Stickers and short video are part of the latest update to Google+ Hangouts for iOS, making the messaging app a bit more competitive with leading services. Besides a brand new look and feel optimized for iOS 7, Hangouts Version 2.0.0 comes with animated stickers and the ability to record and send Vine-Like video messages up to 10 seconds in length.
The new Hangouts for iOS also allows users to share a map of their current location and has been fully optimized for iPad with a two-pane conversation view.
It seems that, just like with Google+, Google is attempting to package a number of its competitors’ successful features into Hangouts. Stickers, for example, have been a big hit in messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and Line, and short video messaging has taken off with Snapchat. But will these features be enough to encourage users to adopt Hangouts as their messaging app of choice? Probably not. The day users started using Line to send stickers or Snapchat to send videos, they became hooked on those services. Google is too late in the game to convince people to use Hangouts as their go-to, all-in-one messaging app – Google just hasn’t built enough user traction for any Hangouts feature besides its free group video messaging offering.
Strangely, this update brings new features to iOS first, with no word on when the features will make their way to Android. Is Google trying to copy its messaging app competitors by making Android users wait for new, coveted features? It seems so.
Download Hangouts for iOS here.
via The Next Web
