Google addresses battery drain in updated Hangouts app

Google is making its Hangouts app more appealing to users of devices running its Android operating system, by allowing them a greater degree of customization - including setting custom notification tones for their contacts.

 

Enthusiast site 9to5google.com said users can adjust their chat lists by assigning custom notification tones for individual contacts.

 

"This nifty new feature will let you know who’s messaging you without having to look at your device," it said.

 

But more importantly for mobile users, the site cited a Google Groups thread indicating the app also seeks to resolve a a battery draining issue linked to Hangouts.

 

Also, users can access a hidden contacts list that lets them "hide people from their group without blocking their messages."

 

Yet another new feature is an SMS list that provides quick access to people a user had blocked, making it easier to unblock people "in the event that you have a change of heart." — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News