Google Hangouts Meet Reviews

Pros
Hangouts Meet is already available from within Gmail. It's simple to add to a meeting invitation from Gcal or to launch for impromptu meetings from the G-Suite launchpad.

Cons
Many large organizations have firewall settings that block this tool. Also, Google definitely is no longer a privacy advocate, so be aware that your call.video is stored on one of their servers for their purposes. Finally, while this is all browser-based on Macs/PCs, it is a resource hog, but not as bad as Webex.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
I love how easy it is to use Hangouts. You can have it in your phone or computer and it can easily help you set up meetings, video calls with friends, voice calls or simply chat with people. It's easy to use and it doesn't need anything else than a google account. I highly recommend it since it can be used for business also and it doesn't require any pins or cell phone numbers in order to be used on both platforms.

Cons
One of the things that I don't like is the amount of memory it uses on iOS. I haven't used the app on Android yet, but at least it does take some memory and even the fastest iOS device can have the app crash every now and then. The other thing that I believe that needs to be improved is the design when it comes to sending pictures from your device, it's horribly designed and doesn't let you pick the image with enough space in the screen in order to choose the image and send the right image.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Super user friendly. I have used Hangouts to train freelance artists about the company virtually every few weeks. I use it to train employees by sharing my screen and allowing trainees to share their screen. Very simple to use!

Cons
If there’s one thing I don’t like- it’s the connection and functionality when we have over 10 users on the Hangout. I realize it may not be built for large meetings, but it would save us from using Zoom if we were able to use Hangouts!

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I initially installed Hangouts because it was the only way I could receive text messages inside of my office, which has terrible reception due to all of the sound insulation (we do voice recordings in-house.) It was a SAVIOR when it first came out because Google was one of the only companies supporting Wifi calling and texting. I also liked that I was able to have Hangouts to route multiple numbers (I'm in NYC and LA.) When it first came out, Hangouts was completely innovative.

Cons
Google has too many departments designing conflicting products instead of putting all hands on deck to work on one piece of software. Google Chat? Wave? Plus? Hangouts? It's insane. I pay for GoogleFi now with the express interest of using hangouts, so I can get texts on my computer. But when I try to load it on my Google Pixel, it's slow - like, "1997 loading a JPG-level" slow. I don't trust that many of my texts are going through and that I am receiving them. Sometimes a message that a friend sent a day before comes to me in the middle of the night. It feels like Google is phasing this out, but it is unclear what the replacement will be. I am so horrified that I might honestly just switch plans. Now that young people use texting as their exclusive method of communication, I have found that this is hurting my social and business-life. It's pretty pathetic that Facebook Messanger - a free service - is more reliable than Hangouts, a product that I now technically pay for as a GoogleFi subscriber. I am losing faith in the Google Brand because of this product. And because many users do not pay for Fi, they provide almost no customer service for Hangouts, because they are overwhelmed with complaints from their free users.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 4/10

Pros
The app integrates with the G-suite business account. We have created a department wise organisational groups who can transfer data and information through Hangouts.

Cons
The notifications on the G-Suite account is not very handy and there are times when the device policy is not synced with the mobile device the business Hangouts don't get displayed. It would be great if Business account Hangouts can run independently without the device policy synchronization.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
Teams meeting isn't affecting performance with any bit, we had meetings for more than 25 people and it still worked like as two people were meeting (sometimes even this is an issue)

Cons
Application Window feature is really cool, but it is most unfortunate to not be able to switch from one application to another without switching camera on between them

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
My company uses Google Hangouts for client demo’s, internal meetings with staff in other locations, and one of my favourite features is the fact that you can record a session and share it after the fact. We are currently investigating the option of hosting webinars via Google Hangouts as part of our Marketing strategy and I am looking forward to exploring this option.

Cons
I have no complaints about the product.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
I loce.google hangouts a messaging system that is integrated with your email that can me used to create groups or single messages to friends, employees, and any personal, work related and game related activity to use a messaging system to communicate with people via messaging and/or voice message

Cons
I love how google has it all with no fee to use and how google is integrated with multiple free or fee to use and just a one stop shop

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I love that integrates with my gmail. I also like that you can use it to send and receive text messages.

Cons
Honestly, I don't really have any complaints about it. The only thing that could make it better is if it would allow you to communicate with people that are already on other platforms like what'sapp or skype.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Everything! It's incredible easy to create meetings, invite others, and have a video call or a conference call. I honestly don't understand everyone's fascination with Zoom (which isn't very secure) that puts everyone like a Brady Bunch intro. Hangouts Meet can accommodate a ton of participants and focuses on who is talking at the moment. I really like the ability to turn off video, mute myself, etc. The screen share is very handy and you can share the whole screen or just a window. I probably spend 4-5 hours a day in Hangouts and I love it.

Cons
I don't really have a complaint about Hangouts. The chat feature isn't super intuitive, but in all honesty I haven't really explored it too much.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I like a lot of things about Hangouts. First, I love how simple it is. Second, I like the fact that is an extension from Google and connects/synchronizes to your Google account. I mean, who doesn't have/use a google account these days? You can receive messages directly to your computer or your cellphone. Hangouts knows what device is active. I also like the emoticons, they are different than other messaging softwares and apps. So far, I am loving Google Hangouts because of its simplicity, cool features, and connection/synchronicity to Google account.

Cons
So far, I have no complains about the software. I only use it at work as a way to keep separated work communications from personal ones. Although something I don't like is that in order to be able to receive messages, Google account must be initiated.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Google Hangouts best feature is simultaneous use on multiple platforms. I use it on Android, iOS, and a web browser simultaneously. Text messages are forwarded to all devices. Phone calls are forwarded to all devices. Moreover, I can make an outgoing call on one device then put it on hold and call someone else if I need a quick conversation. The combinations are endless.

Cons
There are features that interest me but I struggle to use. I should be able to transfer a call from one open device to another by pressing the '*' (star) button? I haven't succeeded in doing this. I should record calls through some key combination, but it doesn't work for me. Certain distinct features could be better used if there was a menu of options.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Hangouts is a fantastic option for online communication with teams or individuals. Here's what I like the most: - It's a standard app in the G Suite platform so everything works with your Gmail/Drive account. There's no need to learn a new system or create a separate login. If you have a Gmail account, your good to go for free. - Integration of G Suite files is seamless and effortless. - All chat history is saved, so you can go back and review communications if you need to check on something. - The user interface is clean and user-friendly. - It's incredibly easy to learn to use. Not a steep learning curve. - You have the ability to set up contact groups/teams for special purposes. - Reliable - As long as you have a decent connection, audio and video chat is reliable and works well. - Works across devices - laptop, tablet, phone!

Cons
It lacks a few advanced features that competitors offer, but given that it's free with Drive and all that Drive offers, this is hardly a complaint. This may not be suitable for online meetings involving multiple people in places.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
- You can have a call (audio, video etc.) with one or many parties, share your screen if needed and make configurations. Super simple to set-up and also to combine with other tools you are using. - Also like that when you are adding an event to your calendar. a Hangouts link is automatically created.

Cons
- With other products, meetings used to automatically be recorded and made available to me which was great for going back and making notes, double-checking things etc. I just Googled and technically recording is also possible with Hangouts BUT "This feature is available with the G Suite Enterprise and G Suite Enterprise for Education editions."

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
The integration into gmail is the best option for me. You can also download an app. With Active Directory Sync it is very easy to locate employees and it does allow you to chat externally.

Cons
From time to time Hangouts would lose connectivity and go "Offline" while email was still available. This wasn't very often but it happened enough times to notice it over time. Notifications of a new message need to be worked on. It would be nice to see a more visible pop-up via the web interface. When I installed the app I began to see 2 windows come up and it was difficult to figure how and which one to turn off.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
As station masters we do communication mainly through emails and video conferences. There are quite a lot of employees in each and every station and it is somewhat difficult to gather them all at one place to held meetings. So we decided to use video conferencing for meetings when employees are difficult to be gathered. Google hangouts help me to connect with other station masters. Google hangouts has everything that mandatory for communication. I don't need to install any application instead it's perfectly integrate with the email account. I can check the availability of co-workers and the important conversations with them can be archived easily. Normally we create calendar events and join from hangouts.While I'm using hangouts, I can access both my mails and chat from my mobile and my PC. The interface is really simple and easy to follow so that that even an average person can easily use this.

Cons
I love to have the feature of sharing multiple images and different file types with my colleagues. It would be great if google can improve on sharing different file types like pdf,xlsx etc and multiple images at once. Likewise google need to make certain improvements in hangouts to be competitive with other software giants in the industry. Other than that I have no complaints regarding hangouts and it satisfies me with my expectations about communication.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
Google Hangout is one of the most intuitive and versatile tools available for video conferencing. Since its integrated with the Google ecosystem, I can access it from my corporate Gmail account or Google Calendar or directly through the meeting link. When I schedule a new meeting with my office colleagues, I can easily add Google Hangout to it when creating the invite which automatically generates a conference number. So, if the video conference doesn't work due to internet issues, I can simply dial into the conference using that random number. My favorite feature is Google Hangout letting me share my screen so other participants can see my presentation or whatever I am sharing in my laptop. All these features are available for use without additional cost, as long as, one has a Google account.

Cons
There are couple of issues which bother me when using Google Hangout. Firstly, I can't have multiple conferencing sessions open at the same time. Secondly, the steps to share my screen or presentation are not very intuitive and confusing to those who are first time users. I also believe active Google Hangout conferencing sessions consume high RAM resources and slows down Chrome browser or CPU. Finally, since Hangout is a Google product, it doesn't work smoothly using any non-Chrome browsers such as Internet Explorer. If I try opening it in Internet Explorer, Google Hangout may not start conference session. Google also needs to add new features and make Hangout more friendly experience when using mobile. Plus, I should be able to use Google Hangout with other meeting participants who don't have Hangout.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
This is literally the easiest chat and video conference platform, period. It truly puts other software to shame, to the point where it's hard to fathom that companies spend money on specific software to connect in this way when Hangouts is free with G-Suite and super reliable. I love that you can be on or off camera, you can readily mute yourself before even hopping into the hangout, and that it switches the view to the active speaker so that you never have to scroll or click through to see who is talking.

Cons
Sometimes, like with other Google products, it can seize up my Chrome browser. However, this is momentary and the lag will cease after a couple of seconds and allow me into the Hangout chat.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
The fact that google hangout is well integrated for the google mail users and chrome users, makes me to prefer it. I receive messages faster, easy to access and communicate with my colleagues at work, hangout makes working from home fun,chat on hangout are well organised and sorted in order, and also, it notify me when messages are sent,hangout offer the ability to create groups for friends or co workers,keeping track of people is made easy, we make video calls daily with clients and trainee , the screen sharing has been very helpful in training our real estate agent on digital marketing. i suggest for my organisation to use google product such as gmail, chrome and hangout, its a great community for easy communication, since they are all well integrated. One other thing is that I can search for my conversations, in case i forget, the fact that messages cannot be deleted after it has been sent has being beneficial, for record keeping, thanks to google.

Cons
I observed that hangout is not keeping up with latest instant messaging features, that allows to send multimedia document easily, accessing, selecting and sending images while on conversation is not easy to access on gallery at ones,the video call functionality needs upgrade to allow more people to share video calls at ones, my organisation is out growing the hangout messaging platforms, we need to be able to send pdf files on hangout, but hangout still remain our choice because it keeps us integrated in the google community, since what cannot be sent through hangout could be sent via gmail.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 7/10

Pros
Hangouts is incredibly simple to set up and use; it integrates directly into your existing gmail/gsuite account automatically and allows chatting with specific individuals or groups with a single click. You can create new groups very easily, and it's incredibly simple to keep track of who is talking. Chats are sorted by most-recent-first, allowing you to instantly spot new messages and respond.

Cons
There are very, very few features beyond what I've described in the Pros section. It's impossible to edit or delete a chat once it has been sent, there are no 'reactions' to individual chats, and most importantly there's no Level/Tier system meaning all chats are given equal focus and conversations can derail incredibly easily. Furthermore, you're restricted to using either the in-your-email interface, or the chrome addon interface, both of which have serious restrictions and failings in terms of notifications. The in-email interface makes it so you cannot see your chats unless you open your email tab, making multitasking very hard, and also masking notifications to the point it's basically imperceptible. The addon interface is bulky and unwieldy. It lacks any sort of stay-on-top-of-other-windows feature, and even if it had one it's so large you'd never want to use it. It doesn't pop itself forward when you receive any chats. The worst part is that it *used* to have an incredible addon interface, where it sat at the bottom of the screen only taking up a small handful of pixels, and popped up larger and flashed green whenever you had a new chat, and you could click on it to expand that chat to read/reply, and then minimize it back to the bottom of the screen, but then they "updated" it to the current version that's just objectively worse.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
What I like the most is that I don't need to share my phone number, only my Gmail email account and I already have access. It's totally free since it's another of the tools offered by Google. The interface is intuitive and easy to use, I can share images and videos, I can also make video calls. The app is light and loads very fast. I can chat from the computer or from the cell phone. The videoconferences are excellent, the communication flows very well, although as always, it depends on the internet signal, but in general terms it goes very well, you can share the screen

Cons
There're only two things that I don't like, one of them is that it doesn't have a desktop software but I have to use the web browser. It would be great if they offered software similar to the application they offer for smartphones. And the other thing that I do not like is that it doesn't offer the option to send and receive voice messages.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I would never have known Hangouts without its integration with the Google mail system and since I am using it I can honestly say that it is the feature that I like the most: its perfect integration with email since it is not necessary to have an application installed on my computer to use it. It is a very simple application to use and it fulfills what it promises, fast, powerful messaging, video calls, ability to create groups of users and quite light if it is used from the web. Another feature that I use a lot and I really like is that the search bar that owns the mail system also finds the messages that you have sent or received through hangouts and it is very useful when you want to find very old messages that you need.

Cons
Something I do not like about Hangouts is that while the competition advances adding more and more features, such as stickers, voice notes, among others, I get the impression that Google Hangouts is not investing time in the platform because it remains the same I also do not like that video calls are not as fluid as their competition and creating a room sometimes gives so many errors that I end up using platform. But when I manage to connect with my colleagues, it works wonders. Finally, I feel that the mobile application must be improved, it is very heavy and slow, today I have a very fast cell phone and it does not affect me but when I had a mid-range cell phone it was a nightmare to use Google Hangouts.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 7/10

Pros
Google Hangouts allowed me to stay in touch and collaborate on projects with coworkers while working from remotely for a company from home. Being able to video chat and participate in meetings with others allowed me the freedom to work full time and 100% from a home office. With Google Hangouts you can check a co-workers availability, send direct individual and group messages and video chat easily. I interviewed for the position over Google Hangouts and having never used it before I thought I would be intimidated but it was extremely easy to use. After being hired I was 100% trained by a co-worker in another city over Google Hangouts. Not only did we video chat daily during training she utilized the screen sharing to teach / train me. Once trained I used Google Hangouts every day to communicate and collaborate with coworkers on projects. Google Hangouts was my virtual office and allowed me to be a part of a team while working independently from home.

Cons
Google Hangouts is ideal for work and personal use however our company began to outgrow the video chat limits (Google Hangouts has a limited number of participants that can participate in a video chat meeting) and as a company we needed to switch to a tool that allowed a higher number of users to participate in those type of company wide meetings.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Hangout has over the years afforded me a simple and enjoyable messaging experience with the added advantage of been able to send multimedia as well as make calls at reasonable rates to phone numbers and contacts on your Gmail account that also use hangout. I must say that the quality of hangout voice calls (paid option) is just exceptionally great. The video call is free and also nice too. You can archive important conversations as well as easily send an invite to your contact within hangout to adopt the software if they are not using it yet. The ability to have one-to-one or group conversations within Google Hangouts is an advantage that has endured it to me as it has helped my organization reduce spending on a previous collaboration software we hitherto used. The installation is easy and the software is lightweight and as such, hardly cause hanging. I recently was able to install the chrome extension of hangout to my chrome browser and can now reply to my message while on my computer without reaching for my phone. this has furthered made this software more appealing to me. I like the fact that the software is free on Gmail account and yet there are no ads in it

Cons
I miss the SMS functionality that was previously integrated into hangout and I still wonder why it was removed! For you to really enjoy Hangout, you require a very strong internet connection otherwise it becomes a real test of your patience. I also wish there was a way to reach your contact (maybe by assigning a hangout ID phone Number) so that you can call them when they are offline. You might want to avoid sharing very sensitive data with hangout as there is serious concern over the security of files shared with others within hangout. I also think the need to have a Gmail account in order to use hangout is not pleasant. It will be better if hangout can be designed to support a number of email service providers.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
Simple, intuitive yet powerful. Simple chatting with co-workers has declined on Hangouts since we started using Slack, however, Hangouts remains our default tool for video calling and online conferencing. The best about it is that its easy to use, simply calling from the chat window, or, as we mostly use it, by creating a calendar event and joining from Hangouts. It usually works well, without delays, and we can screen share easily for remote co-working.

Cons
Its a bit connection intensive. If your connection is seeing a lot of use, then Hangouts might be a bit slow. We usually turn the camera off to save somw bandwidth, especially if we are screen sharing since we don't need to see each other anyway. Audio and shared screen is the usual way to work on Hangouts for us, and we do use it often. I'd say that over 80% of our company meetings have someone joining via Hangouts.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10