What is the Hangouts App, Features and Benefits

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The Hangouts app is the official Google client for Android mobile phones and tablets. It is designed for messaging, photos, audio and video recordings.

Hangouts: what is this program

Most often, users choose the messenger WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. for messaging. They need to be downloaded from Google Play and installed on your smartphone. However, devices running on the Android operating system have a pre-installed version, the functionality of which is fully consistent with the type of accessory. In terms of functionality and communication tools, it is not inferior to the market leaders. Here you can also send text and voice messages, make calls and go on video calls.

Hangouts was created in order to combine the capabilities of different messengers and get a mobile client that will meet the basic requirements. In order to start using Hangouts, you need to register an account or log in to Google's free mail service - Gmail.

The application is preinstalled on most smartphones. Previously, its analogue was the Talk Back program, which was supplemented by separate software, such as "+ Chats" and "+ Hangouts". Later, all this was combined into a single product. However, despite its many features, it does not take up much space and energy, so even on phones with a small amount of RAM, there are no crashes, freezes, crashes, etc.

In other words, this program is an ideal solution for communicating within the system. If people from the contact list have accounts, the person will not have to look for alternative ways to communicate.

What is the Hangouts app for?

The program is endowed with quite extensive functions, despite the fact that it is not in great demand among the Russian-speaking audience. In particular, the standard built-in functionality allows you to send and receive text, voice and multimedia messages, with attached photos and videos. And:

1. Create group chats with the ability to combine up to a hundred people in one session.
2. You can have Hangouts video calls, stream with multiple friends at once, and host webinars where attendees can see and hear the author, but can't participate in the discussion. For feedback, a special chat is provided, where participants send their questions and other messages.
3. The ability to call not only registered users, but also dial mobile numbers not from the contact list.
4. Store sent text messages and media files in the built-in cloud storage. If a person decides to change the smartphone or loses it, all data will be available after synchronizing the account in the Google system.

One of the main advantages of Hangouts, which users practically do not pay attention to when choosing a messenger for communication, is the insignificant consumption of system resources. For the Android operating system, this is a rarity, since other software often puts a heavy load on the RAM and processor, due to which the device's operating time without recharging is noticeably reduced.

However, there are also disadvantages here. In particular, during use, there is some delay between the command and its execution. For example, a person makes a swipe across the screen, but the execution of his command occurs with a slight but noticeable freeze. Switching between individual tabs also takes some time. In addition, a significant disadvantage is that communication can only be maintained with people using the Android OS. And if all existing problems are fixed after the release of the next updates, nothing can be done about this shortcoming.

Answering the question why Hangouts is still needed, given that there are other, more popular messengers for instant messaging, it should be noted that this is a whole service that provides communication between different programs developed by Google: from Google+ Messenger to Google Talk. Despite the lack of great popularity, he can compete with him.

How to use the Hangouts app on Android

As already noted, the program is installed on a mobile phone by default, but if it is not available, it can be downloaded from the Google Market.

To register an account, you must have a Google account, and then specify the mobile phone number, which will receive an SMS with a transaction confirmation code. After that, the user will have access to the standard interface.

In order to start a new dialogue or make a video call, you must click on the "Add" button located in the lower right corner of the screen. A page will open with the ability to select the method of communication: "Start a video meeting" and "New chat".

After selecting the required option, the user will be prompted to select people from the contact list with whom to create a new dialogue. In particular, here you can create a group to communicate with several users at the same time, or select one contact and write to him. Contacts are searched by name or nickname, by email address or by phone number.

A swipe across the screen from left to right opens the settings section, where a person can change profile settings: change status, set an avatar, select a notification tone for messages or calls, etc.

Is it possible to uninstall the Hangouts app on Android

Because the app is pre-installed on the smartphone, many people who don't use it want to get rid of it. However, you won’t be able to remove Hangouts using standard methods - you need to access the file system and uninstall there. But with the wrong actions, you can disrupt the phone. Therefore, the only safe option for uninstalling the program is to disable it in the settings so that, firstly, updates do not come, and secondly, the charge is not wasted. To do this, go to the "Settings", "Application Manager" section.

Having found the program you need, click on the "Clear data" button, then remove the existing updates and disable the possibility of their further automatic installation.