Google Apps users can now add non-Google users to their Hangouts video chats
Ever wanted to add someone who doesn’t have a Google account to your Hangouts calls? Me neither, but now that it’s possible to do just that I might try and find a new excuse to. Google introduced the change today for Google Apps users in their bid to make it easier for co-workers or business partners to meet without having to deal with messy accounts.
The way it works is simple: Google will give you a link that you can pass on to friends and family members who you might want to chat with. Once they click the link they’ll be asked to enter their name, and they then request to join. From there, you can accept their request and chat away just as if they had a Hangouts account.
You can still control that participant’s fate in the call, so if you suddenly need to boot them out for whatever reason then that’s up to you — they don’t have a Google account so there’s not much they can say, can they? The feature is available today, so if you have the need to use this then be sure to take advantage.
[via Google]