Hacker News Reader

Comment by Tiktaalik | Hacker News Reader

Nice. Maybe with this I can convince my friends to move over to WhatsApp from Google Hangouts. The lack of desktop app support for Hangouts has been driving me nuts.

View on HN

You could just open hangouts.google.com in a browser window, why do you need a native app?

Also, Hangouts would not need phone tethering

It's incredibly frustrating to find the one tab/window you have open to hangouts when you have dozens of windows/tabs open.

Hangouts does have a Chrome app (not extension, but app). Which runs in a pop-up mode and gives a user interface similar to android.

Also, it starts up with your operating system with a floating icon which stays at top of the windows if you want, and provides notifications. Your friends can use that if they want to stick to hangouts.

[Hangouts Chrome App](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-hangouts/nc...)

WhatsApp has (proper) end-to-end encryption which is IMO a big win over Hangouts.

Why do you need desktop app support for Hangouts? You can install the extension.

Because I can't cmd-tab to it. Because it brings every Chrome window to front if I just want to read a message. Because it floats on top of Chrome whenever it's open. Because I can't easily move it between monitors, or to a different part of the screen. It's also really rubbish at uploading files. Why can't I drag and drop? And how about search? You're Google ffs. Why do I have to go to Gmail to search Hangouts, instead of allowing search in, oh I don't know, how about in Hangouts?

Some of these may have changed since I abandoned Hangouts last year for Telegram, which still has the best desktop experience.

I don't use Hangouts, but I thought Google hangouts now has a desktop app variant that solves the problems you mentioned.

> Because it brings every Chrome window to front if I just want to read a message

Are you using a Mac by any chance?

Yes, hence cmd-tab.

Ok, then that is the reason for the issues you see but you probably already knew.

Edit: removed lots of unnecessary text : )

It's only the reason for it inasmuch as Hangouts is implemented in a way that behaves like this on Mac. It's not as if it's an inherent property of the OS.

use Hangouts as a desktop app... https://github.com/jiahaog/nativefier

Reply on news.ycombinator.com