Review of Google Hangouts
We primarily use Google Hangouts for internal meetings. We use gmail as our email service, so google hangouts integrates easily into our …
Overview
What is Google Hangouts (Classic)?
The classic version of Google Hangouts is a communication platform that includes messaging, voice, VoIP, and video call capabilities. It was part of Google’s G Suite offering and integrated with applications such as Gmail and Google+. Users of the classic…
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Popular Features
- Video conferencing (79)9.393%
- Audio conferencing (79)9.393%
- Mobile app for iOS (73)8.686%
- Mobile app for Android (71)8.181%
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What is Google Hangouts (Classic)?
The classic version of Google Hangouts is a communication platform that includes messaging, voice, VoIP, and video call capabilities. It was part of Google’s G Suite offering and integrated with applications such as Gmail and Google+. Users of the classic version of Hangouts will be migrated to the…
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://workspace.google.com/pricing.ht…
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- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Alternatives Pricing
What is Google Meet?
Google Meet, formerly Hangouts Meet, replaces the former Google Hangouts as the company's G Suite integrated web conferencing tool, allowing users to join meetings directly from a Calendar event or email invite from a computer, phone, or conference room. G Suite's Enterprise edition also creates a…
What is Zoom?
Zoom helps consolidate communications and collaboration in the boardroom, classroom, operating room, and everywhere. Zoom is an intelligent collaboration platform that makes connecting easier, more immersive, and more dynamic. Zoom technology facilitates collaboration through solutions like Zoom…
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What is Google Hangouts (Classic)?
Google Hangouts is a communication platform that includes messaging, voice, VoIP, and video call capabilities. This platform is part of Google’s G Suite offering and integrates with applications such as Gmail and Google+. Pricing for G Suite plans range from $5-$25 per user per month.
Callers can use Hangouts to:
- Start a chat conversation or video call.
- Make phone calls using Wi-Fi or data.
- Send text messages with a Google Voice or Google Fi phone number.
Hangouts sync automatically across devices. Hangouts started on a computer, can continue with chat on another device, like a phone.
- In March 2017, Google announced plans to evolve classic Hangouts to focus on two experiences designed to help bring teams together: Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. Both Chat and Meet are available for G Suite customers and will be made available for consumer users as well. Google is planning to transition users from classic Hangouts to Chat and Meet after June 2020.
- Classic Hangouts is not available in China.
Google Hangouts (Classic) Video
What is Google Hangouts?
Google Hangouts (Classic) Technical Details
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
|---|---|
| Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
The classic version of Google Hangouts is a communication platform that includes messaging, voice, VoIP, and video call capabilities. It was part of Google’s G Suite offering and integrated with applications such as Gmail and Google+. Users of the classic version of Hangouts will be migrated to the new Hangouts Chat collaboration tool, and Google continues to support conferencing via the new Hangouts Meet.
Reviewers rate Video conferencing and Audio conferencing and Instant messaging highest, with a score of 9.3.
The most common users of Google Hangouts (Classic) are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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(520)Attribute Ratings
Reviews
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September 01, 2022
Love this!
I use Google Hangouts for meetings! We are a hybrid company so a lot of our meetings are done virtually with multiple team members. One feature that's really great is being able to put the Google Hangout information in the calendar invite so it's super easy for people to find.
- Easy to access
- Clear signal
- Ability for multiple people to join from different IP addresses
- Cleaner dial in options
- Ability to blur background
- Offering of different backgrounds similar to zZom
November 04, 2021
Best performance for calls and finding frequent contacts.
Google Hangouts (Classic) was used by a particularly small team in our organization, where we needed more of a legacy solution for a well-known client so that they could feel comfortable. It was the perfect communication tool since we already had a long-term relation, so using Hangouts was organic, simply moved our conversations from email to easy-to-find chats or calls.
- Easy to find frequent contacts
- Light calls
- Fast chats
- Handling multiple work-spaces
- Handling multiple accounts in the same window
July 25, 2021
Free and must have communication tool
In the last 15 months, Google Hangouts has become my personal favorite tool in my entire organization. With more than 80% workforce and departments working from home, the best go-to tool is Google Hangouts. It syncs with the calendar, sends timely reminders, the option to ping and sends DM. Being a marketing manager, I also need to interact a lot with external agencies, presentations, etc. All this has become so smooth with Google Hangouts. It feels like I am seating in my cabin and doing one-to-one interactions. I would heavily recommend this tool to everyone.
- It can be accessed smoothly with laptops, mobile and desktops.
- Easy to sync calendar, reminders, and set up meetings.
- Not limited to internal users only. Mostly available with external vendors as well.
- I wish more compatibility with other apps like Dropbox.
- It is limited to typing only. If a voice message option can be added, that would make a lot of difference.
- Auto settings to mute/unmute other users is recommended.
We have been using Google Hangouts within our company for interaction with clients & colleagues. It's being widely used within our KPO segment for the purpose of internal meetings & also sometimes for interaction with our clients. Since we are in a google ecosystem where all the applications we use are mainly from G-suite, it was very natural that would use google hangouts as our instant messaging platform.
- Easy to setup platform especially if the organization is already in Google ecosystem.
- User interface is very easy on the eye & minimalistic.
- All the Gmail events are properly synced up with google hangout.
- Very good & versatile mobile application.
- Call & video quality connection becomes very unstable when on low latency network.
- Could improve on its sending invite option & make it more easy.
- Automatic away status can be implemented if not active on platform.
June 09, 2021
Google Hangouts (Classic) Review
Google Hangouts was used across our organization, both for internal meeting purposes, as well as client-facing calls. It was a quick and easy solution (especially since our email is powered by Gmail) that allowed us to quickly connect with audio and video conferencing, with very few cases of technical issues.
- Audio Connection
- Video Connection
- Ability to quickly invite others
- Ability to Chat
- Tile layout for headshots used to be a tricky item
- I don't believe it had a recording capability in years past
- Conversations from chat were not archived / emailed to host
May 19, 2021
A great product for its time!
Google Hangouts (Classic) has now been superseded by the more modern Google Chat and is therefore not compatible with Google Workspace for Education. Prior to Google Chat being widely used, Hangouts was used at our school for inter-staff communications and well as a way for students to communicate with their teachers. This was particularly heavily used during the first lock down in March 2020. It offers a quick instant messaging service with the ability to make calls or video calls within the app.
- Has built in calling and video calling from within the app or web page
- Can be used by anyone with a Google account
- On Android phones, can be used to receive SMS messages as well
- Has now been superseded by Google Chat
- Does not work with Google for Education accounts
- No longer integrated with Gmail after the phase out completes
It was used as a messaging app to communicate between staff / teams with the purpose of discussing work related matters. It can also be used to communicate with customers / clients. It is surely a useful software / app to use for communication across the organization. However, there are still improvements needed when it comes to organizational chart and contact list.
- Friendly user interface, sometimes it does not feel like you are chatting about work
- It comes in all devices and all have slick UI. Not like some other messaging apps which are inconsistent between desktop / mobile version
- Amazing alternative option for sms / mms
- Lack of organizational chart if you are in a big organization
- Some concerns regarding to privacy
- Cannot communicate with other messaging softwares
April 13, 2021
A good addition if you're already in the Google system, but far superior platforms exist for businesses.
We used hangouts across the small organization as a means of contact. It was a natural move as we also used Gmail for all our email services. Hangouts were primarily used for the chat function only, video calls, etc. we would leverage different programs. Before Covid-19, we'd use the chat function to communicate privately or ask specific questions without scheduling a meeting. We'd also have a lot of client calls where we could communicate in the background regarding the next steps and additional questions we should ask.
- Integration with Gmail for a full experience, everything is in 1 place!
- Ability to send/share images and files quickly via hangouts.
- Chat function and group chats.
- Emojis are difficult to use and not the best vs. iPhone.
- Slow video features, less attractive than other video platforms.
- The phone app is difficult to use, very easy to accidentally make a video call, and hard to back out of it. App can be very sluggish.
Google Hangouts (Classic) is used mostly for intra-departmental communication, especially during the year-plus of remote work thanks to COVID-19. It is more efficient and quicker to use than phone calls or emails, and helps keep our team connected. Easy to see when colleagues are available and works well on both computers and mobile devices.
- Quick, casual chats
- Easy to use and non-intrusive
- Archived chats are searchable, for reference
- Seamless UX across all devices
- Wish it was easier to search previous chats on the mobile app
- Custom away messages would be helpful
- Occasionally face a lag with the mobile app, showing notifications at a delay
November 24, 2020
Great tool but still has room for improvements
Google Hangouts (Classic) was our internal communication tool including chats groups and audio video calls. Google Hangouts (Classic) helps us to connect to every colleague. Sometimes Google Hangouts (Classic) feels buggy, but overall it’s a good tool. After the introduction of Google Chat, our organization switched to Google Chat, and now we are no longer using Google Hangouts (Classic) is not being used
- Chats
- Group chats
- Audio/video calls
- Fun stickers
- Audio call
- Video call
- Stickers
- Mobile apps
November 03, 2020
Free Video Conferencing Tool
We use it internally and externally for virtual business meetings. It helps everyone connect online when we can not meet in person.
- Easy to set up
- Allows screen share
- Free
- Allow recording
- Access is not tied to email
- In some settings, it allows for more participants
May 26, 2020
The Connector - Google Hangouts
I have been using Google Hangouts for a long time now, I find it very reliable because first of all it is easy to use, and while emailing you can sidewise have chat with your colleagues, friends, etc. Other then this you can send files, documents, images, and videos as well. You can do screen sharing and video calling with the clients, colleagues, friends, and family members.
- Screen sharing.
- Video conferencing.
- Chatting.
- Emojis.
- Sending documents.
- They should allow you to connect more than 100 people at a time.
- A news feed should be there.
December 30, 2019
Google Hangouts Review
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Our whole organization is using Google Hangouts for organization-wide communication between employees. It helps us to show demos from offshore locations to customers by sharing the screen. This is a good and much-needed product.
- Google Hangouts extension is available. It provides a separate window to see the messages.
- Video quality is great.
- Video/voice call recording feature.
December 11, 2019
Hangout with Google Hangouts
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use Gmail as our email server, hence Google Hangouts is available to all in the company. It is a good communication device. We use it to message each other and schedule meetings as employees are located in different sites. Many employees have a Gmail account, so most times there is no learning curve in training employees how to use the app.
- Easy to use. Little to no training required.
- No set up required as we use it with Gmail server.
- Google Hangouts can only be used if you have a Google account. This is not much of a problem as many people have it.
- It lacks advanced features like a waiting room for participants that join early.
November 18, 2019
Hangouts is just that... a hangout
We use Google Hangouts for communications outside of our internal network. It solves the problem of communicating with people outside our network without having to leave our desktop.
- the interface is user friendly
- the use case is to the point
- it is easy to add and remove contacts
- file sharing isn't the greatest
- history deletion
- connecting different accounts to the interface
October 21, 2019
Great Free Video Conference Tool
Google Hangouts can be utilized to have others join by video. It oversees other programs by being able to have a lot of multiple users on the same hangout. Other programs only allow a few. It is great that Google Hangouts is free and useful in that manner. It is easy to use for Google users.
- Easy to use with a Google Account.
- Multiple users can join via email.
- Sending out invitations to email and having the user reminded of the upcoming hangout.
- Sometimes a little too basic for sharing screens.
October 08, 2019
Google Hangouts - Free Group video call available for all
I had used Google Hangout several times in the last 6-7 years. I didn't use them officially in my work organization. I had used it in my friends circle to connect with friends. The best part about this Google Hangouts is multiple people can do video calling. It is one of the first free software to provide this feature.
- Group video call
- Call history
- Status updates
- It is very easy to use, but for some reason it is not very popular
- Marketing can be improved
- Users Privacy can be improved - that could be one reason why many do not use
September 26, 2019
Google Hangouts - the easiest option out there
We use this product across the organization, mainly for internal meetings to speak to each other. When we have to speak to anyone externally we will use Zoom, but considering that the entire company uses the Google Suite for most products, this is the easiest way to communicate with each other.
- Ease of access
- Easy to understand how to first use
- Syncs well with other products
- Blurry quality happens more with Hangouts than other apps
- Sounds like a small note, but better sounds and ringtones
- Sometimes the hangouts chat vs video feature can be confusing
September 25, 2019
Google Hangout Has Potential But Still Needs Improvement
We have been trying to use Google Hangouts to conduct help sessions with people that we can not meet with in person. We would like to add it to our customer service options so our customers can have their questions answered with a visual or demonstration. This will enhance the personal touch and outreach to our customers.
- We can open up Google Hangouts and have a face to face meeting.
- It's fairly easy to use once you've done it a couple of times. You do have some back and forth with each user/session until it gets set up and going.
- It sets up communication in real time, faster then chat. And you have the visual.
- The quality of the internet connection is very important. A bad connection is frustrating and a time waster. And there's no way to tell in advance how the connection will be until you start the hangout.
- More instructions on the home page or a section that opens up with answers to common problems would help.
- The camera that each side uses is also crucial. Any improvement in that or having a way to evaluate how the image will be or could be improved would be useful.
Google Hangouts is used as a communications platform across all departments of the organization. It allows users to chat with one another, make audio and video calls, and even host webinars. It is integrated with the organization's Google Suite account and all users within the company are given access to these features.
- Ease of use -- all features are user-friendly, even for non-technical employees
- Integration -- Hangouts integrates seamlessly with all other Google products
- Improvements -- as a Google product, the software is continuously updating and improving
- Video quality -- the video quality is not as high as some comparable products
- Support -- nearly all support is handled through documentation and forums
September 23, 2019
Good for small orgs
We utilize Google Hangouts for team meetings and 1:1 calls. Most of the organization uses it. It does connect our team quickly and, usually, easily.
- Click to join
- Video
- Chat
- Connection sometimes the connection is dropped.
- Sound quality and sound features.
- Single link meetings and meeting start and end times.
September 23, 2019
Works like a charm
Hangouts is a great tool that is used across the whole organization, internally and externally. It solves most of our communication needs as we can use it for IM as well as calls and video calls with clients and remote offices. The product is free and it integrates perfectly with the rest of Google's suite which makes it extremely convenient.
- Audio and video quality very good, best in the market
- It's free
- Works on any device, seamlessly
- You can't edit sent messages.
- Could be better integrated with a project management tool.
- It would be great if the product allowed you to somehow get a stored record of past calls.
September 21, 2019
Great for business and personal use
Google Hangouts is perfect for communication platform which eases up internal meetups or meetings. Very convenient for small issue discussion. Overall the performance that this software has is satisfactory. The user interface is friendly without any complications.
- Web meetings.
- Conference record feature.
- Great screen sharing system.
- Set up is a bit confusing.
- Google App suite might be not so convenient to a non-tech person.
- Camera controlling has flaws.
September 21, 2019
Google Hangouts for video conferencing is a good choice
It is used throughout for quick video conferencing. Most employees have Google accounts and it's easy to start up and get people connected. Mostly used for working with people working remotely when an email isn't sufficient.
- Good quality in meetings
- Show camera view of all participants and you can easily identify who is speaking.
- Tracks history of calls which is nice for record-keeping.
- Screen sharing capabilities help getting your points across.
- UI to get a call going is a little confusing via the web browser.
- Not really the popular choice which is why we mostly use Zoom or go-to-meeting.
September 21, 2019
Lightweight and easy to use
We use Hangouts for quick and easy calls without the implementation hassle. Audio only and video calls are easy, especially on mobile. Love this little tool!
- Mobile calls.
- Audio-only calls.
- Video calls.
- Lite operation.
- The ability to call people without a Google account would be great.
- Dedicated call room URL.