In the decade from 2000 to 2010 the world marveled at the arrival of the video messaging systems, specifically with , which allowed growth and development in the way users interconnected with each other, whether for personal or work purposes. It was just at the end of that same decade when, hand in hand with the appearance of the intermittent social network , , one of the functions that has stood out the most in the Google Universe would appear and that has grown to be an entire independent platform: Google Hangouts.
Doing a Google Hangout
If something defines Google and its ecosystem of services, it is, broadly speaking, two adjectives: simplicity and functionality. That’s what Google bet on when it launched Google Hangouts five years ago along with Google Plus. In this way, the social network allowed you, through a button, to create a “Google Hangout” (which is the same, it created the link to be able to share it and for other users to join the conversation).
Over time, the popularity of Google Hangouts grew and it began to be part of other Google applications and interfaces, such as in the chat itself or as a fundamental app of the . It was there that Google Hangouts found their main functionality, exploiting the opportunity areas of their biggest competitor, Skype.
What is Google Hangouts: pros and cons
If Skype is taken as a point of comparison then we can break down the pros and cons that Google Hangouts has as a communication tool. And it is that in principle and as we mentioned, Google Hangouts managed to exploit several of the weak areas of Skype.
Thus, it began as a messaging and video call system fully hosted in the cloud, easy to access and with few installation processes (something totally different to Skype, which requires by necessity to download the software). Secondly, its “natural” integration within mobiles (which have been growing in recent years) made it grow in popularity by being integrated as the default messaging system of said line of phones.
Unlike Skype (which well chose to capture all those who used the legendary msn-messenger), Google Hangouts is a light app and with a diverse integration in the Google applications of your mobile (something that its counterpart does not offer).
Subsequently, we could find several technical functionalities that, although they do not stand out too much above those offered by Skype, if they give a sense of identity and differential value to Google Hangouts. In this sense, we can highlight:
- The functions of sharing text and links within the same conversation window.
- The possibility of including multiple participants at the same time (something extremely useful for work collaboration).
- The function of sharing YouTube videos for playback within the conversation.
- The stickers, sound effects and masks that add a touch of humor and entertainment to the conversation.
Nevertheless, not everything is “honey on flakes”. Google Hangouts tends to work almost perfectly, for example, on Android mobiles, but its functionality on certain Apple devices is reduced. On the other hand, by staying solely and entirely in the cloud, at times the Google messaging app tends to lack a bit of stabilityan aspect in which its counterpart Skype tends to have a little more advantage.
In general, we are talking about a very good communication toolwhich has been adopted by various startups and organizations as their preferred means of making video calls.
As always, Google will fight to continue improving and structuring its application, eventually trying to become the undisputed leader in this market. Tell us, what is your experience with Google Hangouts?
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