Google Hangouts v.4.0 Rolls Out For Android

Google Hangouts has come a long, long way from the original Google Talk. Hangouts has created a richer multimedia experience for those who use the platform. Business meetings can be held on Hangouts, where screensharing, drawing while in a call, and even live broadcasts, are now possible.

For those who have used the browser-based app, they may have already enjoyed these features. Online video conferencing just got richer with Google Hangouts, as the technology Google uses with it is just bleeding edge.

Sure, Skype also has screensharing and screencapture features in its app, but only Google’s Hangouts shifts focus to the speaking participant, as soon as the app hears any sound coming from that participant’s mic. It also has other nifty features, including:

-Screenshare – Allows one participant to share their screen as a presentation, or to demonstrate something from their desktop.

-Screen capture – Captures still photos of the Google Hangout session.

-YouTube in Hangouts – Participants can share YouTube videos within the session. Videos shared by one participant will be seen by all.

-Chat – Text chatting can be done while the meeting is in session. The only weakness of the Google Hangouts live video call version is that chat history isn’t logged or recorded.

-Google Effects – Filters can be used by participants, so if they prefer to add filters to the video they share with the meeting, they can.

-Draw – Drawing on the video capture is now possible with the Draw feature.

The current Google Hangouts can even host a live broadcast, and one video conference can accommodate up to 10 participants.

Google Hangouts v.4.0 for Android has these new features:

-The interface is simplified, similar to the iOS version of the app. It’s sleeker, and more streamlined.

-The app is reportedly faster.

-Sharing multi-media, such as emoji, photos, location, has been simplified with one-button access.

-Group chats can accommodate up to 100 people.

The Google Hangouts v4.0 was redesigned with the Google Apps for iOS Material Design principles in mind. So the sleek design you see on the iOS app is the same sleek design you’ll get on the Android version.