A lot of us would love to spend more time with our friends -- but it often takes several rounds of back-and-forth before landing on an evening or weekend when everyone is free.

Today, Google announced a new version of Hangouts, which is actually two apps, Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat. Both are meant for business-users, but that doesn't mean the old Hangouts is totally going away. Yet.

Google recently changed the interface of the Hangouts extension for Chrome that makes it look a little more like its Android and iOS equivalents. It's a nice update for some people, but others preferred the older style of floating windows. Here's how to get the old interface back.

Google's Allo is packed with useful features, not the least of which is Google Assistant, which brings a lot to the table. Even so, it takes a lot to make someone switch from what they're using now, especially if their friends use it. What's your favourite texting app? Are you sticking with it?

Chrome: Google has released an update to its Hangouts extension that gives it a bit of a new look alongside some new functionality.

Windows/Mac/Linux: If you want a desktop version of Google Hangouts, you have plenty of options, including an official option from Google, but the Google route doesn't work super well and requires Chrome to run. YakYak is a desktop client for Hangouts that works like a regular desktop app.

Windows/Mac/Linux: If you use a lot of different messenger apps to keep in contact with people, say, Slack for work, Facebook Messenger for friends, WhatsApp for people overseas and Steam for your gaming buddies, you know how hard it is to keep track of all those. Franz stuffs them all into one app.

iOS: Today Google updated the Hangouts app with a couple of useful features that finally adds in proper support for iOS 9.

Today, Google Hangouts got the biggest feature it should have had four years ago when it launched: A dedicated homepage with a simple web address. Now, in addition to all the other ways to access hangouts, you can visit it at its own headquarters.

Google's mini update to Hangouts lets you drag and drop photos directly into the window, instead of browsing through files to select them.

Windows/Mac: Google updated the Hangouts Chrome app today with a brand-new design that makes it a lot more appealing to use. The updated app looks a lot like the Android and iOS versions of Hangouts.

Android: Google's awesome voice commands have been able to send text messages for a while. With a recent update, however, you can finally do the same with Hangouts instant messages.

iOS: Google updated the Hangouts app today and added a slew of new features. The most notable is the integration with Google Voice, so you can now access SMS and voicemails from your Google Voice account (if you have one) right in the Hangouts app.

Android/iOS: Today, Google added the ability to quickly share your location to Hangouts. When someone asks "Where are you?" you will now be prompted to share your location -- which is better than keeping location sharing on all the time.

Good news for Google Apps for Business users: Google's well-regarded Hangouts video chat service no longer requires you to have a Google+ profile, making it a more viable option for business users.

If you haven't noticed, Google is making a serious play to make sure everyone signs up for and uses Google+. Whether it's to comment on YouTube, post photos, or even share a Google Map or driving directions with someone else, you need to go through Google+. Not all is lost, though! Let's look at where you can escape the clutches of Google+, and where you have no choice but to submit.

Android: We love our widgets, but Google has yet to provide one for its messaging centrepiece app, Hangouts. Fortunately, a third-party app is on the case.

Dear Lifehacker, I have a Nexus 5 and I have started using the Google Hangouts app for SMS my friends. But I'm wondering: are the SMS messages also backed up into Google?

Google Hangouts are very handy for video chat, but much of the development has been aimed at individual users. One recent enhancement is much more firmly centred on corporate use: you can now look up names from the Global Address List to start a hangout.