Good news for those who missed being able to do voice calls using their Gmail, Google is bringing the service back and integrated it in its Google Hangouts. The tech giant announced on its official blog on Tuesday.
Users may login to their Gmail accounts, open their Google Plus or Hangouts Chrome extension, and then dial the number they wish to call. The idea of being able to do voice calling in Hangouts was first introduced two months ago through Google Voice integration feature. In the next few days, users should be able to see the option to place a call though there wasn’t any specific date mentioned. Wait for a new phone icon to appear or a menu which tell ‘Call a phone’.
The first countries to enjoy the VoIP calling service are the United States, Canada, and the U.K. This seems to be Google’s move to compete with Facebook that had integrated the feature long ago with Skype. However, the social networking site has announced its plan of allowing voice calling in its mobile version, something that the Hangouts haven’t considered yet.
The good thing about Hangouts desktop calling feature was that users can do conference calls and video calls in a single call. Background music or sound effects can also be played during a call.
Those that don’t have the Hangouts yet may get one by logging in to their Gmail. Click the profile photo in the chat list and choose the option ‘Try the new Hangouts’. You will notice that the screen will refresh and your chat list will look quite a little different. Should you opt not to have the Hangouts, you may always revert to the original chat list by clicking the profile photo then choosing ‘Revert to old chat’.
