Google Hangouts is one of the features that can be used at these times, and it’s so easy to access that anyone can make and participate in calls. Google Hangouts on the desktop The tool is available in desktop versions, as an extension for Chrome, or app for Android and iOS. To use it, you need to login with email. If you use Gmail, the program synchronizes data with other Google services, which makes it easier to obtain contacts. Making audio or video calls with Google Hangouts is very simple. On the computer, just access this link, login and the contacts are displayed. On the home screen, video call, phone call and message options are already offered. To send messages or make video calls, the service is free. To make a phone call, however, you need to enter a phone number and get Google Voice credits. To have a video chat, just click on “video call”. The website will open a new window and you will need to authorize the use of the camera and microphone. By clicking on “add people”, the tool will allow adding new contacts to the call. If this is your first time using the service, participants will need to accept the invitation to join the chat. Google Hangouts on mobile When using the Google Hangouts app on your phone, the procedure is very similar. On the app’s home screen will be the most recent chats; by clicking on the three dots in the upper left corner, the app offers the user’s information and it is even possible to change the account being used. In this menu, the user can change photo, name and status, activate or suspend notifications, view call invitations and view archived conversations, in addition to accessing the app settings. To start a new video call in the app, just click on the “+” in the bottom right corner, where the options for new conversation and new video call are. The procedures are similar to those on the desktop: when clicking on “new video call”, the most recently used contacts are displayed, and it is possible to search by email, name or phone number in the bar at the top of the screen. You are allowed to select up to ten people for the video call, but you must have contacts added to your phone or Google account. To include up to 100 people in the same call, Google offers a paid version, called Google Meets. After selecting all people for the video call, just click on the green button with the camera symbol and wait for the other participants to answer. During the call, you can block the audio or video, change the camera being used, and invite others to join.
