The search giant Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) published a post under its YouTube support section on Monday, August 15, announcing that the Google+ feature Hangouts on Air would move to the YouTube Live platform starting on September 12.
The post describes in depth how the YouTube Live platform will support the former Google+ function, explaining how to set up a Hangouts on Airstream session and other features supported by the broadcasting site.
Google’s announcement follows a long-standing trend for the Alphabet subsidiary, as it tends to develop similar overlapping apps that end up either being dropped or merged. Hangouts on Air remained an exclusive feature of Google+, the social network venture of the San Francisco-based company.
How to go live on YouTube with Hangouts on Air
To start a Hangouts on Air live transmission, users will now have to access through the Live Streaming Events in the Creator Studio section of their YouTube profiles. From there, those who wish to start streaming should select the “New Live Event” option, choose “Quick”, and title their broadcast.
The “Quick” option specifies that it supports the Hangouts on Air feature, further providing the choice to begin immediately with the transmission or schedule the event for a future date. This option is integrated into the YouTube Live platform by default, and Google+ users should find it familiar as it resembles the existing scheduling system featured on the social network.
YouTube Live allows newcomers to control who views their streaming with three access options: “Public” for all viewers without restrictions. Secondly, “Unlisted” for spectators with access to the broadcast’s link. Finally, “Private” for those with personal invitations directly from the broadcaster.
However, there is but one caveat in the merged live streaming platform: YouTube Live will not support the Applause, Showcase, and Q&A features upon launch of the newly integrated Hangouts on Air.
A history of multi-pronged approaches and failures
While Google’s search engine is vastly successful, the company’s ventures on social media have had a difficult time taking flight, while its take on apps has often made for a convoluted user experience.
Hangouts on Air is a Google+ exclusive feature, but the Hangouts app is a conglomerate of messaging and multimedia services in a single platform. However, Google also has Messenger for SMS and the upcoming Allo and Duo apps for instant messaging and video calling respectively.
However redundant it might seem, Google stands firm on its choice to support all apps separately and simultaneously. Google+ is slowly disbanding, as users no longer need an account on the social network to access or use some other services by the tech giant.
Whereas a joint portal for both YouTube Live and Hangouts on Air represents a logical move, the decision also represents one step further towards a future similar to that of Google Wave and Google Buzz.
Source: Google Support