Google Hangouts Gets Its Own Website

Alongside announcing the full name of Android M - Android 6.0 Marshmallow - Google unveiled a new Web interface for its Hangouts messaging service. The website gives easy access to users for initiating audio or video calls, or chat conversations.

Google's Software Engineer Jordanna Chord announced the new Hangouts interface on her Google+ account on Tuesday. She added, "From our new site you'll be able to take advantage of the best of Hangouts in the browser, along with an inspiring image to get you through the day." The new Hangouts website is located at hangouts.google.com.

On opening the new Hangouts website, users would see few cards detailing the website and the service. While a full list of Google Hangouts conversations is shown at the left-side of the screen, the centre and right side addresses the user by stating "Hi [first name]!" along with three circular buttons placed below for starting a video call, phone call or message. At the left of the conversations tab, users have the option to jump to the contacts and phone calls tabs.

Like the Google+ interface, the new Hangouts website has a hidden side panel which overflows on the screen when users click on the three-dot 'More' button just below the phone calls tab. The same panel will show up if users click on the top-left Menu 'Hamburger' icon. The chats pop up in the same way as they do in Gmail, when a conversation is clicked from the list shown on the left side of the new website.

Making a different interface for Google Hangouts might be welcomed as it relieves the users from opening Gmail or Google+ to start a Hangouts conversation.

The search giant a week ago introduced Hangouts 4.0 for Android, with a new Material-design themed overhauled version, making the messaging app sleeker and simpler to use.