Hangouts now available for iPad with dedicated Google+ app

Google recently announced the Google+ app for the iPad and with it, the search giant added all sorts of functionalities that gives users the best possible experience of the app. Google claims on their blog that in May, they redesigned the Google+ experience for iPhone by adding full bleed photos that fall into place and bold visual elements that bring a user's stream to life. They state that they are now introducing new features for the iPhone and an iPad app.

Google claims that the Google+ app for iPad was designed with the device in mind. A user’s stream styles content based on popularity, type and orientation. They state that they have also added unique ways to interact with the app such as:

• Pinch and expand posts right in your stream to add your comments
• Use two fingers to drag a post from your stream to easily re-share it
• Start a Hangout from your iPad and stream it to your TV using AirPlay

Hangout on the iPad

Commenting on the Hangout feature, Google states, “Now you can start a video chat with up to nine friends anywhere, anytime with Hangouts on iPhone and iPad. Turn on ringing notifications so your friends know to join the Hangout. To get started, tap “Hangout” from the main menu, add some friends and tap “Start.” We'll ring their phones (if you want), and if someone misses the hangout, they can ring you back with a single tap.”

Commenting on the new Google+ app, a report by PC World states, “The new iPad app delivers Google+ in stunning, crisp Retina resolution. That alone makes it exponentially more likely that Google+ users will engage the social network at all from an iPad. But, when you combine Google+ Circles, with Hangouts, and make it all available from a mobile device like the iPad it opens up new options for productivity on the go.”

“Hangouts have been an option from Android smartphones and tablets since December of 2011, but the iPad has been hobbled with the Hangout-less iPhone version of the Google+ app. The iPad is by far the dominant tablet in use by both consumers and business users, though, so expanding Hangouts to the iPad provides a much broader audience of possible Hangouts participants,” the report adds.

Commenting on the Circles feature, an article by CNET states, “The way Google+ organizes your circles is also intuitive in the new app. At the top-centre of the interface on the Home screen, you can touch to bring up a drop-down menu to browse your created Circles, and also What's Hot currently on Google+ and activity from users nearby your location. The new app offers some nifty animations whenever you browse through tiles or switch circles, with an animated drop-in type of effect as each post loads. The overall UI experience was greatly improved on the iPhone in May this year, but with these new feature editions and a smart layout on the iPad, Google+ is bound to get more users actively participating in the service.”

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