ABOUT

To see all the technical specs on Google Hangouts, check out system requirements.

HOW IS GOOGLE HANGOUTS DIFFERENT FROM SKYPE AND FACETIME?

Facetime

Facetime allows easy to use, high quality face-to-face video calls between Apple devices, and is popular among iPhone, iPad, and Mac users. However, it has some major downsides. Firstly, it can only support one-on-one calls, rather than permitting groups as with Google Hangouts. Furthermore, Facetime is only useable on Apple devices, and it does not support other platforms.

Skype

Skype is a well known choice for allowing participants to video chat. It is easy to use, available on multiple platforms, and has many similar features to Google Hangouts. However, its free version only allows video chatting between two participants, rather than ten with Hangouts. As well, Skype-to-phone calling within U.S. and Canada costs money, whereas with Hangouts, this feature is free. Hangouts has different screen sharing abilities than Skype, allowing the user to create a chat room and prepare the screen prior to inviting participants to video chat. Skype, on the other hand, only allows users to share their screen after establishing a video call. One common complaint of Hangouts versus Skype was that it did not show whether or not users were online. However, this feature has recently been updated, displaying a green icon beside users that are online and a grey icon beside offline users.

For a more detailed comparison of Skype and Hangouts, click here

Now, proceed to the next page to learn how to use Google Hangouts.

HOW TO USE HANGOUTS

From group meetings to connecting with distant family members, Google Hangouts allows users around the world to video chat, collaborate, and share with ease. So what exactly is Google Hangouts? It is a unified communications service that allows members to initiate and participate in voice, text, or video chats, either one-on-one or in a group of up to one hundred people for text chat, and up to ten people for videos (unless you have a corporate account, in which case it is fifteen). Hangouts take place online using Google+ or Gmail, or on iOS and Android devices using the mobile app. Video conversations can be recorded, and the resulting "Google Hangouts on Air" videos are uploaded to YouTube, making Google Hangouts a useful way for groups to record virtual meetings.

In May 2013, Google Hangouts replaced the previous chat capabilities built into Google+ and Gmail, as well as the mobile Google Chat app. Hangouts also replaced Google's previous telephone product, Google Voice, allowing Hangouts users to make free phone calls from their computer or mobile device to telephone numbers within North America.

Check out the video below to view some of the multiple affordances of Google Hangouts.