How to Make Google Hangouts Your All-in-one Messaging App

Today, keeping in contact with family and friends can be done in many ways such as video calling, voice calling, text messaging, etc.

A number of instant messaging apps have come up in the market for Android, iOS, and Windows devices. Among these apps, Google Hangout stands in the category of all-in-one messaging app.

Google hangouts for Android is called all-in-one because through this you can send text messages and MMS messages, hangout to hangout message at free of cost, video calls, voice calls, etc. Not only this, you can even make phone calls to anyone located in any part of the world for free. Very recently, Google has launched a new version of hangout that is available on Chrome, iOS and Android devices. However, here we are going to focus on its Android version. Let’s have a look at its features first.

Features of Google Hangout 4.0

User Interface: Google hangout for Android has been decked up with signature green style. However, it has not adopted the full material design outlook. In this interface, you will see three tops such as messages, contacts, and dialer. Swiping in from the left edge, you will get a drop-down menu where you can switch between accounts and adjust other settings. Moreover, the navigation through the app is quite easy as you have many Google’s apps before.

Text message: This is an important feature of the app that can take the place of both of your SMS/MMS app and text messaging app. you can send hangout to hangout messages for free over WiFi or internet connection. This feature is quite similar to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Line. However, the only difference that lies here is hangout messages are shown here in green while SMS appears in white. If the person to whom you are connecting to has both hangout and carrier number, you can choose between the two options for sending messages.

Video calls: With Google hangout you can replace Skype on your Android phone. If you use hangout on your Android device, you can make video calls by tapping the video button in the top right corner of the app.

Audio calls: Audio calling is another exciting feature of hangout. You can either dial from the dialer tab featuring in the main menu, or you can tap the call button. These voice calls can be made with the help of Wi-Fi or the internet connection, and the good news is that it won’t use the minutes like your cellular plan.

Installation of Google Hangout in all-in-one Messaging App

To enable these features on your Android device, make sure you download the latest version of Hangout 4.0. After that, you select the slide out menu and then settings. While downloading hangout, you will get the option of setting it as your permanent texting app. if you want to enable this option, click on the SMS disabled option and select hangout from the list of installed texting applications.

Next, click on enable merged conversation. This combines SMS and Hangout conversation one single platform. While replying through text message, just touch the icon featured at the left of the screen to switch to hangout or SMS or Google Voice. Similarly, to use Google Voice, go to the account settings under Google account where you will get two options to choose such as your Google Voice number or carrier to reply to texts. If you select smart reply, the hangout will automatically start responding with the number the text has been sent to.

Therefore, if you want to make Google hangout your all-in-one messaging app, these steps will certainly provide the best user experience!

-  boosharticles

Google Hangouts 5 Tips And Tricks for Windows Phone, Android and iOS

In the race for being the top application to provide access to internet communication for free, Google has not been left behind.

It has jumped on to the bandwagon with the launch of Google Hangouts.

Google hangouts was preceded by Google talk. Although the services provided were same as those of Google hangouts, hangouts has a lot of new features that qualifies it as a good VoIP app – so much so that the application is now also used widely as a business communication tool among professionals.

If you have not had much experience with the application, you can follow the tips and tricks in order to use the application better.

The application can be used more conveniently with the help of keyboard shortcuts. Pressing the question mark can help you activate or deactivate the microphone at your convenience. Keyboard shortcuts make browsing the web easier and older chat messages are more easily accessed.

Google hangouts can be used to send messages and these can be sent with the help of commands. Typing “/to” before the name of the individual can help you send messages across.

Instead of sticking to the laptop microphone and speakers while you are on a voice or video call, the audio output would be much clearer if a user opts for the usage of headphones.

Corporates draw the most benefits from Google Hangout’s screen sharing feature. The application mirrors this feature from the Skype.

Simply by clicking on the share screen offer, you can share the screen with your friend or colleague and make work easier. Choice can be made between choosing either specific windows or the whole screen.

Google Hangouts can also be a very cost effective means of using VoIP by managing the amount of data you use. This can be done by toggling between normal quality voice calls and HD quality voice calls, which generally trend to consume more data.

-   therem

Why Google Play Keeps Crashing For You

Every one that has had an Android Smartphone has at one time experienced recurrent incidences where Google Play Store keeps crashing. This can be with a Google Play Store error message that indicates that the app shut down or could come up when it refuses to download apps on the play Store. This can be really annoying, especially when you do not know why the app has crashed and therefore do not know how to fix it.

Here are a few reasons why Google Play Store can crash and a few ways to fix it:

Update 

Google Play Store could stop working after receiving an update that does not work quite effectively. The update might have installed incorrectly and therefore the app will not work as normal. It therefore makes sense to uninstall the update so as to get the services working. This can be easily done by going to settings, searching for the Google Play Store app and looking for an option that says “uninstall updates.”

By clicking this option, you will be able to delete all the recent updates of Google Play Store that did not install correctly and return the application to its previous normal working condition. After this, you may want to find the second newest version of Play Store and update. This can be found from Google Play Store APKs where you can choose the update version that you want. 

Cache

In most cases, cache data could sometimes be overloaded or could have stored some previous information that prevents the application from working well. In this case, the only solution is to delete cache data.

In order to empty data on Play Store this way, you simply need to go to setting, find the application which you are looking for, in this case Play Store. Tap on the application then press the ‘empty cache’ option. Now, all you need is to open Google Play and it should run correctly. 

Deactivating download manager 

Google Play Store will not run at all if you have deactivated the download manager. The download manager could be deactivate in a bid to stop automatic download of apps. By doing this, Google Play Store will not respond well and could crash if the download manager is disabled. To get it working, go to settings, then App Manager, All apps tab and search for the download manager application. Tap on it in order to activate it. 

Google account problem

An error could sometimes occur with your Google account. This could be due to updates that cause loss of your Google account data. When this happens, all you have to do is to delete your account then add it again. In order to remove your account, simply go to ‘settings,’ go to ‘Samsung device and you will find an option that states ‘Remove Account. By confirming your choice, you will be able to remove the current account. Reboot your choice and reinstate that Google account by going back to settings, then accounts then clicking Add Account. 

If Google Play keeps on crashing for you, it could be due to old cache data, recent update of the application, deactivating download manager or the Google Account had a problem. By following the troubling shooting process, you will be able to enable Google Play services to work.

-  ordoh

How-to: Register and Activate a Google Play Store Account

Finally you have a new Android smartphone and the first thing to do with this phone is to set it up ready for use.

One thing you must do when setting up your new Android smartphone is to set up a Google account. The Play Store is the home of all apps that you could ever want on an Android device. Whether you want games, music players, movies, photo editors, communication apps and more, the Google Play Store is your one stop shop for the best free services. So, having a Play Store account on your Android device is almost inevitable, unless you are looking to get all your apps from third party websites, which is quite problematic.

There is nothing to fret about as far as registering and activating a new Google Play Store account is concerned. The process is very quick and easy and you will be enjoying plenty of apps in the Play Store within a few minutes.

So, how do you set up a Google Play Store account on your Android device?

Setting up a Google Play Store account is very easy and it can be done right from your device during the initialization of the phone. This can be accessed via the device’s Accounts Settings section. While in there, tap on “Add account” and select the Google option.

The next section will present you with two options: either add an existing account or create a new account. The former option is very easy. However, it will only work if you already have an existing Google account. On the other hand, the latter option, which involves creating a new account, is even easier since Google will take you through very simple onscreen step by step instructions. After creating the account, you will be able to link it to your device and the account will subsequently be activated.

Linking account with Google Wallet

The next logical step to take after setting up your Google Play Store account is to link it with the Google Wallet service. This service makes life easier when it comes to purchasing apps from the Play Store. The good thing is that linking your account to the Google Wallet is very easy. All you need is to visit the official Google Wallet page and create your account using the simple instructions availed on the page.

Wasn’t that simple? As you can see, the whole process takes up just a few minutes of your precious time and you’ll have a lifetime to enjoy free and very affordable apps from the Google Play Store.

-   ordoh

Google Maps to give you Indian Railways schedules now

Global search engine giant Google on Tuesday announced that its Google Maps Transit service will now give Indian Railways schedules as well as updated public transport information for eight Indian cities across the country.

The feature comes via a new update to Google Maps and provides information for 12,000 trains, as well updated details for bus and metro routes from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune.

Users can now type any destination into Google Maps, click on the "Get Directions" button and then select the "Public Transit" icon to find which metro, train or bus options are available.  

Google Maps will then display door-to-door directions to the destination with the public transport options available including walking directions to and from transit points.

Users can also choose their preferred mode of transport (bus, metro or train) as well as the time they'd like to depart or arrive by.

"We hope that the addition of the Indian Railways schedules pan India and updated information for eight cities to Google Transit in India will make it a little easier to plan your next trip" said Suren Ruhela, director, program management, Google Maps.

Google Maps is available on Android, iOS as well as desktop.

-   indiatoday

Access Google Play Without an Internet Connection?

Android users see Google Play for just what it is, a marketplace for apps. It would be nice to be able to browse and install apps without an internet connection but there are several things that not only prevent it from working in offline mode but also demonstrate why it is not possible. The first step is to understand what example is that makes Google Play exactly what it is today.

Understanding What Google Play Really Is

For the regular user Google Play is a marketplace or a place where apps can be found and downloaded. For everyone else it is a collection of links to the APK file stored on Google servers. This means that none of the apps listed in Google Play when a user opens it on his phone are stored locally. Everything that is shown on the screen is taken off the internet or more specifically from the Google Play servers.

As we all know there are apps that require 1 GB or more to be downloaded when they are installed. That is a lot of storage space and there are thousands of applications that are this big. Having them available in offline mode is the app store is impossible.

How Google Play Could Get An Offline Version

The database that holds all the app information is huge. We are talking about millions of app descriptions, ratings, pictures, videos. Even just having all this information stored locally on the phone could mean tens of gigabytes of data and as we all know, internal storage is limited.

What could be done is to have the descriptions downloaded only for the most popular apps according to their ratings and downloads. These apps could be compressed and downloaded onto the phone so that they could be accessible when the user browsers the Play Store without an internet connection.

There is a downside to this as new developers or apps that are not popular yet but their quality is top notch will not get noticed since they are not available in offline mode.

No Way To Get Around It

Sadly there is no possible way to open the Google Play Store without an internet connection. Everything that can be said above about having some data available offline will still not work since the Play Store needs to verify the user credentials. Every time someone opens the store the very first thing that the app does is to login to the servers using the locally stored Google account. If an internet connection is not available the app will return an error prompting the user to check his connectivity. There is no way to bypass this.

The reason why the Play Store does that is to sync the account with other devices that might have other apps installed, check for updates and create a profile of the user that would help improve their search. Data such as current apps installed, interests, previous searches and even app usage habits help Google know what the user is into and sort the search results or suggestions in such a way that they are relevant for that particular person. What this means that what a person sees when performing a search can be completely different than what a different person can see while performing the exact same search.

-   ordoh

Top 5 Reasons Why Google Maps is the Best Mapping App

Google Maps is a mapping application that is powered by Google.

You can get this application on a desktop as well as on a smartphone or tablet.

This mapping app comes with a number of features that make it easier for the users to get what they want in the way they want it. For instance, the street view gives the users a traditional view of a location where they can even “enter” a building using Google Maps. There is also a satellite view, where you get a view of the location from an aerial view. Other features include route planner, traffic updates as well as navigation services. In short, Google Maps is equipped with loads of mapping functions and as a result, there are millions of people who use this application today, be it on their phones, tablets or PCs.

Here are the top 5 reasons why these millions prefer Google Maps as their best mapping application.

Variety of map views

As noted earlier, Google Maps comes with a variety of map views that include street and satellite views. Furthermore, it is possible to swiftly change from one view to another depending on your personal needs. In addition, overlaying information about the terrain of an area is very easy.

The street view allows the users to get a magnificent panoramic view of buildings in an area and the areas surrounding the streets. These images provide the users with a great view of a location, which keeps attracting more people to try out this mapping platform.

Getting directions

You will never get lost when using Google Maps. This app has all the roads and pathways that lead to every location you want in this world. All you need is to search for the exact location by name and you will get the directions to the place right from your current position.

Google Maps also lets you calculate the distance between two places. All you need is to provide the details of the two locations on the map and the app will calculate the distance in standard units. However, for this feature to work, you must enable your device’s location settings. Google Maps will also provide you with details of the route you can take, based on the means of transport you are using; be it public means, using your own car, cycling or even walking.

Traffic updates

If you have installed Google Maps on your phone, you can never be late for a meeting or an event, as long as you are using it. This is true because the app will update you with the latest details about the traffic ahead of you. The details are availed in form of a grid indicating how heavy the traffic is in the region you requested. With such data at your disposal, why should you be late for a function?

App customization

Google Maps comes preinstalled on all Android devices. This does not mean that this application cannot be manipulated. In fact, Google Maps is one of the most customizable mapping apps. It is possible to create a custom map, add landmarks as well as texts, just like you want it to be. The map can then be saved and shared with friends.

Simplicity

Google Maps mapping application brings the whole world in your hand. You can view any place you want right from the comfort of your living room. This app is extremely simple to use and for this simplicity, many people have fallen in love with Google Maps. It is easy to navigate and find everything you need on the app. You can zoom in and out of an area as you wish so as to see the exact place or thing you are searching for. There is an additional search tool which you can use to locate an area within seconds.

If you haven’t updated Google Maps to the latest version, make sure you visit the official Google Play Store and update the app now. The iOS users can get the latest update from the official iTunes App Store.

-   ordoh

Google Tips And Tricks For a Better Experience

Google is the most popular search engine which is used daily by one billion people from all parts of the world. All websites and everything you are interested in will be displayed in the search results and on the first page appear the websites with the best traffic, according to their relevance. But the users don’t know there are a bunch of cool tricks which are hidden by Google’s engineers in unexpected places. Fortunately, some employees leaked a few of these “Easter eggs” and tricks and we’ll give you a list of the most important secrets of this search engine.

Google in 1998

If you will type Google in 1998, you will make a journey through time and you will see how Google looked in that year.

Jason Isaacs

By writing Jason Isaacs in the search box, Google will give you a page which says Hello to him, but remember that this trick works only if you live in the UK.

Bacon Number

You’ve most likely heard of the famous actor Kevin Bacon, who said in 1994 that he worked with everybody at Hollywood. Or, at least there were some rumors about him saying that, but only in 2007 many websites wrote about his claim. As a response, Bacon launched a charitable website called Six Degrees about everyone who worked with him, through chain of six acquaintances. Now, the website is called The Oracle of Bacon and everyone can search for the name of a person which might have worked with this actor.

How many horns does a unicorn have?

If you ask Google this question, the search engine will calculate the number of of horns on a unicorn and will answer you: 1.

Epic Google

If you’ll type toobigtouse.com in the address bar, you will be redirected to Google’s search page, but its fonts and content will continue to increase in size until it will become too large to read.

Celebrating the holidays with Google 

When searching for a holiday, Google returns a page decorated with items specific to that holiday – Christmas will have pages decorated with Christmas lights, but you will get similar results when it comes to other holidays as well: Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Halloween and Festivus.

Who is the cutest?

If you want to find out the answer to this question, type it in the search bar. The answer will make you smile.

Annoying Google

If you are bored and want to be annoyed by Google, type this phrase and you will be taken to a search page when each word has alternate capital and small letters, and you will struggle to decipher expressions.

Kerning

This option will adjust spaces between characters, so when you search Google for Kerning and have personalized results disabled, you will see that the spacing of the word Kerning is different.

Do a barrel roll

When typing this phrase, Google does a 360 degree spin. Literally. This is a tribute to Star Fox, which was a video game series created by Nintendo.

Zerg Rush

When typing Google for Zerg Rush, one of the O’s from Google will start “attacking” the search results page, one by one. If you want to “kill” the O, just click on it.

Enable Pirate language

The fans of Black Sails will love this trick, as it enables the Pirate language, as on Facebook. The pirate version of Google is awesome, and to enable the language, just type Google Pirate.

Google Rainbow

Typing this phrase will take you to the search homepage and you will see each element changing its color to create a rainbow.

Google Sphere

Type this phrase and you will see images dancing in circular motion. This trick works on Chrome, Firefox and IE9.

-   culturemob

5 Reasons to Update Google Maps for Android to the Latest Version Now

Google Maps has had millions of downloads from the Google Play Store and this is not by chance.

This application makes everything as far as navigation is concerned seem extremely easy and handy.

Google Maps comes preinstalled on all Android tablets and smartphones. With this mapping application you can be sure of finding your way in any place even if you have never been to the place before. If you are looking for the best experience with this mapping application, you definitely need to update to the latest version. This should not just happen now, but all the time.

You can update to the latest version of Google Maps via the Google Play Store, which is one of the easiest ways of getting the update. Alternatively, you can get the latest Google Maps APK and get the latest features, bug fixes and improvements to the app before any other person lays their hands on them. So, if you are still using an older version of Google Maps, update via the Play Store or download an APK file from apkmirror.com or any other trusted third party website.

Why update to the latest Google Maps for Android?

Just in case you aren’t aware of what you get with the latest Google Maps update, here is a taste of the 5 best reasons why you must download and install this mapping application on your Android smartphone or tablet.

Comprehensive and accurate mapping services

Google Maps is not the sole provider of mapping services. However, if you are looking for the most comprehensive and accurate mapping results on your phone, this app is your best bet. The app receives constant updates that ensures more than 220 countries are accurately placed in the app’s repository. Whether you have been to a place before or not, Google Maps will take you to right where you want. You can use satellite view or use the classic view. The app will also feed you with traffic details when in busy cities and towns.

Detailed maps with transit directions

The latest Google Maps offers users lots of details on specific locations. In this new app for Android users, you can get details of over 15,000 cities and towns and these include navigation rules as well as transit directions via different modes of transport. Google Maps will also equip you with the latest live updates on traffic, accidents alerts as well as automatic rerouting services.

Voice-enabled navigation

The latest version of Google Maps for Android devices has eliminated the need of constantly flicking your device in order to get around. This can be attributed to the newly introduced voice-enabled GPS navigation and if you are driving or biking to a place, you can use this feature to get around unfamiliar neighborhoods without the need of taking your eyes off the road.

Street view

The new Google Maps for Android app offers some of the best map views. Using the traditional street view, you can access more detailed views of outdoor locations regardless of where they are. You can get a close up view of a restaurant, church, monument, museum and more.

Integration with Google Wallet

If you update to the latest Google Maps on your Android device, you will be able to enjoy new integration services with Google Wallet. It will now be possible for users to look up the physical location of the store that issued them with a receipt after making a purchase in the Play Store.

Download Google Maps latest version today and take advantage of these new additions.

-   PAU

Can Google Maps Be Used Offline?

Google Maps is a great application, it lets you access different places, know their specific locations and be able to find directions to different locations. However, one disadvantage with Google Maps is that it consumes a lot of data and does not automatically load images when one is offline.

Can Google Maps be used offline? Is there a way that this application can be used even when you have deactivated your internet connection? Well, the answer to this is yes. Google Maps can be used offline, here is a simple procedure on how to use Google maps offline.

Download the latest update

First you have to download the latest update of Google Maps. The updated version has more features that will let you download your maps simple and easy processes. It additionally has various shortcuts that will let you view various maps offline.

Start the app

Once you have updated your application, launch it on the profile location located next to the search bar. You will be able to view your maps just like before. However, the updated app will come with an additional feature.

Once you have the updated version, launch the app and tap on the profile icon located next to the search bar. Then scroll to the bottom of the page.

Activate offline saving feature 

At the Google maps icon located next to the search bar, scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a section dedicated to offline maps. Here you will have two options you can use when you would like to save an offline map. The first option is through the “Ok Maps” feature. By typing this words in the search bar when viewing the map, the save page dialog will pop up. You can also activate this saving feature through speaking “OK maps” when accessing your page. 

 Saving your document offline 

After activating the save dialog through this option, you will be able to zoom in and out of the area before saving it to your device. Google Maps has a limit to the area and storage you can store, if the area is too big, a new command will pop up which asks you to zoom in. Zoom in to reduce the size of the image so that you can save it.

If the storage space is fine, you will view a prompt which indicates that the map is downloading. It is probably going to take about 10 seconds to download the map, depending on the size of your map. A new message will pop up that says “the on-screen map has been cached.” From then on, you will be able to view the downloaded part when offline. 

The next time you would like to access Google Maps and there is no signal available, you will be able to easily view and browse your saved map. This will be helpful for Android tablets or iPads that work only Wi-Fi or when your device is connected in airplane mode. It will also be handy for travelers that quite often cannot access the cell service.

-    ordoh

Why Google Maps Is Not Working For You – Top Answers

Over time, Google Maps has been providing accurate results. However, over time it seems like it is no longer working. It has problems across various devices, ranging from PCs to smartphones using iOS. Some of the issues encountered are: a lack of announcement of exit numbers, getting exit names wrong, and inability to center the map on locations. 

The most common problem is being unable to center the map on locations. Let us delve into its resolution:

Causes 

There are a number of reasons why you can’t center the maps on locations: you have probably denied Google Maps access to your location in the past, or the browser that you are using probably has an error.

Resolution

To center the map on your current location, you must give Google Maps permission to get where you are located. This is how to go about it:

For Chrome

– Open Chrome

– Click the menu on the chrome browser toolbar

– Select settings

– Click ‘show advanced settings’ at the bottom of the page

– Click ‘content settings’ in the Privacy section

– A dialog box will appear. Scroll to ‘location’ and select your permission for future requests for location via clicking ‘allow’. There are 2 options: allowing all sites to track your location and asking when a site tries to track your physical location. The former gives Google Maps and all sites access to your location, while the latter alerts you whenever any site requests for your location.

– Click ‘done’

For Firefox

For Mozilla Firefox 3.5 and above

– Go to maps.google.com and click the lock icon on the left of the URL in the top bar

– Click ‘more information’

– Click the ‘permissions’ tab

– Under ‘access your location’ click ‘allow’

For Mozilla Firefox 3.1 and below

– Open Firefox

– Click ‘tools’, then ‘gears and ‘settings’

– Next to the country version of the Google Maps that you use, click ‘remove’

For Safari

– Open Safari

– Click preferences in the top right corner of your PC

– Click ‘privacy’ then ‘prompt for every website for one time’

– Go to your country version of Google Maps

– Click on the ‘GPS-like’ icon on the bottom right hand side

– If prompted, check the box titled, ‘remember my decision and don’t ask again’

– Click ‘allow’

You might be prompted to change the settings of your location on your PC. To do this:

— Open System Preferences and go to ‘security & privacy preferences’ then ‘privacy’ and ‘location’ services

— Click the lock in the bottom left to allow for changes

— Check ‘enable location services’

For Internet Explorer

– Open Internet Explorer

– Click settings on the browser toolbar

– Click ‘internet options’ then ‘security’, ‘trusted sites’ and ‘sites’

– Type the versions of Google Maps that you use and make certain that the ‘require server verification’ box is unchecked

– Click ‘add’

Troubleshooting problems with location

If you try the above and receive an error, for instance, ‘your location cannot be determined’, there are 2 possibilities:

— The request took so long; therefore, Google Maps stopped working

— Google Maps couldn’t get an accurate read on your location

Fixing the Problem

— Refresh your browser and check to ensure that your internet connection is strong

— Double check permission settings

All in All

As we can see, the reasons why Google Maps is not working for you can be resolved. Just follow the recommendations given for the different browsers.

-   ordoh