Google gave Hangouts a new homepage, away from Google

First Photos, then YouTube and now, Hangouts.

In a Google+ post Monday, Google announced it was fully decoupling Hangouts from Google+, giving the service its own dedicated homepage. This is the latest move to downsize and restructure the beleaguered social network.

Users no longer have to log in to Gmail and Google+ to access Hangouts messaging, phone and video calls, a feature that should be welcomed by many. Google drew the ire of its users by requiring a Google+ account to use many of its popular products, most notably YouTube. Read more...