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Google+ Hangouts on Air opens to everyone

Google opens up its Hangouts on Air feature to everyone, allowing users to share their videos with other Google+ users in 40 other nations. The Hangouts on Air feature, unveiled September last year, adds another dimension to Google+ 's hangout.

With the incorporation of Hangouts on Air, users can now broadcast their videos to a larger web audience in an On Air format. Earlier, Google+users could conduct a video chat with a small circle of people.

To start a Hangout on Air broadcast, users need to begin with a normal Hangout and then choose the option to record the broadcast. Up to nine other can join in the broadcast. During the broadcast, users can look inside the Hangout to see how many people are watching live. Once finished, Google will automatically put up the recorded video on user's YouTube channel, along with adding a YouTube link to the Google Hangout post on Google+.

“Today we're excited to launch Hangouts On Air to Google+ users worldwide. So if you have something to say—as an aspiring artist, a global celebrity, or a concerned citizen—you can now go live in front of a global audience,” Google said in a blog post.

The Hangouts on Air is currently available for desktop users only, though Hangouts are available on mobile platforms such as Android and iOS. It's notable users cannot use experimental additions such as "Hangouts with extras," including screensharing and a "sketchpad" app, with Hangout on Air.

Check out how the Hangouts on Air work in the video below:

Google recently updated its social networking site, giving it a fresh look and adding a number of new features, ranging from a new Explore and Profile pages, to redesigned navigation and Hangout interface. The new version of Google+ will roll out globally over the next few days.