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Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

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Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#51

Post by izacus »

zzleeper wrote: post #29
izacus wrote: post #7

Of course, I still have to run Chrome just for a slow and terrible browser interface on the desktop. Which was a major annoyance (especially since for some reason using Safari extends battery life for a huge amount) that caused me to switch to Telegram.

Are there any limitations I should be aware of before trying to switch to Telegram?

Hmm... haven't seen anything standing (besides their security being on par with Hangouts).... I guess the lack of SMS integration on Android and the fact that the contacts are identified via phone number?

Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#52

Post by josteink »

livingparadox wrote: post #25

I CAN FINALLY GET MMS MESSAGES WITH MY GOOGLE VOICE NUMBER! Sorry for the caps. But that's been mildly annoying for a long time, so its kind of exciting to finally have a complete messaging system on google voice.

I guess that's yet another Google feature everyone outside the US can give a flying fuck about.

Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#53

Post by dantillberg »

Encosia wrote: post #47
izacus wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The convenience of being able to use several devices (laptop, tablet, phone) to seamlessly continue conversations is pretty much the main reason I like these services. Pidgin and Adium do not support (transferrable) chat history and do not show messages when I'm offline, which is a huge usability hit. Especially when people talking on the other side expect that the messages are visible to you even if you're not immed…

I've been using Trillian Pro for this for many years, and it's worth every penny. My history is always in sync between my Windows, OSX, and iOS devices, and Trillian's desktop interface is so much better than Gmail's chat interface.

Do you use Trillian in conjunction with the google-native clients? I seem to recall trying Trillian -- years ago, though -- and finding that it had the same issues as Pidgin and Adium, losing messages whenever you were active in another client.

Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#54

Post by yoasif_ »

Zikes wrote: post #5

The only features I want are setting availability status and getting online notifications for contacts. IMs have had those features for decades, and contrary to Google's narrow worldview not everybody is online and available 24/7.

This continues to be an issue with this app.

Prior to TextSecure deprecating the encrypted SMS option, I used Voice+ (on Cyanogenmod) to send encrypted SMS over Google Voice.

Since that method has been deprecated, the trustworthiness of SMS is lacking, and Google's insistence on not providing a "native" SMS experience for Google Voice (for both Voice and Hangouts apps) is annoying.

I continue to be unable to use an alternative SMS app for ostensibly a SMS service (Google Voice), like I am able to with a hack like Voice+.

Using Hangouts forces me to use unencrypted messaging for Google chat, while also forcing me to be always online.

My current setup is Voice+ with Google Voice and TextSecure to provide encryption communications with other TextSecure users, along with SMS fallback for contacts who are not using TextSecure. I can continue to use TextSecure for Google Voice SMS, however, which is not possible in Lollipop or in any supported way via Google products on Android.

It is disappointing that the biggest reason that I cannot upgrade to Lollipop is due to Google locking users to either Voice or Hangouts for Google Voice SMS. (I really don't care to use multiple messengers for short messages if I can help it).

I'm also using Conversations for encrypted (OTR) messaging over Google chat -- who knows how long that will last. I could live with this if Google offered OTR (preferably) messaging natively from Google apps, but I am not comfortable talking in the clear, especially when it is so easy not to, by using non Google apps/platforms.

Perhaps this is all my fault for using Google Voice as my primary contact number - but that is specifically the use case sold to users - replace your public phone number (... so that we can harvest your conversations)!

Google doesn't make it easy to be private -- likely not a primary use case considered by Google here, but the result is wanting.

Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#55

Post by yoasif_ »

mtgx wrote: post #6

Does it come with end-to-end encryption yet? It's a strange world we live in where I feel my data is safer in a Facebook app than in a Google one.

"Critics are quick to point out that if a user is not paying for a product, they are the product, and of course encrypting notifications from Facebook won't stop the social media behemoth from accessing all the data itself. The only way to protect one's data from Facebook is to stop using Facebook."

http://readwrite.com/2015/06/03/facebook-pgp-encryption

Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#56

Post by jgrowl »

dantillberg wrote: post #39
izacus wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The convenience of being able to use several devices (laptop, tablet, phone) to seamlessly continue conversations is pretty much the main reason I like these services. Pidgin and Adium do not support (transferrable) chat history and do not show messages when I'm offline, which is a huge usability hit. Especially when people talking on the other side expect that the messages are visible to you even if you're not immed…

> Pidgin and Adium do not support (transferrable) chat history and do not show messages when I'm offline, which is a huge usability hit. This times a million. GChat (now "hangouts"), though their XMPP interface, attempts to send new messages only to the "active" client, which means that if you try to use Pidgin or Adium (I used both myself for a number of years; they're fantastic applications) or any other XMPP clien…

It's happening less frequently recently, but I occasionally miss messages even in hangouts. Technically they get sent but no notification is ever shown. It's happened to both my fiance and me. I am not sure if our accounts are bugged or what. I did see a google group thread where other people were complaining about the same issue.

Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#57

Post by zanny »

izacus wrote: post #7

Of course, I still have to run Chrome just for a slow and terrible browser interface on the desktop. Which was a major annoyance (especially since for some reason using Safari extends battery life for a huge amount) that caused me to switch to Telegram.

Its integrated into gmail, even in Firefox, with the gtalk plugin.

I use KTP for the hangouts chat part, and then my gmail tab rings when people call me on it. Its suboptimal, and a huge usability loss from 5 years ago when Google wasn't pushing proprietary bullshit but instead had jingle, but it at least barely works still.

Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#58

Post by yoasif_ »

rcarmo wrote: post #43

I wish they'd stop guzzling battery on iOS. On my iPhone, the two top background activity apps are Facebook and Hangouts, neither of which (sadly) I can actually get rid of since I use the first for work (seriously...) and the second to be reachable to Android users.

XMPP continues to work for Google Chat, so there may be better iOS Google Chat clients. Sorry, I haven't used any, so I can't offer any recommendations.

ChatSecure seems to offer OTR compatibility, so that may be a decent option:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chatsecure-encrypted-secure/...

and should be compatible with OTR Jabber clients on Android like Conversations.

Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#59

Post by seanp2k2 »

ryandvm wrote: post #27

Hangouts is "okay" at best. I continue to be amazed that companies like Microsoft and Google are so bad at instant messaging that upstarts like Slack can eat their lunch with essentially hosted IRC and a pretty client.

Defiantly not any better than Skype from 10 years ago or MSN messenger video calling. "Progress!"

Re: Google Hangouts 4.0: now simpler, faster, more beautiful

#60

Post by pkulak »

izacus wrote: post #7

Of course, I still have to run Chrome just for a slow and terrible browser interface on the desktop. Which was a major annoyance (especially since for some reason using Safari extends battery life for a huge amount) that caused me to switch to Telegram.

Remove the Flash plugin from Chrome. That put its resources below Safari for me. Before I did that, Chrome would spin up my fans just by existing.
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