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I deleted it after I found out it requires you to have a Google+ account. I guess I shouldn't have had my hopes up considering it's called Hangouts.

by cremnob 13y ago

sneak 13y ago
Yeah, they can't seriously expect to compete with FaceTime and Skype adoption rates if they continue trying to force users to engage with their terrible social feature crap just because they want to make video calls. Then again, Google's playing a very long game here with Plus (and Android, and self-driving cars, and a zillion other things). Who knows if it'll work out in the end. What I do know today is that it's rather annoying. I'd just like to be able to vidchat with friends from my chromebook without having to get all my friends to fuck up their youtube accounts.
- tene 13y ago
  Can you make Skype calls without a Skype account?
- mikeash 13y ago
  FaceTime requires an Apple ID and Skype requires a Skype account, so I'm confused, how is requiring a G+ account any different?
  - viraptor 13y ago
    Google+ wants to integrate everything and that can cause problems if you use their services for important things. I'm still refusing to link my primary gmail address with a Google+ account after the big issue with name verification. My name is very unamerican so until I move everything important off of gmail, I won't join g+. I know they promised not to do that anymore, but they hold too much data right now to trust them without any access to support.
    - mikeash 13y ago
      You seem to have the workaround already, though: make a separate account. I'm not going to argue that it's a good thing that you need to do that, but it doesn't seem worse than having to e.g. sign up for a separate Skype account to use Skype.
      - tyang 13y ago
        Agree w/ mikeash
  - coldtea 13y ago
    In that both of those are fire and forget, whereas your Google/G+ account is used for tons of stuff people don't really like but are shoved into their throats.
  - hrktb 13y ago
    I already had a google ID. Signing up to Hangout asked for Google+ registration, forces to set the public name of the base account and forces activation of Picasa. I actually bailed out of each of these steps once, just to check that it won't sign up without all of these. Comparing it to skype, I actually have two skype accounts, one "public" for friends and work related things, and set on my workstation, and an obscure private one that only a few family members see, set on y phone. Having the same set up for Hangout would feel like a nightmare with all the related services entangled, switching signups even to look at pictures etc.
- tyang 13y ago
  I do a lot of video calls with startup founders and other startup investors in and out of the Valley. YMMV but my breakdown is probably 95% Hangout, 3% Skype and 2% Facetime/GoToMeeting/Other.

I deleted it after I found out it requires you to have a Google+ account. I guess I shouldn't have had my hopes up considering it's called Hangouts.

by cremnob 13y ago

I deleted it after I found out it requires you to have a Google+ account. I guess I shouldn't have had my hopes up considering it's called Hangouts.

sneak 13y ago

Yeah, they can't seriously expect to compete with FaceTime and Skype adoption rates if they continue trying to force users to engage with their terrible social feature crap just because they want to make video calls. Then again, Google's playing a very long game here with Plus (and Android, and self-driving cars, and a zillion other things). Who knows if it'll work out in the end. What I do know today is that it's rather annoying. I'd just like to be able to vidchat with friends from my chromebook without having to get all my friends to fuck up their youtube accounts.

tene 13y ago
Can you make Skype calls without a Skype account?
mikeash 13y ago
FaceTime requires an Apple ID and Skype requires a Skype account, so I'm confused, how is requiring a G+ account any different?
- viraptor 13y ago
  Google+ wants to integrate everything and that can cause problems if you use their services for important things. I'm still refusing to link my primary gmail address with a Google+ account after the big issue with name verification. My name is very unamerican so until I move everything important off of gmail, I won't join g+. I know they promised not to do that anymore, but they hold too much data right now to trust them without any access to support.
  - mikeash 13y ago
    You seem to have the workaround already, though: make a separate account. I'm not going to argue that it's a good thing that you need to do that, but it doesn't seem worse than having to e.g. sign up for a separate Skype account to use Skype.
    - tyang 13y ago
      Agree w/ mikeash
- coldtea 13y ago
  In that both of those are fire and forget, whereas your Google/G+ account is used for tons of stuff people don't really like but are shoved into their throats.
- hrktb 13y ago
  I already had a google ID. Signing up to Hangout asked for Google+ registration, forces to set the public name of the base account and forces activation of Picasa. I actually bailed out of each of these steps once, just to check that it won't sign up without all of these. Comparing it to skype, I actually have two skype accounts, one "public" for friends and work related things, and set on my workstation, and an obscure private one that only a few family members see, set on y phone. Having the same set up for Hangout would feel like a nightmare with all the related services entangled, switching signups even to look at pictures etc.
tyang 13y ago
I do a lot of video calls with startup founders and other startup investors in and out of the Valley. YMMV but my breakdown is probably 95% Hangout, 3% Skype and 2% Facetime/GoToMeeting/Other.