Google has just made it possible for anyone to join a video chat on Hangouts.
The new feature, which is similar to a recent Skype update, lets anyone join a video call, even if they don’t have a Google account, or Hangouts installed.
The feature will be rolled out this week, and allows someone to join a call by simply clicking a link in an invitation.
In a blog post, Google for Work product manager Patrick Wynn explained a possible use case: “Say you’re a business about to talk through new product plans with your supplier, and you decide it’d be great to also get the thoughts of a key customer. No problem.”
All you have to do is invite your external guest with Google Calendar, and they click a link in the event description and fill in their name.
For security reasons, the person inviting can then choose whether to accept or deny this entry, and the video chat can start.
Skype released a similar feature recently, that lets users chat to anyone – even if they don’t have a Skype account – using a shareable unique URL.
Read more about the new feature here.