31 Dec How to set a custom status in Google Hangouts

How to set a custom status in Google Hangouts: This month Google launched the ability to add a custom status to your Google Hangouts, so that people can see what’s on your mind. Here, we explain how to get started with adding your own custom status. 

If you tend to access your Google Hangouts in Gmail, then you will need to click on the drop down arrow next to your name that will appear at the top of your Hangouts bar. This will open up the Hangouts menu.

If you are accessing your Google Hangouts via Google+, you will want to click on the drop down arrow next to ‘New Hangout’ and this will open the same menu for you.

To set a custom status, type your message into the ‘Share your status’ bar. This will automatically update to whatever you type, as shown here in the example ‘In meetings’. You can also click on the emoticon icon to add an emoticon to your status.

It’s likely you may be choosing to add a custom status to let people know when you are busy, in meetings, working from home, or out of the office, so you may also like to mute notifications while you are busy. To do this, select ‘Mute notifications’ and you can opt for 1 hour, 8 hours or 2 days.

You can also alter further settings from this menu, so take the time to browse through and add any additional customisations that will benefit your Hangouts experience.

For more tips and tricks for using your Google Apps, check out our weekly Google Apps Tips blog.