat up your allotted 5 GB of free storage you get with Google Drive and Google+ Photos, but you'll be pleased to know that your photos are preserved at their highest possible quality.

The Google+ app also supports the 360-degree panoramas, photo spheres, that Android 4.2 introduced.

That's not all, far from it; also on the list of Android app improvements: "on-the-go profile editing, an easier way to author content, and a subtle notice when there's new stuff to read.

You can also subscribe to mobile notifications from your favorite circles and interact with Google+ Communities on your phone or tablet."

The Events feature, introduced last summer, is also getting a big revamp. Organizers will be able to send personalized messages to just some of the people invited. They'll also be able to know who has seen the invitation and who hasn't.

The link to a Google+ Event is now easier to share and those invited can RSVP with the number of guests they want to bring.

Google+ Hangouts is also getting a couple of interesting new features. For one, Hangouts should now work even in places with a really poor internet connection, you just need 150 KB to make it work.

Finally, Hangouts on Air which can be broadcast to the world are getting a small improvement, but one that will make a lot of difference, if you're the only one with a video stream, the video will take up the entire screen, the filmstrip is hidden.