Google Hangouts Interface Changes

Introduction

Google Hangouts is being enabled for all biola.edu accounts. This change will bring several improvements to the Google chat system, and will add a new way to chat.

Reason for Change

This change is being made for two reasons:

1. More features. Google Hangouts has more features and functionality than then old Google Talk system. Google has committed to further improving the functionality of Hangouts for its Business users.
2. Google Talk end of supported. As of June, Google has ended support for the old Google Talk system.

What to Expect

The changes in the interface will be limited to two areas:

• The Chat section of your Gmail inbox
• The Hangouts web application

Gmail Chat

For users that have the Chat function enabled in their Biola email account, the Chat panel is displayed in the bottom-left corner of the page, directly below your Labels. This feature is enabled by default, but some users may have disabled the chat function.

The Chat panel will not change location when Hangouts is enabled, but the interface will change slightly.

Here are the differences:

• In the Top bar:
  • The account name will be visible next to the account's avatar/image.
  • Instead of the non-functional "call" button, there will be a "+" button to start a new conversation.
  • The Search field is removed, and its function replaced with the + button above.
• The center section will show either your Contacts, Conversations, or Calls, depending on which button is selected in the Button bar
• The Button bar now has three buttons instead of one, to toggle between the Contacts, Conversations, and Calls views.

Google Hangouts Web App

Once Hangouts has been enabled, all users will be able to use the Google Hangouts web application. This application is not available to Google Talk users.

Questions?

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel contact the IT Helpdesk at it.helpdesk@biola.edu.