Regardless of what platform you are using, clicking or tapping on a contact or existing Hangout will open a chat box. If the other person is not online, they will receive messages the next time they open a Hangouts client. You can also search for people and circles by typing the name, email address, or phone number you are searching for into the field at the top of the list.

You can use your webcam or phone’s camera to take photos and share them, or you can add photos other sources, such as your computer or phone’s memory.

If using a mobile device, press the menu button and select your options in the menu that appears.

Video chats do not require that both users have a camera. You can video chat with a camera on one end and a microphone on the other, or just camera and text.

Mobile users can join a Hangout party, though they will have limited access to extra features, such as YouTube videos and Google Docs integration.

You can restrict the call to users 18 and over.

Videos are played in the main Hangout pane. Anyone in the group can change the playback and skip videos. The microphone is muted during video playback. Click the green “Push to talk” button to say something during a video.

This can be very useful if you are trying to troubleshoot a program with someone more experienced, or want to share something in another program with everyone in the chat.

Click the arrows at the top of the Effects window to change categories. To remove all of the effects you have added, click the “x Remove all effects” link at the bottom of the Effects menu.

When you click the Google Drive button on the menu, a list of all of your Google Drive documents will appear. You can select which document you would like to share, or you can create a shared notebook or sketchpad. When you share documents, you will be sharing your email address. You will need to confirm to continue.

To mute your camera, click on the video camera with a slash through it. This will turn your camera feed off. People will still be able to hear you if you don’t mute the microphone as well.

Many Android devices come with Hangouts preinstalled. It replaces the old Talk application.

When the app opens, you will see a list of your recent Hangouts.