Google Hangouts boasts free voice, movie talk thanks to Voice merger
Google is upgrading its Hangouts lounge by merging voice and movie calling into one app, suggesting both services free across North America and at pennies on the dollar for international services.
Previously, the voice and movie functions were separated into two apps on the desktop, iOS and Android versions of the software. The fresh, more sturdy version of Google Hangouts will roll out over the course of a few days.
"Whether it’s your sister in Paris, your best friend in Boston or Jenny at 867-5309, Hangouts lets you call the people you care about at little or no cost," says Amit Fulay, product manager of Google Hangouts.
Google’s calling rates hit out the competition by suggesting service at five cents per minute for Mexico, three cents per minute for France and one cent per minute for India. The leading Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) company services Mexico with twenty eight cents-per-minute calling, twenty cents per for France and three cents per for India, according to Google’s chart of Hangouts rates.
"We know how significant it is to keep in touch with friends and family, especially when they’re spread around the world," Fulay says. "Hangouts already makes it effortless to send a quick message, or commence a group movie talk. But sometimes it’s best to just call to say ‘I love you,’ and with the fresh version of Hangouts you can."
Android users will have to install the Hangouts Dialer app along with Hangouts version Two.Trio, the latest version of the software. Desktop and iOS users will receive the update automatically and it will be available the next time they launch Hangouts, according to Fulay.
With the Hangouts dialer installed on Android devices, users can place both voice and movie calls from Hangouts or launch the services from a dailer icon. Having two options to launch the same services could show up as a bit of a redundancy in the eyes of some users.
The merging of voice and movie calling in Google Hangouts comes harshly a month after Google suggested a bit of plasticity on the types of users that could access the services.
Previously, use of Google Hangouts required a Google + account. But after an update in early August, Google permitted Google Apps customers to access Hangouts without the requirement of having a Google + account.
"Google Apps customers have been taking advantage of both Google+ and Hangouts for long enough that we recognize the separate use cases for both," a Google spokesperson said of the switch to TechCrunch. "The purpose of [this] launch is to make it lighter for employees and businesses to communicate by movie. Our customers recognize the value of connecting face-to-face and are driving this request."