It is no secret that Google is looking to become a one stop shop for all kinds of online applications and monopolize the Internet. Google Search is already the most popular search engine on the planet, but the company does not want to stop there. It created one of the most popular email clients – Gmail, and then the beloved Google Talk – an instant messaging application. The search engine giant even tried to challenge the dominance of Facebook and Twitter in the social networking world. Although Google+ may not have hampered Facebook’s growth, it is a successful social networking platform in its own right.
One of the most popular features of Google+ is its Hangouts. Hangouts allow people to have live video conferences and chat session with anyone else on Google+. As this feature was so popular, Google decided to make it a standalone application called Google Hangouts. This application replaces Google Talk and improves on it in many ways. Unveiled at the Google I/O Conference this year, the Hangouts application has been received positively so far. This application is now available for Android, iOS and computer platforms. So will Google Hangouts fail like Google Wave? Or will it become another uber-successful product for Google? We think the latter and here’s why.
What is Google Hangouts?
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As mentioned earlier, Google Hangouts is the standalone instant messaging application from Google that combines the functionalities of Google Talk and the Hangouts feature in Google+. You do not need a friends list or contacts list like in Google Talk to converse with people. With Google Hangouts, you can talk to anyone who is on Google+. Best of all, all of Google’s products are synchronized with Google Hangouts. This means that even if you send a message to a friend using this application, they will be able to see it even if he/she does not have Hangouts, on Gmail, Google Talk or Google+.
If you have this IM application on many devices, it will automatically sync up so you never miss a conversation. Unlike Google Talk, this app provides numerous emoticons or emoji and allows video chat with up to 10 people simultaneously. The app also archives all conversations, so you can always go back and view the messages. You can also add special sounds and visuals during video chats, watch videos together and even use Google Drive while conversing with your friends face to face. With Google Hangouts On Air, you can record, stream and upload videos in real-time on Google+ and YouTube.
Why Google Hangouts will dominate
Firstly, Google has synchronized this app with all its other services. This is a huge plus point because existing users of Google products – which is in the millions – will naturally use Google Hangouts. Google has always leveraged the success of its other products to guarantee the popularity of new products and we think this will work very well for Google Hangouts. Also, the product is available on all platforms, unlike a lot of Android and iOS instant messaging applications.
Another plus point is that users can converse with others even if their friends do not have the mobile version of the Hangouts app. This is a huge advantage over other Android and iOS apps that allow users to converse only with other users of the apps. This means that you can use Google Hangouts on your Android smartphone and chat with your friend who is using Gmail on a laptop. However, Google Hangouts does not support XMPP but this may not affect its popularity much.
