Hangouts Chrome app updated with phone tab and better notification support

The Hangouts Android app has been going through quite a few changes lately. Just a few days ago, we saw the mobile app receive more Material Design enhancements, stickers and “last seen” timestamps. Now, an update has rolled out to the Hangouts Chrome app that brings updated notification support and a new phone tab.

Google is making calling on your desktop much easier now, allowing you to place Hangouts calls and send SMS messages to your Google Voice contacts straight from the Chrome app (which is different from the Chrome extension!).

What’s more, they’re also improving notifications in Chrome, fixing a few zoom level problems, and adding a minimize option to the extension, even when it’s not on top of your browser.

The update was announced by Google’s Voice and Hangouts product manager, Mayur Kamat. He explains:

Reload your Hangouts Chrome App – you can now see the phone tab (like in Gmail and mobile apps) so you quickly call your phone contacts, add credit, view calling rates and more. If you have a Google Voice number, you can also send SMS to your contacts directly from the phone tab.

All you need to do to grab the update is restart the Chrome app if you haven’t already. The enhancements should show up right away, and you can get to calling all of your friends! Let’s be honest, when the Hangouts Chrome app launched, it was nothing to brag about. It’s getting much better, and it’s very clear that Google is trying to make their messaging system a bit better for everyone.