How to Use Hangouts on Google

Add emoticons to the chat. When tapping or tapping the smiley icon to the left of the chat field, a list of smileys and emoticons will be displayed. These icons are categorized by category, and you can move to each by selecting the icons at the top of the emoji screen.

Share photos. You can add images to your Hangout by tapping the Camera icon to the right of the chat field. The Select Image window on a computer or an options menu on a mobile device opens.

• You can use your webcam or the phone itself to capture and share images, or you can also get pictures from other sources, such as from memory on your computer or phone.

Customize your chat settings. If you’re on a computer, tap the Gear icon on the chat window to select settings. You can also block the person you are chatting with.

• If you use a mobile device, go to the menu section and select the options that appear in the menu bar.

Switch from text chat to video chat. Click the camera icon at the top of the dialog box. A notification that you want to start a video chat will be sent to the other person. You can make video chats on both computers and mobile devices.

• Video chat does not require both users to have a camera. As long as one has the camera, while the other uses the microphone, or simply one uses the camera, the other will chat by text.

Open the Google+ page. In the bottom right corner of the window will appear a link for you to start a group via Hangout. This is a form of group video chat with up to 10 people. A Hangout group makes it possible for everyone to stay connected via video and text. You can also share YouTube videos and work on shared documents together.

• Mobile users can also join groups on Hangout, although some features such as sharing YouTube videos and Google Docs files will be limited.

Describe the meeting and invite participants. When you start a group on Hangout, you’ll be asked to enter a description of the meeting content and add people to the guest list. The description you write will be sent in the invitation.

• You can limit calls to only people 18 years of age or older.

Start chatting. If your webcam is properly configured, you can start a conversation right away. The pane below the Hangout window shows all the people connected to your Hangout. The right pane contains the chat text. If you don’t see the chat, tap the Chat icon on the left side of the window.

Take photos. If you want to save something that appears on the screen, tap the Capture button in the menu on the left. A Camera icon will appear at the bottom of the window, just tap it to take a screenshot.

Share YouTube videos. Click the YouTube icon in the left menu to launch the YouTube Hangout app. You can add videos to a Hangout playlist, which will be played simultaneously for everyone. Click the blue “Add videos to playlist” button to find and add YouTube videos.

• The video opens in the main Hangout pane. Anyone in the group can change the option to play or skip the video.
• The microphone will be muted while playing the video. Tap the green “Push to talk” button if you want to say something during the video playback.

Display the screen. You can use Hangout to share your screen. Click the Screenshare button in the left menu. A new window will open with a list of all your open windows and programs. You can share a single window or your entire screen. ^[1]

• This is useful if you’re trying to get someone more experienced to solve a problem, or you want to share something in a different program with everyone in the group.

Add effects to videos. Click the Google Effects button in the menu on the left. The Effects menu will be opened on the right side of the window, replacing the Chat frame. You can drag and drop effects to the video chat screen such as adding hats, glasses or other funny icons.

• Click the arrow at the top of the Effects window to change the category of effects.
• To cancel all the effects you’ve added, click the “x Remove all effects” link located at the bottom of the Effects menu.

Collaborate on documents. You can add documents from Google Drive to a Hangout so all members can work on the same document. To open Google Drive, hover over the “…” button on the left menu. Click the “Add apps” button. A list of available applications will appear. Please select Google Drive.

• When you click the Google Drive button on the menu, a list of the documents included in your Google Drive will appear. You can select the document you want to share, or create a separate shared folder.
• When you share a document, you’re also sharing your email address. You need to confirm to continue.

Turn off your microphone or camera. If you need to mute the microphone, tap the mute button in the upper right corner. The mute icon looks like a crossed out microphone. When the microphone is muted, this icon will turn red.

• To turn off your camera, click the crossed out camera icon. This will disable the camera feature, but if you don’t mute the microphone, people will still hear you.

Adjust resolution settings. If the video quality is not good, set a lower resolution by clicking the button that looks like the signal columns at the top right. This will open a slider where you can adjust the quality of the Hangout. Slide down if you want to reduce the video quality, and if you slide all the way to the right, Hangout will only have sound (for you).

Adjust camcorder and microphone settings. Click the gear icon in the top right menu to open your input settings. A window will appear with a small image for your webcam preferences. You can now choose the devices you want to use. This is useful if your computer has more than one camera or microphone attached.

Exit the Hangout. When you’re done chatting, tap the Exit button in the upper-right corner of the window. The icon looks like a desk phone.

Download the application. Open the Google app store on your Android device, or the app store on your iOS device, and search for Hangouts. The application is free to download.

• Many Android devices come with Hangouts pre-installed. It replaces the old Talk app.

Run the application. When you first download the app, you’ll be asked to sign in to your Google account. Android users can choose the account associated with the device, while iOS users need to enter a username and password.

• When the app opens, you’ll see a list of your recent Hangouts.