Is Google Hangouts Safe? Complete Parental Guide to Hangouts

Do you use Google Hangouts? You might have used Google Hangouts as the app is pre-installed on Android devices as an Android device user. Google Hangouts is one of the most preferred communication apps on Android and IOS devices, and it is the app provided by Google and has replaced Google Talk and Google+ messenger.

With the Hangouts app, you can send messages, make audio and video calls, group chat, group video calls without any charges. You can make group calls with up to 150 people at a time. You can make free calls to anyone in the world through Google Hangouts if they are users of Google Hangouts.

Calls and texts made within Google Hangouts are free of cost; however, you will be charged extra if you make other calls. Have you ever had a query regarding if Google Hangouts is safe or not?

Is Google Hangouts Safe To Use?

Users always question the privacy of Google Hangouts. Is Google Hangouts Safe? Google Hangouts is safe to use. Google Hangouts ensures users to protect information and conversation and guarantees users privacy. The app ensures it encrypts all the conversations on Google Hangouts to maintain users’ privacy and safety.

Even though Google Hangouts ensures the privacy and safety of people, the app does not provide you with end-to-end encryption. End-to-end encryption ensures the sender and receiver can read the messages.

Lacking end-to-end encryption features has made users doubtful about the safety of Google Hangouts, and the question regarding encryption type has made users questionable about the safety of the app. Also, do not forget no matter how much privacy Google Hangouts ensures it gives, Google records all your messages.

Is Google Hangouts Safe and Secure?

Even though Google Hangout does not provide end-to-end encryption, it still ensures conversation security. All the conversation you make in Google Hangout is encrypted, and it does not provide your conversation data to anyone without any proper reason. Only government bodies can view the message if they request it for some reason.

Is Google Hangouts Private?

Google Hangouts is a private communication tool. Any messages sent and received through the Google Hangouts app are only visible to parties involved in the communication only if the users who are added to the conversation will be able to see the messages.

How To Maintain Safety on Google Hangouts?

Since there is no end-to-end encryption, you need to be extra cautious about using Google Hangouts. It is your responsibility to maintain safety on Google Hangouts. Here’s how you can maintain safety on Google Hangouts.

1. Never Communicate With Strangers

You need to first understand not communicating with people you do not know on the Internet. You should only add people to Hangouts who you know in your personal life. It would help if you never talked with strangers in Hangouts until you verified the identity of the person.

If you want only your trusted contacts to connect with you on Google Hangouts, you can set it up by using the following steps.

• Go to your Google Hangouts.
• Go to "Settings."
• Select “Customize Invite Setting.”
• Now select “Customize” and select who needs an invitation, and you can message you directly.

2. Maintain Strong Password

Strong passwords are not just necessary in Google Hangouts; it’s essential in every account you have on the Internet. While setting passwords, always make sure that you never add personal information to your password, as it’s easy to guess. Also, never add a password that shows personal information, keyword pattern, or number pattern of users.

While adding a password in Google Hangouts, you can use passwords that include combinations like upper and lower cases, numbers, special characters, and so on. Some password combinations that you can try are “4&o*tBtr%”, “Wv@p^Npzz”, “ZpI#mdfN%aa”, and so on.

3. Block Anyone Who is Bothering You

If you ever feel like someone is bothering you on Google Hangouts, you should block them on Google Hangouts. Sometimes you might come across scammers and bullies on Google Hangout. If you ever get into such a situation, it would be better if you block them.

If you want to block anyone on Google Hangouts, first of all, you need to see people who are in your contacts, and then you can decide on blocking the people. Here is how you can see contacts on your Google Hangouts.

• Open Google Hangouts.
• Select Contacts.

Now you can view all the contacts that are available on Google Hangouts. For blocking contact, follow the steps given below.

• Open your Google Hangout.
• Select the Contacts icon or Conversation icon.
• Now select the gear icon.
• Select the “Block and Report” option.

If you want to report the person, follow the steps below.

• Click on the checkbox that says the “Also report” option.
• Finally, select the “Confirm” option to block the person.

4. Always Signout After Using The App

If you ever use your Hangouts from other devices or through public devices, you need to sign out of the app after using it. Signing out of Google Hangouts each time after using the app will ensure no one will access your Hangouts in your absence. To sign out of Google Hangout, follow the steps given below:

• Click on your profile in the top right corner.
• Now select Sign out, and that’s it; you will be signed out of Google Hangouts.

5. Turn on Two Factor Authentication

Two-Factor authentication is by far the best way to protect your account. Two-factor authentication will ensure no one can log in to your account without your permission. You can turn on two-factor authentication in your Google account, which will ensure the safety of your Google accounts.

To turn on two-factor authentication on your Google Hangouts, follow the steps given below.

• Open your Google Account.
• From the navigation panel, click on Security.
• Now click on “2 Step Verification” from Signing into Google.
• Select “Get Started” and enter your current mobile number where you will be receiving OTP.
• After entering OTP, click turn on.

Features of Google Hangouts

You can get a variety of features in Google Hangouts. They are,

• Allow you to create a group of up to 150 people.
• Message people even when they are offline.
• Make your message more fun with emoji, GIFs, stickers, in messages.
• Allow you to connect with Google Voice with Google Hangouts.

Benefits of Google Hangouts

Communication platforms are a blessing for people. But some communication platforms can be unreliable for communicating. Google Hangouts has been a blessing for people and is being benefited for many reasons.

Easy To Access From Any Device

Google Hangouts is compatible with any device, whether you have IOS or Android device or even with a laptop or computer. You can access your Google Hangouts on any of your devices just by entering your Gmail account on your Google Hangouts account.

Faster communication

Google Hangouts is one of the most reliable means of communication. You can connect with your family or friends with Google Hangouts just in a few seconds.

Whether you want to make a phone call or text message with Google Hangouts, you can do it just with a single click. What’s more interesting about Google Hangouts is, you can get the small option of Google Hangouts in Gmail.

Pricing

Google Hangout is free to use, which makes the app the number one choice among people. There is no in-app purchase feature in Google Hangouts. To use Google Hangouts, all you need is a Google account and download Hangouts from your play store or the app store.

Quality of phone and video call

The quality of phone and video calls in Google Hangouts is remarkable. The camera and network quality that you get in Hangouts is amazing. You can even make a group or discussion room to invite contacts and make voice and video calls. If you live in the USA or Canada, you can make free calls to people not on your Google contact list.

Easy Access To Chat History

Whether you want to find the chat history of a month ago or a year ago, you can search just by going to the search bar. You can turn on or turn off your chat history as per your preference. If you ever need to find your past conversation, you can find it simple by going through Google Chat History.

FAQ

What is Bad About Google Hangouts?

Google Hangouts is not bad for personal use, but using Google Hangouts for business use might not be a good idea. Also, this app might not be good for business as it lacks calls and video recording features.

Can You Be Tracked Through Google Hangouts?

No, the location tracking feature is not available on Google Hangouts. However, if the government or some official bodies give a valid reason to track a message or track a location, they track your message or location.

What are the Pros and Cons of the Hangouts App?

Here are some of the pros and cons of the Hangouts App:

Pros

• Offers group chat or one-to-one chat.
• Compatible with all devices.
• Allow you to integrate with other Google tools.

Cons

• Lacks end-to-end encryption.
• Cannot set the status on Hangouts.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, Google Hangouts is a communication app provided by Google. Since Google is a big company, we can trust its safety features. Even though there is no end-to-end encryption, the safety feature makes Google Hangouts safe to use.

With free of cost, you can communicate with anyone who is on your contact list. However, always follow the internet safety tips to protect yourself from any probable threats that you might receive. Also, do not forget to sign out of Google Hangouts chats each time you close the app.