Use Google Talk

Google Talk, now known as Hangouts, is Google's cross-platform messaging device. It lets you send text messages, make phone calls, and video calls from almost any device to any other device. It is useful for streamlined communication across many different devices.

Steps

Setting Up Your Google Account

  1. Create a Google Account. Before you get started using Google Hangouts, you will first need a Google account. Go to https://accounts.google.com/ to start setting up your account.
  2. Click on the "Create Account" link beneath the gray box. This will start you through the short process of creating an account. You will be prompted to enter in information about yourself.
  3. Enter your information into the appropriate fields.
    • When creating a username, think about what you will use the account for. If you plan to make this your professional e-mail -- the e-mail address you give out to clients and employers -- try to make the username professional. A good username is your first initial, followed by your last name, and then a series of numbers.
    • Your password should be complex enough that it isn't easy for others to guess, but not so complex that you can't possibly remember it. Read our article about how to make a good password for some advice.
    • You are asked to enter in your current e-mail address so that if you ever forget your password or username, Google will have a secure place to send it to.
  4. Click the "Next Step" button. This button is located at the bottom of the input fields. Press the button in order to confirm your information.
    • You may be asked to re-enter some information. For example, if your username has already been taken by another user, you will be prompted to choose a new username.

Using Google Hangout in Gmail

  1. Download and install the latest version of the Hangouts plugin. If you have Safari or Firefox, you will need to download the plugin at this link: https://www.google.com/tools/dlpage/hangoutplugin. Chrome will already have the plugin installed.
    • Click on the big, blue "Download Plugin" button in the top right of the window.
      • After seeing the notification that your download has started, click on the downloaded file that ends with ".exe." The installer should handle everything for you.
  2. Open Gmail. Go to https://gmail.com/ and sign into the account that you created earlier.
  3. Access your contacts, make calls and send messages. Look on the left side of your screen to find the icons that correlate with this functionality. The icons should all be beneath your profile picture and name.
    • The icon that looks like a tiny person houses your contacts. Double-click on a contact's name to start a conversation with that person.
    • The icon that looks like a dialog box with a quotation mark will show past conversations you have had over Google Hangouts.
    • The icon that looks like a phone will let you make new calls to any of your contacts. Assuming that you are signed into the same Google account on your mobile device, you will see all the contacts from your phone as people available to call.

Using Google Hangouts in Google Plus

  1. Open up Google Plus. Go to this web address: https://plus.google.com/ and sign in using the account you created earlier.
  2. Click on the speech bubble icon in the upper right corner of you screen. Clicking on this icon will open up all the Hangout features accessible in Google Plus.
  3. Send a text message. Enter in the name of the person you want to talk to in the input box next to the magnifying glass. The input box should say "search for people."
    • Note that the person will have to have a Google account in order to be found.
    • Click on the name of the person you wish to talk to. Then, type your message in the "send message" input box. Press ↵ Enter to send the message.
  4. Start a video call. While in a conversation with a person, press the icon in the upper left corner of the chat box that looks like a video camera.
  5. Add more people to the conversation. While in a conversation, press the icon in the upper left of the chat box that looks like a person next to a plus sign. You will be prompted to type in the name of the person you wish to add.
  6. Send emoticons. Click on the smiley face icon in the bottom left of the chat box. You can pick from a wide variety of different faces to better express your emotions over text.
  7. Send a picture over chat. Click on the icon in the bottom right of the chat box that looks like a painting of a mountain. You can upload any photo that you have on your computer.
    • Hover over the same icon to reveal the pencil icon. Click on this icon to draw a picture and send it.

Using the Google Hangouts Desktop App

  1. Download and install the Hangouts app. Download the app from the Google Play store by going to this link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hangouts/knipolnnllmklapflnccelgolnpehhpl
    • Download and install the app by clicking the blue download button in the upper right corner of the pop-up.
    • The app will work for all common operating systems, including Linux.
  2. Open the app once it has been installed. You will see various icons. Each icon has a different function.
  3. Access your contacts. Click on the icon, that looks like two people to access your contacts. Press the big green button with the plus symbol to search for a person. Click on the person's name to start a conversation with them.
  4. Look at previous conversations. To the right of the people icon, click on the icon that looks like a speech bubble to see previous conversations.
  5. Start a phone call. To the right of the speech bubble icon, click on the icon that looks like a phone to start a phone call. Search for a name or phone number in the field next to an icon of your country's flag. If you use the same Google account on your phone, you will be able to see all contacts from your phone, even if the person does not have a Google account.
    • You can call any number, but you will need to add credit to your account by clicking on the plus sign to the right of the dollar value. Follow the instructions on the web page that pops up in order to add money to your account.
  6. Send messages. While in a conversation, type messages by clicking and typing in the input field that says "Send a message." You will know when you are in a conversation if the header of the window displays the name of the person you want to talk to.
  7. Send emoticons. Click on the smiley face icon to the left of the chat box to reveal emoticons. You can pick from a wide variety of different faces to better express your emotions over text.
    • Send a picture over chat by clicking on the icon to the right of the chat box that looks like a painting of a mountain. You can upload any photo that you have on your computer.
      • Hover over the same icon to reveal the pencil icon. Click on this icon to draw a picture and send it.
    • Start a video call with the person by clicking on the icon that looks like a video camera in the upper right corner of the window.
    • To the right of the video camera icon, click on the three vertical dots to add more people to the conversation, block the person, archive the conversation, or delete the conversation.
  8. Adjust settings and personal preferences. Click on the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of the screen. You can:
    • Share a status to your contacts.
    • Change sounds for incoming calls and messages under the Notifications header.
    • Change when the Hangout app starts and how it is displayed on the screen under the Hangouts App Settings header.
    • Enable transparent UI by clicking on the "Enable Transparent UI" button. Clicking this button will make it so that any new messages pop up as bubbles on top of any other windows you may have open.
    • See a list of archived hangouts, invites, hidden contacts, and blocked people.

Using Google Hangouts on an Android

  1. Download and install the Hangouts app from the Google Play store. The app is called Hangouts and is published by Google.
    • Open up the Google play app, search for Hangouts, and then click the Install button.
  2. Open the app and log in to your account. Use the same account that you created previously so that your communication will be seamless across multiple devices. Upon opening the app, you will see a variety of icons.
    • The three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of the screen will show you a list of options. You can:
      • Snooze notifications.
      • See past invites, archived conversations, and blocked people.
      • Adjust settings, such as which Google account is being used.
      • Find help for your questions and give feedback about the app.
    • Tap the icon that looks like a person just below your name to access all your contacts. Tap any of the contacts to start a conversation with them. Search for a person by typing in their name, email, or number in the search field just below the people icon.
    • Tap the icon that looks like a speech bubble to the right of the people icon to access a list of past conversations.
  3. Send a text message. While in a conversation, type a message to the person by tapping on the input box that says "Send Hangouts message."
    • Tap on the smiley face icon to send emoticons. You can choose from a wide range of emoticons to better express your emotions over text.
    • To the right of the smiley face icon, click on the icon that looks like a paper clip to:
      • Take and send a photo.
      • Share your location.
      • Send a virtual sticker.
    • Press the icon in the upper right corner that looks like a video camera to start a video call with the person.
    • To the right of the video camera icon, click on the phone icon to start a regular audio call with the person.
    • Add more people to the call by tapping the button that says "Anyone else" to the right of the name of the person you are currently chatting with.
      • Scroll through your list of contacts or search for the person. Then, tap on their name to add them to the conversation.

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