Google is on a roll. After tweaking its homepage and introducing updated application for iOS7, the Mountain View-based company has turned its attention towards Hangouts and Gmail for Android. And that’s not all. The company’s search engine has been optimized and the hashtag feature has been added for making it even simpler for users to look for relevant content on the web.
First up is Hangouts for Android which will now clearly show online and offline users. Green icons will appear for people who are reachable, while gray icon means they are not. And easier way of browsing through contacts has been added to the app and thus, subscribers will find sections like ‘people you Hangout with,’ ‘suggested people’ and ‘other contacts.’
The invites have been shifted to the top of conversations, while a ‘hide contact’ option has been tossed into the mix. In order to hide someone all you need to do is long press the name and select the said tab. The update has already been rolled out.
As for Gmail for Android, this application now has a cleaner design for the conversation view and displays a checkmark for when you select multiple messages to move, delete or archive. In case the account sync is off, the utility will notify subscribers so they do not end up missing out on an important email.
Furthermore, the famous #hashtags have come to Google Search and on entering a term with the symbol in the search box, users will not only get applicable results from the web, but also from Google+. Posts that have been shared publicly or with the user will show up in the search along with updates from other social networking websites. It has currently been rolled out to people in Canada and the US only.
Updated Hangouts and Gmail for Android are now available through the Play store.