Being able to make phone calls from Talk was one of the most important Google features for many of us. It was as easy as going to Gmail and dialing any number to get in touch with your loved ones, but the feature was taken from us after the Google Hangouts rollout (we could only receive calls). As promised, Google has brought the feature back.
Though it took almost a couple months, Google has finally re-enabled Google Voice calls. The feature will be rolling out to users over the next couple days and everything will be back to normal. Hangouts’ calling feature will be accessible via Gmail, Google+ and the Hangouts Chrome extension.
From Hangouts, one will simply be able to type the number or contact and click on the “call a phone” option in the menu, or simply click on the phone icon (depending on where you are accessing Google Hangouts. Just like old times, calls to the US and Canada will be free, while international calls will continue to be as cheap as always.
In fact, Google has added some nice features. The most significant being the ability to add phone numbers to your Google Hangouts video chats. I always loved being able to do this on Skype and will definitely be taking advantage of this feature.
I, for one, am very happy to see this feature coming back. I use Google Voice constantly and being able to call from it has become a very important part of my work flow (and personal life). I haven’t gotten the update yet, but let us know how it is working when you do!
[Google]
