Google expands recently updated Hangouts app

Google yesterday confirmed frequent rumours about the company expanding its recently updated Hangouts app to include SMS, to enable users to send text messages or start video calls within the same app.

With Google integrating its instant messaging and video calling features into one app last summer, Hangouts was expected to become a central communication hub, though without SMS.

According to mobile phone reviews website mobileburn.com, text messages would be included under Hangouts after the Messages app did not appear in any of the many Nexus 5 leaked images that had appeared online. The website said it had confirmation now that Messages was out and Hangouts was in - at least on stock Android.

Meanwhile, Samsung, Sony, and LG devices were all but guaranteed that they could continue including their own text messaging apps, as they had done in the past. Standard messaging rates would apply.

Further, new features with Hangouts would include location sharing, animated GIFs, and the automatic HD setting for all video calls.

Hangouts would allow users to pinpoint their location and send it to a friend, who could then view the location on an integrated Google Maps.

Video calls would automatically include adjustments made to support higher quality streams as also visibility enhancements for cameras.

Meanwhile, Google introduced 18 new features at a live event in San Francisco for Google+, yesterday.

The announcement came after, Vic Gundotra, senior vice-president at Google, confirmed that Google+ users uploaded 1.5 billion photos each week. He added, there had been a 20x increase in the number of videos uploaded and as regards users according to Google there were over 300 million active users on Google+ right now.

The Hangout app would have a Place button starting yesterday that would retrieve users' location. The app also now supported GIFs. The most requested new feature was integrated SMS so users now had a place to manage all their communication (from SMS to chat and video).

As for the broadcast experience, Google+ now offered users the ability to plan a Hangout with a dedicated landing page, promotion tools and management options (like adding and removing participants).

Also HD would available for all video calls and the magic of Google's Auto-Awesome feature would now be part of Hangout video experience, which would allow for doing things like boosting light, enabling black and white, turning on the blur or focus effect feature, etc.