Google Hangouts being tested with a new User Interface. Codename: "Ultra Violet"

With all the Google's services and Apps redesigned in Material esque, you wouldn't want Google messenger service Hangouts to be left in space. And that's not gonna happen. If this new report by Florian Kiersch is right, we'll soon be in for a newly designed Hangouts.

The Welcome Screen

The new design that's codenamed Ultra Violet, will bring significant changes to the User Interface. It includes a new Chrome Extension which will represent your chats in facebook style Chat Heads floating on the right of your screen.

Clicking on the Chat Head the first time will bring up a new Welcome screen introducing the new UI and will ask you to login. If you've already done that, it'll show all your chats in bubble formation with circular profile images.

Chat Heads with Circular Profiles

To note again, this is not an official product yet. It still has a lot of bugs and a lot of polishing has to be done before its been deployed to the users. There's also no reports on functionality changes. Its to bee seen if this new UI also brings new functionality or if it makes its way to Android devices. 

Google Hangouts finally combines Hangouts and Text messages.

Its been since the iOS app got the update, We've been waiting for Google to update the Hangouts Android app. And the update is finally here.

The update finally solves off the major complaint about Hangouts since it got its sms integration. From now on, it will combine your sms and Hangouts conversation. We also expected some UI changes, something we could surely expect after the iOS update but we're not there yet.

Having your text messages and hangouts in the same thread could have been a little confusing too. Previously the sms were tagged with the li'l "Via SMS" tag. But with the amalgamation of the two type of conversation, Google has now decided to make it easier to figure out which one is which. Your Sms messages will be coloured with a white background while your Hangouts messages will be coloured green. Also while sending a message you will be asked to select between Sms and Hangouts.



Other subtle changes to the app include a simpler contacts list that's now been divided in 2 parts: People you Hangout with and Phone contacts.



And lastly, Google has finally added a home screen widget for hangouts that's been missing ever since the service debuted.

The update is not live yet but you will see the staged roll out update by the end of this week.

Images courtesy of +Mike Dodd, who works for Hangouts with the Android team at Google.