Anyone using Hangouts as their default Texting app?

[camelot023]

With my new G4 I thought I would give Hangouts a try as my default texting app. I like the video call feature and texting in one app. I previously had Handcent on my S3, great app but lots of customization. Takes a long time to get it just right. I have two questions in regards to Hangouts.

1. Why is it I have to send an invite to certain people before I can text them? If it is just sending a text why the need to invite them to Hangouts?
2. I know this is a long standing issue with Hangouts, just thought I would ask if anyone has found a fix. When I send my wife a picture through Hangouts, the resolution is horible. There is a fix called Xhangouts but this only works on rooted devices. Anyone know how to up the default send resolution?

What texting apps is everyone using? I may go back to Handcent, still undecided.

 

[anon(782252)]

With my new G4 I thought I would give Hangouts a try as my default texting app. I like the video call feature and texting in one app. I previously had Handcent on my S3, great app but lots of customization. Takes a long time to get it just right. I have two questions in regards to Hangouts.

1. Why is it I have to send an invite to certain people before I can text them? If it is just sending a text why the need to invite them to Hangouts?
2. I know this is a long standing issue with Hangouts, just thought I would ask if anyone has found a fix. When I send my wife a picture through Hangouts, the resolution is horible. There is a fix called Xhangouts but this only works on rooted devices. Anyone know how to up the default send resolution?

What texting apps is everyone using? I may go back to Handcent, still undecided.

I use hangouts exclusively and have for quite a while. If you are sending SMS then it wouldn't ask to invite them. That would be a hangout and not a text.

I'd have to look into the picture part. If I send one via hangouts it's just to show someone something so not really concerned about quality. Of I want someone to have the quality pic I took, I send them a link to my One Drive so they can have the full file size.

 

[PapaGary]

I have found that when you send a hangout text for the first time to someone that doesn't have a Google Plus account it asks if you want to send an invite. You have to answer yes or else you won't be able to compose the text. Answering yes results in the invite automatically appearing at the beginning of your text. I just delete it and then compose the text. It will never ask you again for that contact.

I agree with tourbound129 on the pictures.

 

[dontbeweakvato]

You dont have to send an invite to Text. It operates the same as any other texting app. I get the invite part when im trying to text someone without a phone number because it's sending through email

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk

 

[Jonneh]

As others have stated, Hangouts will only do the invite thing if you're trying to send a "hangout", not a "text". However, as someone else mentioned, if you do try to send a text to a contact that doesn't have a phone number, it turns into a "hangout" since it's using e-mail (connected to your gmail/google account) and might do the invite thing as well.

In the lower-left-hand corner of a conversation thread with a contact that has both gmail and their phone number listed in your contact book, you'll see either the green Hangouts icon or three letters "SMS". You can tap that and then switch from SMS <--> Hangouts (vice versa).
However, if you only have that contact's phone number without an email address, you'll only be able to SMS them; if you only have their email and not a phone number, you'll only be able to Hangouts them. (Yes, I just made that a verb)

 

[camelot023]

Thanks for the input everyone. I think I figured out what I was doing wrong. When I wanted to send a text to a new person I was selecting the hangouts tab since it has my contacts list pre-entered. I should have been hiting the + sign at the top right of the texting tab.
Thanks again