![]() ![]() ![]() So pick either one you want on a home screen. Things get a little funny here, because once the dialer is installed and you open Hangouts or open Hangouts Dialer, they look and function exactly the same. Hangouts-Google Voice integration, and the new Hangouts DialerĪnd to make phone calls through your Google Voice number, you're going to need the new Hangouts Dialer app, which also requires that new v2.3 of the Hangouts app. We were promised Google Voice-Hangouts integration, but the months came and went. You could get SMS text messages in Hangouts, but remember that Google Voice messages are different, and separate. Google Voice, at least from an end-user's perspective, seemed to pretty much be left out in the sun to die, though, as Hangouts took over. (It's a great way to make free calls home from overseas - all you need is an Internet connection.) Google Voice also works on the web, allowing you to make phone calls from a computer. That's just Google Voice doing its thing through the old switching system. When you do so from your phone, you'd actually see it dial a number different than the one for the person you're trying to reach. You, of course, can also make phone calls over Google Voice. (For those of us who have multiple devices for work purposes, it's a godsend.) You also can send and receive text messages with Google Voice, though behind the scenes they behave a little differently than traditional SMS messages, occasionally causing some headaches. The oversimplified idea is this: A single (and free!) phone number than can ring multiple devices, with cloud-based voicemail storage. Google Voice is this ridiculously helpful service that started life many years ago as Grand Central, before being bought by Google. Google Voice is one number for multiple devices - think phone in the cloud, almost. None of this affects other messaging services such as Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp. So now you could have all of your messages - well, Hangouts and SMS text messages, anyway - in one place. In 2013 Google added the ability for the Hangouts app to also serve as your default text messaging (SMS) app, replacing the "Messaging" app that also comes preloaded on your phone. You get notifications in real time, can reply with ease, and shoot and upload pictures to one or many friends. And Hangouts actually is an excellent way to communicate with anyone who's got a Google account. Hangouts is built in to every Android phone that has Google Play Services, and video chat is just one part of it. (It's what we use to broadcast the Android Central Podcast, actually.) But it's actually much more than that, allowing you have video calls with groups of people, and even broadcast your calls live with Hangouts on Air. It's perhaps best known as a Skype alternative, giving you a way to talk to friends and family over video, in real time. Think of Hangouts as Google's one-stop messaging service for mobile and the traditional desktop web. Google Hangouts is an excellent communications tool - think Skype and instant messaging, and now text messages. ![]()
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