Google has released a new version of Hangouts for iOS with a fresh look and a host of new features.
The first thing you’ll notice is that Google Hangouts 2.0 for iOS has an altogether flatter, more iOS 7-friendly style about it. The UI now features contextual options menus that drop down from the top of the screen with a touch, meaning they stay out of the way until needed.
Having updated the app, Google has included a bunch of tutorial speech bubbles to walk you through its new features.
Stickers allow you to add expressive animated images to your messages. They’re a bit like emoji, but are significantly larger (taking up a whole message bubble to themselves), and more detailed.
You can also now add brief video messages to conversations. Simply hit the attachment button (which is also how you add stickers) followed by the camera button, then press the shutter button for a picture or hold for a video and release to stop recording. It’s very intuitive.
This attachment menu also now facilitates location sharing, enabling you to quickly send out a map of your current location.
Finally, Hangouts 2.0 has been fully optimised for iPad. You can now enjoy two-pane video calls, making much better use of the extra screen space afforded by Apple's tablets.
You can download Google Hangouts 2.0 for iPhone and iPad from the App Store now. As always with Google’s apps, it won’t cost you a penny.
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Via: Frank Petterson
