There have been rumours that Google’s own social messaging app, Hangouts, will get an update which will see it updated to version 5.0 and bring new GIF’s, a new splash screen and speed improvements and enhancements.
The rumours, which seem to be confirmed by Derek Ross on Google+, state that today is the day where users will see their Hangout app updated. Of course like any rumour, this does need to be taken with a grain of salt, so to speak.
Here is what we do know is coming to the Hangouts 5.0 app update:
- Sending messages lag: Gone.
- Loading conversation lag: Gone.
- Main screen conversation update lag: Reduced.
- Hangouts splash screen: Included.
- Pop-up ‘signed in as’: Now in white.
- GIFs: They work!
- Dogfood icon: Removed.
What is more interesting is that the last item on that list, Dogfooding, has been removed which does strongly suggest that the final version of the updated app is about to be released. Dogfooding is the act of getting employees to use the product in their day-to-day lives in order to naturally uncover bugs or gather opinions about the user experience. This is what every tech company usually does to ensure the product they release or update will work on users handsets or tablets without any complications.
Its worth keeping an eye on Google Play for the update to hit your device directly and if you don’t have Hangouts, you can download it via the link below.
I like Hangouts because its Android Wear version is one of the more advanced ones as compared to other messaging apps. However, due to the lag, I am no longer using it. Lets see if this update helps.