How to open Google Hangouts in Gmail to connect with others over text, video, or voice call

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• You can easily open Google Hangouts in Gmail to chat with friends over text, video, or voice call.
• If the person you're trying to reach is not on Hangouts, an invite will be sent to the contact asking them to join you on the platform.
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Google Hangouts allows you to video chat, voice call and text chat with your friends for free.

Group chats can accommodate up to 150 people; and video calls can connect up to 25 people.

You can also send photos, videos, maps, emojis, stickers and animated GIFS. Google Hangouts is compatible across desktop, iPhone and Android, and it can be accessed through a number of ways, including Gmail.

Here's how to open Google Hangouts in Gmail.

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How to open Google Hangouts in Gmail

1. Go to gmail.com and log into your account.

2. Click on the "Hangouts" icon, which is represented by a quotation mark at the bottom left of the screen.

3. You'll be signed into Google Hangouts. To begin a new conversation, click on the "+" sign. To begin a chat, type in the person's name or email address. You can also start a new hangout group by clicking on "New Group" and then typing in multiple email addresses.

4. A chat window will open up, where you can begin typing your message. From here, you can also begin a video chat by clicking on the video icon; or a phone call by clicking on the phone icon. You can also start a group chat from here, by clicking on the plus sign.